Hiroshi Kobayashi (shogi, born 1962)

Hiroshi Kobayashi (小林 宏) is a Japanese retired professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 7-dan.

Early life and apprenticeship
Kobayashi was born on December 18, 1962, in Tamaki, Mie. He was accepted into the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school as a student of shogi professional Kazuo Manabe at the rank of 6-kyū in 1978, was promoted to the rank of apprentice professional 1-dan in 1981, and obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in 1983.

Shogi professional
Kobayashi defeated Yasumitsu Satō to win the 11th Quick Play Young Professionals Tournament in 1992. The victory stopped Satō from winning the tournament three years in a row.

Kobayashi finished the finished 69th Meijin Class C2 league play (April 2010 –March 2011) with a record of 2 wins and 8 losses, earning a second demotion point which meant he was only one point away from automatic demotion to "Free Class" play. As a result, he declared his intention to the Japan Shogi Association to become a Free Class player as of April 2011 rather than risk automatic demotion.

Kobayashi retired from professional shogi on April 19, 2022. He retired with a career record of 435 wins and 564 losses for a winning percentge of 0.435.

Promotion history
The promotion history for Kobayashi is as follows:
 * 6-kyū: 1978
 * 1-dan: 1981
 * 4-dan: August 3, 1983
 * 5-dan: May 19, 1989
 * 6-dan: November 29, 1995
 * 7-dan: November 25, 2009
 * Retired: April 19, 2022

Titles and other championships
Kobayashi has never appeared in a major title match, but he has won one non-title shogi championships during his career.

Awards and honors
Kobayashi received the JSA's "25 Years Service Award" in 2009 in recognition of being an active professional for twenty-five years.

Personal life
Kobayashi has been an avid mountain climber since his junior high school days.