Shogi players want even rules

Shogi players are reportedly battling the complexities of fame and game rules. Their tension rises with the uneven directions. The players want their health and opportunities to be taken into consideration.

 It is a practical reality that the tennis players are occasionally granted protected rankings, which enable those recuperating from prolonged injuries or maternity leave to retain their prior rankings and enter important tournaments, such as the Grand Slam, as expressed. 

However, this is not the case with a Japanese game called Shogi, which is similar to chess. 

Games have given players several important life lessons over the years. 

Recently, a famous shogi player said that the league's rule hinders players 'choice between their children and careers. 

This typical fact puts onus upon the players to choose between having a child and developing their careers, thereby more significantly restricting reproductive rights. 

Therefore, Kana Fukuma, a Shogi player, urged the body to consider allowing female players to take time off before their due dates without suffering demotion. 

An apology to the shogi player has reportedly been initiated; the rule bars pregnant players from title matches around their expected due dates. 

Under the current rules of the game, such players are replaced. This means they forfeit all competitions and potential titles during that time.

Fukuma also said this forces players to make a choice between having a child and developing their careers, and thus significantly restricting their reproductive rights. 

She confidently hoped the body would consider allowing female players to take time off before their due dates without suffering demotion.

Current rules stipulate that a pregnant woman can not compete within 14 weeks, from six weeks before they gives birth, to eight weeks after. The 33- year-old decorated player has been playing Japanese board games professionally since 2003.

Before giving birth to her first child in December 2024, however, she was forced to withdraw from several tournaments due to health issues related to her pregnancy.

In a recent written request, she urged the association to adjust match dates or venues to accommodate pregnant players, allow competition during pregnancy if the woman's condition permits it, and ensure women are not stripped of titles during their maternity leave, as was reported.

The association said it could revise the rules after talks with experts while taking into account the safety of the mother and the fairness of title matches. Some call the current rules misogynistic, and others draw straight comparisons to professional sports tournaments.