From: Pieter Stouten EMBL BITNET> Date: 17 may 1990 Subject: Re: Shogi Psychiatric Test Now I realize fully why Jeff Boscole (for those who don't know, he has something to do with a go list or archive or something like that) joined the list. Fear. The whole "Shogi Psychiatric Test" is inspired by pure fear. Fear that Shogi finally might take over the position that Go has. In Japan it is often said that Shogi is the game for man and Go for the Gods. I am not that blasphemic that I want to get involved in the games of superior beings. I humbly devote the bits of time that I can spare to an earthly game as Shogi. There is also a very down-to-earth reason why Shogi does not have Go's popularity (of course outside Japan, only): many Chess players know about other Chess variants and say why should we learn another of these variants, we already invested too much time in Chess. To me this is would be an awful feeling: realizing that you have chosen the wrong chess variant and being unable to switch because of a rigidity of mind. Anyway, Go does not have this drawback because its concepts and the impression it makes on people are completely different fro Chess, so Chess players might think: what is this, I have never seen anything like this, I must try. In a century or 2, however, Shogi will have spread everywhere. I hope it will not replace Go. I think Go is a beautiful game (sometimes I am more attracted to Go than to Shogi), but my lack of progress frustrates me. So to give an answer to one of the questions in the psychology test: Yes. Pieter bitnet: stouten@embl