Akira Nishio
# Akira Nishio

Akira Nishio (西尾 明, Nishio Akira, born September 30, 1979) is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 7-dan. He is currently serving as an executive director of the Japan Shogi Association.

Nishio introduces shogi theory in the English language through his blog Shogi Openings and his occasional posts on Facebook.

## Early life

Nishio was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture on September 30, 1979. He finished runner up in the Elementary School Student Meijin Tournament [ja] in 1988 as a third-grade elementary school student, and made the semi-finals of the same tournament two years later.

In September 1990, Nishio entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school at the rank of 6-kyū under the guidance of shogi professional Teruichi Aono. He was promoted to the rank of 1-dan in 1995, and obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in April 2003 after finishing runner up in the 32nd 3-dan League with a record of 11 wins and 7 losses.

## Shogi professional

### Promotion history

Nishio's promotion history is as follows:

* 6-kyū: September 1990
* 1-dan: 1995
* 4-dan: April 1, 2003
* 5-dan: September 18, 2007
* 6-dan: April 21, 2011
* 7-dan: February 13, 2019

## JSA director

Nishio was elected to the Japan Shogi Association's board of directors for a two-year term as an executive director in June 2019. He was re-elected to additional two-year terms in June 2021 and June 2023.

