From: Hiroki Kawada <kawada <at> MERL <dot> HITACHI <dot> CO <dot> JP>
Date: 24 mar 1997
Subject: Re: Spreading shogi in the west - another anecdote (1)

>Probably few people know how Shogi started in Belgium. Maybe even the
>Belgians on this list don't know. There was this FIDE referee and chess
>coach who attended many international Chess tournaments. His name was
>Richard Verkouille. Once he met a Japanese player during such a tournament
>and he asked the Japanese why so few Japanese seemed to play western Chess.
>The Japanese answered that they have their own version of Chess, called
>Shogi. Intrigued, Verkouille immediately wanted to know what this game was
>all about that it kept Japanese from playing Chess. Verkouille fell in love
>with the game the moment he learnt it. He started a Shogi club, organized a
>Shogi tournament and the rest, as they say, is history.

If I am right, he was alredy dead by some sickness.  Before he went to
heaven he left money to shogi falks in Belgium to use it for shogi.  The
falks now use it for the shogi tournament held every year in Gent for
memory of Richard Verkouille.  It is an impressive story for me, if only my
memory is correct.  I am sorry in advance if Mr. Verkouille is still alive.

My story of starting shogi is that my father told me how to move pieces and
played with me in home.  When I was in elementary school in the age of
around 10, I played a lot of games with friends in the school or in home.
I think this is a typical way to start shogi for ordinary Japanese.

Hiroki

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