From: Hiroki Kawada <kawada <at> MERL <dot> HITACHI <dot> CO <dot> JP>
Date: 13 nov 1995
Subject: Re: stalemate

Concerning to the stalemate in shogi, Nobuyoshi wrote:

>In the real Shogi game, the proposed position will never occur.
>Therefore, I believe we need not define such 'stale mate' case in the
>Shogi rule book. (I do not know there is the 'official shogi rule book'. )
>If it should not appear in our games, why do you think the 'stale mate rule'
>will be required in Shogi?

I like logically correct and perfect rule in shogi as I wrote in my
former mail.

>At least, Shogi rule says that player cannot pass his move.
>I think this rule means if the player has no next move, he will lose the game.

In chess a player cannot pass his/her move, and if he has no next move the
game is draw.  So 'no next move' is not automatically understood as lose of
the game

>Of course this kind of theoretically' or even 'artificial'
>position might be used in some fairy Tume Shogi.
>But fairy game rule should define case by case.

I cannot agree to difining (or understanding) a rule in case by case.  The
game rule must be clearly defined and easily understood by all players.

I would like ask chess players if there is similar ambiguity in the rule
book of chess.

Hiroki Kawada                     * "After the defeat
Mechanical Engineering Res. Lab., *   it is a valuable time."
Sec. 15, Hitachi, Ltd.,           * K. Yonenaga,
Kandatsu 502, Tsuchiura,          *  Shogi (Japanese chess) player
Ibaraki  300 Japan