Shinya KOJIMA

Shinya KOJIMA (Born 1988 in Kanagawa Prefecture) started playing chess shortly before entering Azabu Junior High School in Tokyo, when he happened to find a free software for chess games in his computer.

At the age of 16, Kojima won the Japan Chess Championship, creating a new record by becoming the youngest champion at that time. He continued to win the championship for four consecutive years, and has won five times since then.
He graduated from Keio University in 2011, and is now aiming at becoming the first Japanese international master while giving chess lessons and lectures as well as planning chess-related events.

Yoshiharu HABU

Yoshiharu HABU (Born 1970 in Saitama Prefecture) started learning shogi (Japanese chess) when he was a first grader of elementary school, and became a member of Shoreikai (an organization for training and selecting professional shogi players) when he was in the sixth grade. In 1985, when he was still in junior high school, Habu succeeded in becoming a professional shogi player; he was the third junior high student in history to accomplish such a great feat.
In 1996, he became the first shogi player to hold all the seven titles. At present, he is one of the two top players in the title standings. As of March, 2012, Habu holds two big titles, oui and kisei.

He plays chess only for pleasure, but plays it as well. In 2011, he made a remarkable accomplishment of drawing with French chess champion Vachier-Lagrave.

Nigel SHORT

Nigel SHORT (Born 1966 in Leigh, Lancashire) is widely regarded as the greatest British chess player of the 20th century.
He became the youngest International Master in history at the age of 14 and a Grandmaster – the highest title – at 19.
In 1993, he became only the second non-Soviet (along with Bobby Fischer) in over half a century to reach the Final of the World Chess Championship – eventually succumbing to Garry Kasparov, in London.
Thrice British Champion, thrice Commonwealth Champion and European Union Champion, Short has won dozens of major tournaments in four continents – most recently the very strong 2012 Tradewise Gibraltar Masters.
He also holds the rare distinction of having defeated 12 of the 19 officially recognized World Champions since the competition began, in 1886.

Ryo SHIOMI

Ryo SHIOMI (Born in 1975) graduated from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the University of Tokyo. Having won the championship in the Japan Collegiate Federation in 1998, he stayed in Russia for a year to improve his skills in chess. His records include the Japan Chess Champion (2003), a Japanese delegate to the Chess Olympiad at Majorca, Spain (2004), and a Japanese delegate to the Chess Olympiad at Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia (2010). He currently works for Kodansha, Ltd. as an editor of children’s books.

Mariko OHSUMI

Mariko Ohsumi (Born in Tokyo in 1985) graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences, Tamagawa University.

While she works extensively as an actress, a reporter, an interviewer and a video jockey, she also actively engages herself in creative activities such as planning and organizing her own self-expression activities, writing and drawing.

She has also appeared in several TV programs. She is affiliated with an entertainment production company named Keizo Production, Inc.

Enjoy reading her blog.