From: "george (g.) jost" BNR CA> Date: 24 jan 1996 Subject: Re: Regarding Shogi Notation REGARDING SHOGI NOTATION Samuel SLoan writes: > I would just like to add an observation to this discussion. > I am a player of almost all chess-type games. I am a rated expert at chess, a > rated 2-dan player of shogi (as rated by the Shinjuku Shogi Center on > Yashakuni Dori in Kabuki Cho, Tokyo, Japan) and I am one of the best players > in Thai chess. I also competed in the recent World Championship of Chinese > chess in Singapore. > Nevertheless, I do not presently own a set to play any of these games. I do > not have a chess set, a shogi set, a Chinese chess set or a Thai chess set. > Being a naturally lazy and shiftless person, I play though games of these blindfolded. > This causes me big problems with shogi, because shogi notation runs upside > down, from the Western player's point of view. In chess, the square in the > lower left hand corner of the white side is called a1. The square in the > upper right hand corner is h8. I have three replies to this 1) I think the Western notation is better being analogous to the japanese one because then there is less confussion if one feels like looking at a Japanese game recording use the tips in Legatt's book. 2) You can just imagine that the rules changed and picture a mirror image board. (No one would know) This should not matter since you usually play blind folded. 3) I think its really cool that you can master these games blind folded! I guess I'm about a 12 qiu or so in Shogi. I've never played Thai or Korean chess. I figure I'll concentrate on non blind folded Shogi and I'll be happy if I can get a 1 dan. (I can beat level 1 Shogi Master with a 6 piece handicap against me) 3.5) Wouldn't mind playing a handicap internet game against someone of your calliber if you aren't swamped with challenges. Don't see any point in playing even game since you'd be bored silly. I think that the standard japanese handicaps of lance, bishop, rook, rook +lance or rook + bishop are sufficient. I would want to use the standard notation because I don't want to get confused. -- George (613)-765-2895 :) e-mail: jost bnr ca In Shogi, your rook may come back to haunt you ... ---------------------------------------------------- This memo does not represent the views of BNR/Nortel.