(ECNS) -- A professional Japanese chess player has entered into a new battle with a computer following the victory of Google's DeepMind AlphaGo over South Korea's top Go player Lee Se-dol.
Takayuki Yamasaki, a professional player of shogi (or Japanese chess), had his first match against the computer program Ponanza at Chuson-ji Temple in the northeastern Japanese town of Hiraizumi.
Ponanza, developed by Issei Yamamoto, won the first round against Yamasaki, who became a professional in 1998 and has won a number of contests.
The 35-year-old Yamasaki will compete against the program in the second and final rounds of the match on May 21 and May 22.
Japan has now held three group matches between shogi masters and machines, with humans taking the lead by 3-to-2.
