When Will Ayumu Make His Move?

When Will Ayumu Make His Move? (それでも歩は寄せてくる) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Sōichirō Yamamoto. The series originally began as a webcomic titled Shōgi no Yatsu (将棋のやつ), which was published in 2018. The manga was later serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from March 2019 to November 2023. An anime television series adaptation by Silver Link aired from July to September 2022.

Plot
Ayumu Tanaka is a first-year high school student who is a member of the shogi club. In love with his senpai, Urushi Yaotome, he plans to confess his feelings once he beats her in a game of shogi. However, because he is a beginner, she wins every time. Urushi meanwhile suspects Ayumu has a crush on her and unsuccessfully attempts to get him to admit it.

Characters

 * Ayumu Tanaka (田中 歩)
 * A first-year high school student, Ayumu is a member of the shogi club.
 * A first-year high school student, Ayumu is a member of the shogi club.


 * Urushi Yaotome (八乙女 うるし)
 * A second-year student, Urushi is Ayumu's senpai in the shogi club.
 * A second-year student, Urushi is Ayumu's senpai in the shogi club.


 * Takeru Kakuryu (角竜 タケル)
 * Takeru is a first-year student who is one of Ayumu's childhood friends. Like Ayumu he was also proficient in kendo. A member of the library committee, he has a crush on Sakurako.
 * Takeru is a first-year student who is one of Ayumu's childhood friends. Like Ayumu he was also proficient in kendo. A member of the library committee, he has a crush on Sakurako.


 * Sakurako Mikage (御影 桜子)
 * Sakurako is a first-year student who is one of Ayumu's childhood friends. A member of the library committee, she is a shy girl who likes to hypnotize Takeru and is unaware that he has a crush on her.
 * Sakurako is a first-year student who is one of Ayumu's childhood friends. A member of the library committee, she is a shy girl who likes to hypnotize Takeru and is unaware that he has a crush on her.


 * Rin Kagawa (香川 凛)
 * Rin is a student who was Ayumu and Takeru's kōhai in their middle school kendo club. She later attends the same high school as them when they become second-years.
 * Rin is a student who was Ayumu and Takeru's kōhai in their middle school kendo club. She later attends the same high school as them when they become second-years.


 * Maki (マキ)
 * Maki is a second-year student who is Urushi's best friend. She like to tease Urushi concerning Ayumu and is a fan of their relationship.
 * Maki is a second-year student who is Urushi's best friend. She like to tease Urushi concerning Ayumu and is a fan of their relationship.

Manga
Written and illustrated by Sōichirō Yamamoto, When Will Ayumu Make His Move?, originally began as a webcomic titled Shōgi no Yatsu, which Yamamoto posted on his Twitter account from April 22 to November 19, 2018. When Will Ayumu Make His Move? was later serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from March 6, 2019, to November 15, 2023. Kodansha collected its chapters into seventeen tankōbon volumes from July 4, 2019, to December 15, 2023.

In March 2021, Kodansha USA announced that they licensed the manga for English release in North America.

Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced on January 8, 2021. The series was animated by Silver Link and directed by Mirai Minato, with Deko Akao overseeing the series' scripts, and Kazuya Hirata designing the characters. It aired from July 8 to September 23, 2022, on TBS and BS-TBS. The opening theme song is "Kakehiki wa Poker Face" (駆け引きはポーカーフェイス) by Kana Hanazawa, while the ending theme song is "50 Centi" (50センチ) by Kanna Nakamura. Sentai Filmworks has licensed the series.

Reception
In 2020, the manga was nominated for the 6th Next Manga Awards and placed 3rd out of the 50 nominees with 19,182 votes.