A computer system has beaten the top female player in shogi, a Japanese version of chess, for the first time. The victory, which took place at the University of Tokyo, marked 35 years since software has been successfully developed to beat a human player.

"It made no eccentric moves, and from partway through it felt like I was playing against a human. I'm a bit frustrated by the loss, but I gained respect for the people who took part in developing the software," Shimizu said after her loss. "I hope humans and computers will become stronger in the future through friendly competition." she added.

The shogi system, titled "Akara 2010," triumphed over Shimizu, who holds the women's Osho title, in six hours of play time.

"I couldn't use the (thinking) time in a well-balanced way. To be honest, I feel very frustrated," Shimizu said after the match.

The match was staged after the Information Processing Society of Japan contacted the Japan Shogi Association and suggested the match between a human and the computer.

The last match against a computerized opponent was in early 2007, when the top male player Akira Watabane won against a system called "Bonanza."