Overview

• Challenger Takumi Ito defeated defending Oza Sota Fujii in 103 moves in Nagoya to move ahead 2–1 in the best-of-five series.
• The win leaves Ito one victory from claiming the Oza and securing his first two-title status.
• Fujii, currently holding seven major titles, is on the verge of losing the Oza in a title match for the first time.
• Game 4 is scheduled for October 7 at Genyu Jinya in Hadano, Kanagawa, and could decide the series.
• The Oza match uses five hours per player and goes to the first to three wins; Ito previously took the Eio from Fujii in June 2024.