Refreshing shogi organisation in the UK

The official organisation for shogi in the UK is the British Shogi Federation (BSF). Set up in the 1980s, the BSF ran the British Shogi Championships at which it regularly held its annual general meeting (AGM). Officials (president, secretary and treasurer( were elected at the AGM. The BSF produced a regular magazine (Shoten), and managed the rating system for tournaments. The BSF was also a founder member of the Federation of European Shogi Associations (FESA).

With declining memberships some time in the early 2000s, the BSF started operating more informally, with almost everything being managed by one or two people. Fortunately the most difficult thing to manage was the rating system which is now run by FESA.

More recently, shogi activity in the UK has been increasing. Steven Cain and Kevin Butchart are running two tournaments per year. Tournaments have been run by UK players including Natasha Regan, Matthew Sadler, and Michael Green. A couple of tournaments in Wales have been run by Uwe Frischmuth as part of his campaign to promote shogi. Teaching professional Yasushi Ishikawa has appeared at an event run by Steven and Kevin, and has co-organised events with The Japan Society and London based player Kohtaro Hirota.

Against this background it seems a good idea to be review how shogi is organised in the UK, and perhaps reduce its reliance on one or two key individuals. We have already had some conversations about this at the London shogi club, but it seems appropriate for all UK based players to have the opportunity to join in.

For this reason, we will be having a meeting to discuss UK shogi organisation after the Autumn Shogi Tournament on 15 November 2026. This will be framed as a British Shogi Federation meeting, and will be open to any UK based player who wishes to attend.. It would be great if you could come, but if you can’t  we’d be very happy to talk to you at the London shogi club or by email to shogi.london@gmail.com. If people based away from London want to have a more extended discussion we could probably arrange an online meeting.

Reminder: October 2026 shogi meeting and November tournament

There will be a meeting of the London Shogi Club on 31.10.2026. We hold these meetings monthly where possible, normally on the last Saturday of the month. Always check to see if we are meeting, and which day we are meeting on.

We are currently playing in the basement room at Starbucks on Cowcross St, Farringdon. Do check downstairs, as you probably won't see anyone upstairs. There should be someone around from 11.00am until at least 2pm.

Everyone is very welcome, regardless of strength or experience.

The nearest tube station is Farringdon. Barbican station is also close. It's best to check which lines are running with Transport for London.

The London Shogi club is also running a 2 day Shogi tournament on the weekend of 14-15 November 2026. The tournament is open to players of all abilities and of all nationalities and will be held at the London Mindsports Centre. More details and a registration form are on the tournament webpage

October 2026 club meeting, November tournament and other shogi dates

There will be a meeting of the London Shogi Club on 31.10.2026.We normally hold meetings on the last Saturday of the month. 

We are currently playing in the basement room at Starbucks on Cowcross St, Farringdon. Do check downstairs, as you probably won't see anyone upstairs. There should be someone around from 11.00am until at least 2pm.

Everyone is very welcome, regardless of strength or experience. The nearest tube station is Farringdon. Barbican station is also close. It's best to check which lines are running with Transport for London.

The London Shogi club is also running a 2 day Shogi tournament on the weekend of 14-15 November 2026. The tournament is open to players of all abilities and of all nationalities and will be held at the London Mindsports Centre. More details and a registration form are on the tournament webpage.

There will also be a meeting after the tournament to discuss how shogi is organised in the UK.

The scheduled London Shogi events in 2026 are now as follows:

31 October London shogi club meeting

14-15 November Autumn Shogi Tournament

15 November Meeting to discuss UK shogi organisation

29 November London shogi club meeting (Note that this has changed from Saturday to Sunday)

12 December London shogi club meeting

Reminder: London September 2026 meeting and November tournament

There will be a meeting of the London Shogi Club on 26.09.2026. We hold these meetings monthly where possible, normally on the last Saturday of the month. Always check to see if we are meeting, and which day we are meeting on.

We are currently playing in the basement room at Starbucks on Cowcross St, Farringdon. Do check downstairs, as you probably won't see anyone upstairs. There should be someone around from 11.00am until at least 2pm.

Everyone is very welcome, regardless of strength or experience.

The nearest tube station is Farringdon. Barbican station is also close. It's best to check which lines are running with Transport for London.

The London Shogi club is also running a 2 day Shogi tournament on the weekend of 14-15 November 2026. The tournament is open to players of all abilities and of all nationalities and will be held at the London Mindsports Centre. More details and a registration form are on the tournament webpage

London September 2026 meeting and November tournament

There will be a meeting of the London Shogi Club on 26.09.2026. 

We normally hold meetings on the last Saturday of the month. We are currently playing in the basement room at Starbucks on Cowcross St, Farringdon. Do check downstairs, as you probably won't see anyone upstairs. There should be someone around from 11.00am until at least 2pm.

Everyone is very welcome, regardless of strength or experience. The nearest tube station is Farringdon. Barbican station is also close. It's best to check which lines are running with Transport for London.

The London Shogi club is also running a 2 day Shogi tournament on the weekend of 14-15 November 2026. The tournament is open to players of all abilities and of all nationalities and will be held at the London Mindsports Centre. More details and a registration form are on the tournament webpage. 

Reminder: shogi at Mind Sports Olympiad on 23.08.2026

There is no London Shogi Club at the end of August,

There will be a shogi tournament on 23 August 2026 as part of the Mind Sports Olympiad at the Mercure Hotel in Earls Court. 

Entry details are on the MSO site and it would be lovely to see you there.

London August 2026 meeting, Mind Sports Olympiad and November tournament

There will be a meeting of the London Shogi Club on 01.08.2026 We normally hold meetings on the last Saturday of the month, but we had other commitments in late July and August.

We are currently playing in the basement room at Starbucks on Cowcross St, Farringdon. Do check downstairs, as you probably won't see anyone upstairs. There should be someone around from 11.00am until at least 2pm.

Everyone is very welcome, regardless of strength or experience.

We are helping run a shogi tournament at the Mind Sports Olympiad on 23 August as part of an eight day festival of board game and other competions. More details of the shogi and many other events can be found on the MSO webpage  

The London Shogi club is also delighted to announce a 2 day Shogi tournament on the weekend of 14-15 November 2026. The tournament is open to players of all abilities and of all nationalities and will be held at the London Mindsports Centre. More details and a registration form are on the tournament webpage.