From: Takako Noda JA2 SO-NET OR JP> Date: 3 oct 1996 Subject: Re: Free class rules > On the other, it > seems that for professionals who enter the free class (and I do not know b etter > than that they do so voluntarily), the professional career is virtually over. > Winning more than 60% of the games is difficult for any professional, let > alone for a professional almost dropping out of C2. As I understand it, there are two types of "free class" players. A group of players who opted to be freed from a punishing and demanding workload of the junisen, and another group who dropped out of C2. Confusion seems to stem f rom the fact that the second group doesn't have any specific name. None of t hose two group players are allowed to participate in the junisen, but they c an take part in any other tournaments they like. The difference between the free class players and the "ghost" players (this is how I call the second gr oup players. Excuse me!) is that "ghost" players still maintain the route to return to C2, however hard it may be, while voluntary free class players do n't. Although the Renmei is most reluctant to reveal their payroll system, I suspect there might be some difference in the treatment between those two g roups. It would stand to reasons to assume that there must have been some in centive for the C2 players to step down to the free class, especially in lig ht of the fact that the junisen rank constitutes the basis of the player's m onthly salary. Incidentally, the first shogi professional in history, Ohashi Sokei(1555-163 4), got an annual salary of 50-koku, 5-nin-buchi, which can be paraphrased a s the amount of rice enough to feed 50 people plus five lackeys for a year. > To me one question remains: what is the status of a professional like > Wakamatsu or Honma, who are not in the "free class", but do not seem to > retire? Anyone out there who knows the answer to this question that has > been bothering me for quite some time? Wakamatsu and Honma are not voluntary free class players, and they do have t heir time bombs, viz. retirement after ten years from the time they dropped to the free class, unless they can clear the 30-games, 60% rate hurdle.