From: Toshiya Kawakami <GHE01101 <at> NIFTYSERVE <dot> OR <dot> JP>
Date: 15 oct 1995
Subject: Re: Japanese or English names

(original subject was: Notation of position and score?)

Taki Naruto <tn <at> panix <dot> com> wrote:
>> I have observed that when Japanese chess players talk about chess in
>> the Japanese language, they use the same terms as are used in shogi.
>
>Well, I don't know any Japanese (a chess player or not)
>who uses the Shogi terms for the Chess pieces. I don't
>play chess, but have plenty of opportunity to interact
>with those who do, and never once heard them saying
>FU for Pawn, KAKU for Bishop, etc. And they don't say
>OUTE for check.
>
>Maybe I'm with the wrong crowd, or maybe there are some
>older Japanese chess players who say these things, but
>it sounds very odd to me.

Some older Japanese chess players sometimes (often, or always)
use shogi terms in order to indicate that they have a strong
attachment to shogi.  This sounds rather humorous at friendly
(casual) chess, and moves us to all smiles.

               <silence>
Middle-aged A: "Hmm, KAKU DE OUTE DA (check with bishop)!"
Middle-aged B: "Ouch!"
Girl:          "Mother, what is OUTE?"
Mother:        "It's the shogi word for check."
Girl:          "Shogi?"
All:           <grin>

Of course, this is not everything.
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Toshiya Kawakami
E-mail: GHE01101 <at> niftyserve <dot> or <dot> jp
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