From: "Pieter Stouten,
Date: 21 jun 1993
Subject: Mr. Iida leaves Europe (forwarded mail from John Kenney)

                         H I R O Y U K I   I I D A
                         =========================
 
    5-dan professional Shogi grandmaster and computer Shogi researcher
 
 
   In the summer of 1992 Mr. Iida moved with his family to Maastricht, the
Netherlands, to continue his research on computer Shogi with Prof. van den
Herik and Dr. Uiterwijk at the University of Limburg. He left behind not
only his country and culture but also the Japanese professional Shogi scene.
However, Japan's loss was our gain. He very quickly got involved in European
Shogi attending the Dutch - Japanese Friendship Shogi Tournament at
Amstelveen, 27 September 1992. He then co-presented a paper on how to be a
Shogi grandmaster at the First European Shogi Workshop at Heidelberg, 3
October 1992. He has also attended: the 1st European Open Shogi Tournament
at London, 17-18 October 1992; the 1st game of the 4th Ryu O Title Match at
London, 20-21 October 1992; the 7th World Computer Chess Championship at
Madrid, 23-27 November 1992; the Grand Prix Shogi Tournament at Nijmegen,
27-30 December 1992; the Shogi Exhibition in Belgium at Brussels, 27 March
1993; and the Shogi Workshop and Tournament at Maastricht, 5 June 1993.
 
   At most of these events he played many simultaneous handicap (teaching)
games. These have been incorporated into a book he has written, in English,
called Shogi in Europe. Not only did he help to improve the level of play in
Europe this past year, but he also made efforts to remind Japan, mainly
through the Nihon Shogi Renmei (Japanese Shogi Federation), that we do have
an enthousiastic Shogi community in Europe. He has lately helped to get
funding for the forthcoming European Championships, 12-15 August 1993, and
the 2nd European Shogi Workshop, 2-3 October 1993.
 
   He will return to Tokyo, Japan, on 5 July 1993, to write his thesis and
to return to professional play. He will play in the "Junisen" from 10 July
until next March, but he fears that he will not play after next April
because he has not played professionally for the past year and that even
when he returns to Japan he will not have enough time to devote to Shogi in
order to be a top professional. He also plans to continue writing Shogi books
in English for development of Shogi in Europe and the USA. In fact he is now
writing an article for the the 2nd European Shogi Workshop.
 
   I feel that a thank you from the European Shogi community is appropriate
and to wish him all the best in Japan and in his professional Shogi career.
We should look forward to hearing from him in the future.
 
   John Kenney