Akira Watanabe (chess player)

Akira Watanabe (渡辺 暁)
Watamabe in 2008
Full name	渡辺 暁
Country	Japan
Born	1972 (age 52–53) Tokyo, Japan
Title	FIDE Master All Japan champion

Watanabe Akira (Japanese 渡辺 暁 (born 1972) is a Japanese political scientist, and chess player. In 2020, he was an associate professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology. He was born in Tokyo and his research focuses on Mexican politics and Latin American culture and politics

Profile

He learnt chess in elementary school becoming serious at when he was a high school students. After graduating from Tokyo University, he studied in Mexico. At the same time he was given a FIDE rating, and in 1997 he obtained the ranking of FIDE Master

His rating in Japan, as of December 2019 was 2284, ninth in Japan, second is Shogi player Yoshiharu Habu, and the seventh place is also a Shogi player Toshiyuki Moriuchi. Watanabe is sometimes confused with Akira Watanabe a shogi player who has the same surname and the same reading of the name in English characters. The rank of Japan Chess Association is certified as sixth dan. Watanabe's favorite tactics are the Sicilian Defense and King's Indian Defense.

In the field of Latin American research, he became an associate professor at Yamanashi University from April 2012, as well as, University of Tokyo. He is a part-time lecturer in Spanish at Keio University and Surugadai University. He transferred to Tokyo Institute of Technology from 2020 and continues to work as a part-time lecturer at other universities.

Titles

• All Japan junior champion – 1990, 1991
• All Japan school champion – 1992, 1993
• Japanese Chess Championship – 1999, 2000, 2001
• Japan League champion – 1998, 1999, 2002
• Japan rapid champion – 1992

Publications

• Chess, start from here
• Akira Watanabe's Chess course learn strategy and how to think 24 Lessons
• Easy even for beginners, introduction to illustrated chess

Co-translation

• Under the volcano (with Malcolm Lowry)

External links

• 山梨大学研究者総覧 - 渡辺暁
• International Chess Federation
• Japanese Chess organisation
• Open Your Eyes!!