Nexus Learners Win Gold and Silver at Historic Shogi Tournament

Our Nexus Shogi learners recently competed in the Singapore Polytechnic Shogi Open 2026. A national tournament open to tertiary institutions and members of the public, this competition was particularly challenging with our learners having to test their strategic thinking against players of different ages and experience levels. 

Shogi is a Japanese strategy game similar to chess, where players must think several moves ahead. The Singapore Polytechnic Shogi Open featured Kyu, Dan and Chu Shogi categories, and our learners represented Nexus across all three categories, facing a wide range of opponents, including older and much more experienced players. 

The event was particularly special as it featured Singapore’s first-ever Chu Shogi tournament. Chu Shogi is a historic Japanese chess variant played on a 12×12 board, with more pieces and much greater complexity than standard Shogi. Every match lasted around 1.5 to 2 hours, with some approaching 200 moves, demanding remarkable concentration and endurance.

Nexus Learners Win at Singapore Polytechnic Shogi Open 2026

Our learners performed brilliantly. Maksym claimed 1st place in Chu Shogi, while Junqi finished 2nd, giving Nexus the top two positions in this historic first event.

In the Kyu category, Yoshinari placed 4th and Samuel finished 10th. Along with Samuel, special recognition goes to Marc and Zhang, who only joined our Shogi CCA this season but were already willing to challenge themselves in an open tournament against much more experienced opposition.

Another outstanding achievement came from Yuta, who represented Nexus in the advanced Dan category. At such a young age, competing successfully at this level against some of Singapore’s strongest and most experienced players is already remarkable. Yuta finished 9th overall with three victories, an excellent result and a strong reflection of how far his Shogi has developed.

Our full Nexus contingent consisted of Junqi, Samuel, Hayato (Liam), Jeremy, Zhang, Yuta, Maksym, Marc, Henan and Yoshinari.

More than the results, it was impressive to see learners at very different stages of their Shogi journey step into an open-age competitive environment and represent Nexus with confidence.

They can now continue preparing for the upcoming overseas tournament in Hong Kong and the next major Nexus Shogi Tournament, which will also feature Chu Shogi.

Congratulations to the entire Nexus team on an excellent tournament!