From: SChazworth AOL COM Date: 27 feb 1997 Subject: Re: Shogi ratings It is my understanding that Shogi titles are in part, based on seniority, and not just quality of play. I would also guess that in order to achieve, for example, 4 dan, you would need to outplay the average 4 dan. If you were to achieve the rank too early, you may have trouble maintaining it, and you would be 'over-ranked'. In Elo's book, there are 3 'titles': Grandmaster (GM), International Master (IM), and untitled. For chess fans, the FM title is not mentioned. To recieve an IM title, you must beat 35% of the GM, 55% of the IM, and 75% of the untitled, acheiving an IM 'norm'. These titles are based on 24 games. Perhaps similar standards could/should be adopted. For example: You are 1 Dan. To reach 2 Dan, you must beat 35% of your 4/5 Dan and higher opponents, 55% of your 1-3 Dan opponents, and 75% of 1/2 Kyu and lower opponents. This system may not be completely practical, as there are fewer players of each grade to compare against. It may be unrealistic to expect a 9 Kyu player to beat 35% of a range of competition ranging from 10 Kyu-5 or 6 dan. It may also be unrealistic to assume players could play enough games in a 7-rank span to make a 'norm' (from 2 kyu-5 Dan here).