From: "Sean Brown, Department of Anthropology, Date: 14 may 1993 Subject: Re: tsume help Thank you for your prompt response to my question regarding the Tsume. I am still learning to see all of the possible moves and project possibilities out of them. I thought that I had seen all alternatives to the K3b move but obviously I missed one. It goes without saying that in other tsumes where I have noticed this I probably just need to spend a little more time projecting moves and branchings. Question for you rated players out there. How is shape important to your game? In GO shape is crucial. Particular moves are important only in as much as they contribute to an overall shape and pattern. This can appear at a glance as just a bunch of stones randomly placed on a board but upon closer examination reveals a patterning which is highly defensible and logical. Is patterning as crucial to shogi as it is to GO or am I just being simplistic. I am playing a game right now where my opponent has a very random looking shape but is such that I can't approach from anywhere. It's simple yet effective and very frustrating...for me, not for him ;-) I don't think he planned it that way but that's how it turned out and I think he'll use it whenever he can from now on. Thanks for replies. Cheers, Sean