From: atkinson <at> VAXROM <dot> CERN <dot> CH
Date: 26 apr 1991
Subject: Tolerably wondrous cardboard objects, strangulation

Yes, I have been sent an advert by the gentleman of which you speak.
I do have a book on Chinese Chess in German, but it is SO elementary as
to be utterly useless, and it has gruesomely awful graphic symbols, which
the author claims are easier than the Chinese ones. Hmm.
 
Starting an Italian Shogi federation would be nice, but I don't think it
will happen. I have been in contact with the Italian Heterodox Chess
people, with no real success. I think I would be the only member.
The heterochess people published my address in their magazine, and I got
exactly no responses. I have been mentioned in the games column of
"La Repubblica"'s Rome edition, and exactly no-one wrote to me. At the
University I find that students don't EVEN know how to play Western Chess,
or the names of the pieces for that game in Italian, and so as you can
appreciate, they are hardly willing to learn a game which, from their
point of view is EVEN more obscure than Chess. (Yes, I have been told
that Chess is an obscure game...)
The Japanese community here is tiny, the only Japanese shop here was
positively affronted at the very suggestion that Shogi might be worth
considering as something to sell. (In fact, one of the Japanese people
living in Rome has explained that Mitsukoshi in Rome is NOT a shop
that sells Japanese things to Italians, but a Japanese shop that
sells Italian things to Japanese people. The customers can buy Italian
things from Japanese sales staff and be treated exactly as they would
be in Japan, and so not have to risk being offended by the barbaric
ways of Italian shop assistants. If this story is true, I confess to
being unimpressed. I realise that English people go to Spain and expect
to find pubs and chip shops, and I think that is pathetic too.)
 
I suppose I should write to the NSR sooner or later. You never know, I
might meet some interested people at this thing in June. I also think
writing to Giampaolo Dossena might be worthwhile.
 
I think strangulation is overdoing it a bit, folks.
 
Adam Atkinson
ROme