From: Leung Kai Wan HKUSUA HKU HK> Date: 24 mar 1998 Subject: Re: Words from a Great Player When I first learnt the rule of setting up the board, admittedly I did not admire it, but just follow the practice. But after some games, there is a huge difference. Before learning the rule, I just put the pieces and start the game simply without anythine else. But after some games with the set-up rule and saying "onegaishimasu" to my opponent, I became much cooler in my games. When I was setting up the pieces according to the rule, of course I did this slowly and clamly and took well over one minute each time. Then not only my pieces had been prepared, but also my mind. The slow, montonous action settled my mind peacefully and helped me concentrate at the shogi board. This difference saved me a lot of times from great danger. I think most people will agree that concentration and strength are the two crucial factors in all kinds of mental challenges. Different people concentrate themselves with different methods. From my personal experience, act according to the simple set-up rule before a match start is quite a good way to prepare oneself mentally and makes one fight better than otherwise. regards, Kai Wan Leung Hong Kong On Sat, 21 Mar 1998, Yoshinori Sawada wrote: > A Knack Not To Lose > > When you play shogi, is there a knack not to lose? I would like > to mention my ideas taking examples of amateur players. > > Not to lose, it is important to penetrate the opponent's level > as early as you can. Once you sit in front of the board facing someone > you have just met for the first time, first, please pay attention how he > or she sets out all pieces on the board. > > When amateur players start a game, we can roughly see their level > >from their behavior of setting pieces. Which is stronger can be figured > out, and that assessment is most of the time not wrong. > > Good player holds a piece in deferent way, and even the sound > made when he places pieces one by one is special. When he is though, > distinguishing whether or not he is a dan player is easy. > > Setting pieces is the preparation for fighting. Because a rule > prescribes how to do that, it seems the same whoever sets the pieces. > However somehow the subtle deference is found. If one has set pieces > properly, his mental attitude is well prepared like "now I am playing > shogi!". He has already been absorbed in the game since the beginning of > the setting. I believe he has considered a strategy as well. In other > words, he has already led his opponent. Some may not believe in that, > but watching many games among amateur players, that can be statistically > proved. I assert it. > > Dan players who has good knowledge of shogi set pieces slowly > and politely. On the contrary, premature players wants to quickly set > the pieces and start game. Sometimes a pawn is placed upside down. He > may be just indifferent to such small things, but why he can win without > prepared mind. Now the game has started. The indifferent guy does not > care how his opponent plays and just moves his own pieces. Already the > result of the game is obvious. That is way I said how one sets out > pieces tells his level. > > I wonder this is not limited to shogi but applied everything in > your life. No matter what you do, the penetration if one has basic > skills is a knack to win the competition especially in a field of > victory and defeat. > > Professional players play with armature players with handicap > --- eliminating some of pros' men depending on their opponent's level > such as lance handicap, rook handicap, bishop handicap, rook and lance > handicap, and two pieces (rook and bishop) handicap. For beginners who > cannot win even with two pieces handicap, some more pieces are eliminated, > but two pieces handicap is the limit of handicap shogi. > > If you win pros with two pieces handicap, you are admirably a dan > player. Handicap games have josekis respectively. Pros start to study > such handicap josekis in their childhood. For amateurs as well, studying > handicap shogi helps to improve their basic skills. As a proverb, "If > you are in a hurry, make a detour" teaches, that is the shortest way for > rasing your level. > > When I play instructive game in a district, two pieces handicap > is played most frequently. Amateurs, however, wants to undo the > handicap. The fact is, that is favorable for pros as we can win very > easily with less handicap. > > Some people say pros hardly let amateurs win. Honestly, pros > are afraid of such amateur player who says "two pieces handicap please" > in spite that he is stronger than that. Therefore pros gather > information of the opponent, assess his level and play with the handicap > according to his ability. > > Knowing the opponent is important for pros as well, and that is > a knack not to lose. > > > > by Yasuharu Ohyama, quoted from "Shobu no kokoro" > > > --- > Yoshinori Sawada > Tokyo Japan > E-mai: sawada fa2 so-net or jp > Nifty: VED05133 >