ES News email The latest headlines in your inbox twice a day Monday - Friday plus breaking news updates Enter your email address Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive lunchtime headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts, by email Update newsletter preferences

A 14-year-old boy is taking Japan by storm with a record-breaking start to his professional career in the country’s version of chess.

Sota Fujii broke a 30-year-old record this week with his 29th win in a row in the game of “shogi”.

His face was plastered across front pages of major newspapers today, getting a bigger display than the bankruptcy filing of Japanese air bag maker Takata.

Shogi is similar to chess, though players can reuse captured pieces as their own, making it more complex.

In competitions, they kneel on the floor of a traditional tatami-mat room and play on a thick wooden block that is the board.

Read more British tech wins the backing of Microsoft and Japan’s SoftBank

Fujii defeated 19-year-old opponent Yasuhiro Masuda after a battle of more than 11 hours, with lunch and dinner breaks, that ended last night.