IM Kojima Shinya (in foreground) won the Japan Chess Classic 2025 held from July 18 to 21 in Sapporo, Japan.
This FIDE-rated Swiss tournament attracted 111 participants from 12 federations.
The tournament was jointly organized by the Japan Chess Federation and the Sapporo Chess Club, and took place at Kaderu 2.7, a convention center in central Sapporo.
One special highlight was the participation of a youth chess team from China, which brought great energy and joy to the event.
A particularly memorable moment came during the opening ceremony.
GM Anish Giri, who spent part of his childhood in Sapporo and once played at Kaderu 2.7 as a member of the Sapporo Chess Club, kindly sent a video message to congratulate the organizers on hosting the city’s first-ever FIDE-rated tournament.
The message was warmly received and greeted with loud applause from the participants.
IM Kojima Shinya delivered an impressive performance, scoring 6.5 out of 7 points.
Young talents also made a strong impression throughout the event.
Notable performances included Moritani Sho, who finished 4th with 5.5/7 points, and Matsunaga Toma, who secured 10th place with 5/7 points.
Their results highlighted the promising future of Japan’s emerging generation of chess players.
Visit chess-results.com for round by round results and standings.
Japan Chess Federation
National Arbiter
Hiratsuka Yoshihiro (7006675)