MINSK, 22 April (BelTA) – The second shogi tournament for the Cup of the Ambassador of Japan to Belarus will take place in Minsk on 24-25 April, BelTA learned from the Japanese diplomatic mission in Belarus.
“Over the past decade, the Belarusian shogi school has become one of the world's strongest outside Japan. Representatives of Belarus have repeatedly become European champions. The tournament will open on 24 April. Speaking at the opening ceremony will be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Belarus Hiroki Tokunaga,” the embassy said.
The aim of the tournament is to develop the culture of the Japanese chess game in Belarus as well as to strengthen the bilateral relations in sports by means of attracting shogi amateurs to the tournament.
Shogi, also known as Japanese chess, is a two-player strategy board game, which has become widely popular outside Japan. It was the earliest chess variant to allow captured pieces to be returned to the board.
