Japanese professional shogi player Sota Fujii became the youngest champion of an official tournament on Saturday, at 15 years and 6 months.

Fujii's victory over Akihito Hirose, a 31-year-old eighth-dan player and Osho title holder in the final match, made him the first junior high school student to climb to sixth dan.

"It gives me confidence that I've achieved something big," Fujii said after his final match in the Asahi Cup tournament in Tokyo. "I want to work even harder after the victory."

Earlier in the day in a semifinal match, Fujii defeated Yoshiharu Habu, 47-year-old holder of one of the most prestigious shogi titles, in their first official face-off.

Fujii became a shogi sensation by setting a record of 29 consecutive professional wins last year.

The previous record of youngest winner of a tournament organized by the Japan Shogi Association was held by Hifumi Kato, who won the Roku Go Yon Dan tournament, predecessor of the current Kio title, in 1955 at the age of 15 years and 10 months.

Fujii and Habu, the winner of the prestigious Ryuo title and a ninth-dan player, had only previously met in two unofficial matches, with one win apiece.

Fujii earned a spot in the semifinal match after a win over Amahiko Sato, holder of the Meijin master title, the most prestigious along with the Ryuo title currently held by Habu, in a quarterfinal match on Jan. 14. It was his first official win over any title holder.

The Asahi Cup is a quick-play tournament with each player given 40 minutes and is open to all ranks, including amateurs.

The teenage phenomenon's race to claim the all-time record for consecutive wins in shogi captivated the country, inspiring brisk sales of children's books about shogi and more young people to play the board game.

The feat was achieved on June 26 as he extended his unbeaten record since his debut in December 2016 to 29, breaking the record of 28 straight wins set in 1987 by Hiroshi Kamiya.

The successful run sparked an interest unseen since 1996 when Habu made a clean sweep to hold all seven top shogi titles at once.

Habu reached another high last December, capturing the Ryuo title for the seventh time overall and becoming the first-ever champion to hold "eisei" lifetime honors in each of seven major titles. "Eisei" is an honorific title used after retirement.

The honor is only given for each title after a player has cleared certain conditions, such as the number of consecutive titles won or the overall number of times the player has held the title.

There are eight major titles in shogi but the condition for receiving the eisei honor for the Eio championship, which was elevated last year to join the elite group, has yet to be announced.

The government on Tuesday bestowed the People's Honor Award on Habu, making him the first recipient of the prize in the world of shogi. The award was instituted in 1977 and is given by the prime minister to honor people for outstanding achievements.

Commonly known as Japanese chess, shogi players are given 20 pieces each and can reuse pieces captured from an opponent.

The game, in which players attempt to capture their opponent's king piece, is thought to derive from the ancient Indian game of chaturanga.

In the shogi world, professionals are ranked between fourth dan, the lowest, and ninth dan, the highest in a six-level system. There are around 200 active and retired professional shogi players, the Japan Shogi Association said.