From: Larry Kaufman <lkaufman <at> WIZARD <dot> NET>
Date: 21 apr 1999
Subject: Re: The US Shogi Championship

-----Original Message-----
From: Sam Sloan <sloan <at> ISHIPRESS <dot> COM>
To: SHOGI-L <at> techunix <dot> technion <dot> ac <dot> il <SHOGI-L <at> techunix <dot> technion <dot> ac <dot> il>
Date: Wednesday, April 21, 1999 7:28 AM
Subject: The US Shogi Championship


>I played in the US Shogi Championship which was held on April 10-11, 1999.
>
>The sensation was an 11-year-old boy, ranked 3-dan, who made the finals and
>could have won, but he misplayed a well known book opening line.
>
>I was very unhappy with the tournament, however.
>
>It was played not in Chicago as advertised but in Hoffman Estates, a rural
>area 30 miles Northwest of Chicago, where absolutely no public
>transportation was available. The nearest bus stop was 15 miles away.
>
>As a result, although I arrived at Chicago Midway Airpirt at 8:00 AM, I
>could not make it to the tournament site until 12:30 by which time I had
>forfeited my first two games and was eliminated.
>
>I feel that if the organizers of a national event want it held in a remote
>location, they should arrainge for transportation for those of us who do
>not have our own cars.


     The tournament site was not particularly far from Chicago's main
airport, O'Hare (shuttle for two cost $27).  It is unfortunate that you came
to the airport at the opposite end of the city.

>I was allowed to play in the consulation section. In my first game, I had
>to give four pieces to a 6-kyu player, John Striker. He is probably
>stronger than 6-kyu, but I won after a long and exhausting struggle.
>
>Then, I had to play a Mr. Sato, who had just arrived from Japan. Because he
>was ranked as only a shodan, I had to give him a handicap of a lance
>("kyo"). It turns out that his true strength is probably at least 4-dan. He
>was in the consulation section only because he had lost to the tournament
>winner and to the highest rated player. He played third board for the
>Midwest team in the team event and defeated a 4-dan from New York, Mr.
>Ogigawa. Mr. Sato finished the event with 6 wins and 2 losses and all of
>his opponents were dan players, so why should I be giving him a handicap?


     Unfortunately Sato is a common Japanese name, and when Mr. Sato was
registered as a 1 Dan (by himself or by someone else is not clear) it was
presumed that he was not the same Sato listed on our rating list with a
rating in the lower four dan range.  After the tournament it was learned
that they were indeed the same person.  Two or three other Japanese players
in the consolation section, all from the midwest, were also underranked by
two to three ranks.  If the player is not known to others present, there is
little that can be done to prevent such misranking.

>
>The prizes included two round trip tickets to Japan, one of which was won
>by Mr. Sato who had just arrived from Japan. I took this event very
>seriously and spent more than $400 to play. I will not be playing again
>unless it can be organized better in the future.


     When I learned that one of the tickets would be given to the winner of
the consolation (handicap) section, I predicted that some "sandbagger" (a
chess term for a player who keeps himself eligible for lower class prizes
than his strength warrants) from Japan would win it.  Part of the problem is
that ranks have no uniformly accepted meaning thruout the world or even
within Japan; these misranked players may not have been lying, they may have
merely been quoting their rank at some particularly severe club.  My son
Raymond was just as upset as Sam when he was eliminated by having to give a
bishop to a player who turned out to be at least as strong as Raymond.  If
there had been no handicaps, probably Mr. Sato would still have won the
consolation division, as he was clearly the strongest player in that
section.  The second air ticket to Japan was an unexpected donation, and so
although I would have preferred to have it awarded on a different basis
(perhaps by overall performance in all events), I accept that the one
donating the prize has the right to decide how it will be awarded.

     In the future I recommend a rule that no player without an established
USSF rating be eligible for any substantial prize that is based on his rank
or on handicap play which in turn depends on rank.


>Sam Sloan

     Larry Kaufman, USSF Chairman