title: Sae Itō
text: # Sae Itō
  
  Sae Itō (伊藤 沙恵, Itō Sae, born October 6, 1993) is a Japanese women's professional shogi player ranked 4-dan. She is a former holder of the Women's Meijin title.
  
  ## Early life and amateur shogi
  
  Itō was born in Musashino, Tokyo on October 6, 1993, and learned how to play shogi from her older brother.
  
  As a fifth-grade elementary school student, Itō finished third in the 29th Elementary School Student Meijin Tournament [ja] in April 2004. Itō defeated future shogi professional and major title holder Takuya Nagase in her Round 1 game of the Championship Tournament and won two more games to advance to the semi-finals where she lost to another future shogi professional and eventual tournament winner Yūki Sasaki. Itō was the only girl to qualify for the Championship Tournament, and the field included seven boys who would eventually become professional shogi players, including three who would also become major title holders. In September 2004, Itō was accepted into the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school at the rank of 6-kyū under the guidance of shogi professional Nobuyuki Yashiki.
  
  ## Women's professional shogi
  
  In February 2022, Itō defeated Kana Satomi 3 games to 1 in the 48th Women's Meijin title match (January – February 2022) to capture her first women's major title. In February of the following year, however, she was unable to successfully defend her Meijin title, losing the 49th Women's Meijin title match to Tomoka Nishiyama 3 games to 1.
  
  In April – June 2023, Ito challenged Satomi for the latter's Women's Ōi title, but lost the 34th Women's Ōi title match 3 games to 1.
  
  ### Promotion history
  
  Ito's promotion history is as follows.
  
  * 1-dan: October 1, 2014
  * 2-dan: September 11, 2015
  * 3-dan: April 26, 2019
  * 4-dan: April 18, 2023
  
  Note: All ranks are women's professional ranks.
  
  ### Major titles
  
  Itō has appeared in a women's professional shogi major title eleven times and has won one title.
  
  ### Awards and honors
  
  Itō received the Japan Shogi Association's Annual Shogi Awards for "Excellent Women's Professional" twice (2017 and 2019), "Most Games Played by a Women's Professional" four times (2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022) and "Women's Professional Game of the Year" once (2022).
  
  