From: Larry Kaufman WIZARD NET> Date: 9 jul 1999 Subject: Trip to Japan This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0014_01BECA0D.65040360 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Having just returned from three weeks of playing shogi in Japan = (along with some sightseeing and a bit of Go playing), I thought I'd = share some of my experiences with Shogi-L. The first few days were taken up by the "First International Shogi = Tournament", which I think should have been called the World Amateur = Shogi Championship, especially since the Japanese did decide to send one = of the top Amateur titleholders, who not to anyone's surprise did emerge = as the winner. As there has already been a full report on this event in = Shogi-L I'll just add a few comments. The time limit was 30 minutes = plus 30 seconds per move byoyomi; I would just like to note that if this = time limit is deemed suitable for a world championship it should = certainly be considered slow enough for serious tournaments in the West. As for my games, in the prelims I had a tough time with Matt Casters = after I played the opening like a retarded turkey, getting a very lost = position, but gradually pulled back to equalize and finally win. In the = main event my win over Mark Theeuwen was relatively straightforward, but = against Boris Mirnik I could have been in some trouble early in the = middlegame if he had seen the right continuation. Then my win over the = Japanese Elementary School Champion (age 10, ranked as 5 dan) was = reasonably "clean", though I had to find some good moves in Byoyomi to = win. In the final game with Hayashi 6 Dan I was fairly equal in the = opening, clearly worse thru much of the middlegame, but somehow I = recovered and was probably winning fairly near the end. However, = although pros pointed out that I could have given him one less piece to = mate with by setting up a different Hisshi near the end, it turns out = that that would not have saved me, as he still would have had a Tsume. = My losing error came a couple of moves earlier. Actually I was not = unhappy about finishing second, except that I sensed that I was winning = the final game near the end and blew it. The event was very well run = and a fabulous experience. After the tourney we attended a chess simul by GM Joel Lautier = against Habu, Sato, and Moriuchi (all top shogi pros). Joel won all = three games but pointed out that his opponents missed excellent chances = to draw their games. In Tokyo we played shogi at three different clubs; the Shinjuku = Shogi Center (the world's largest shogi club), the Okachimachi club = (probably the world's strongest shogi club), and the Shogi Renmei club. = My son Raymond was initially ranked as a 1 Dan at all three, but was = promoted to 2 Dan at Okachimachi and was scoring at least evenly against = 2 Dans at Shinjuku by the end of the trip, though at the Renmei he was = just an average 1 Dan. As for myself, at Okachimachi I could only = manage about an even score as a four dan (they don't award or even = recognize ranks above 4 Dan except for top Japanese title winners), but = at Shinjuku playing as four dan (they also don't go above 4 Dan = normally) I scored 10-3. At the Renmei I played as 5 Dan (they do award = 5 dan and even 6 dan ranks there), and scored a total of 13-2; the = requirement for promotion to 6 Dan is a score of 30-2. In general = throughout my tip I won most of my games from 5 Dan players, but did not = defeat any 6 Dans except for the 84 year old living legend Ota Manabu of = Osaka, once Japan's top amateur, whom I beat by 5-3. When he was a = young 70 year old he could still give me rook handicap, but old age = takes its toll, and he can be proud to be able to still play at or near = 5 dan level at his age. Another memorable event was a special eight player round robin = held at the Shogi Renmei which consisted of two professionals, two = Japanese amateur 5 dans, and four westerners (myself, my son Raymond, = George Fernandez, and Les Blackstock). The games were played at a fast = pace (5 minutes plus 20 seconds byoyomi) and with unusually severe = handicaps. The pros still won all their games against the amateurs and = drew with each other (!) to share first. I won all my games against the = amateurs to take clear third at 5-2(despite handicapping as a 5 dan), = and Les shared fourth with Raymond. That evening I went to another = Shogi gathering, where I lost three times to my old teacher Takeuchi 6 = Dan (amateur, but of professional strength) but beat two 5 dans. Mr. = Takeuchi is so strong that I was told that he only loses an even game = every two or three years, despite often playing with 5 dan opponents! = Obviously they should play him at handicap, but the normal rule in Japan = is that handicap games are only played when the rank difference is at = least two. In Osaka we played mostly at the Renmei club, where I won the = biweekly handicap tournament despite handicapping as a 5 dan. My total = score at the Renmei club was 11-4; my losses were all games where I gave = bishop or rook handicap, except one loss even to a 6 dan. I also got to = play two games against pros at bishop handicap head to head; one was a = pro 3 dan, while the other was a 6 Dan who just won the NHK tournament, = Mamoru Hatakeyama. I won both games. My son got to play four games = against pros that day at rook and lance handicap, winning one. My = thanks to the people at the Osaka Renmei who made the Osaka trip very = enjoyable for us. We made a short visit to a shogi club in Kyoto, where I scored 2-1 = and Ray scored 2-2. One curiosity about this club is that it is the = only one I have been to that still recognizes three piece handicap as an = official one. Now for some general observations. First of all it seems that the = standards vary considerably from club to club. It is not just a = question of one club being strict, the other not. The "width" of a rank = seems to vary greatly as well. The Shogi Renmei clubs (both Tokyo and = Osaka) use narrow ranks; they are rather strict about awarding kyu = ranks, but allow promotion more readily than other clubs. In contrast, = the other clubs allow rather weak players to play as 1 dan, but require = extremely long winning streaks for subsequent promotions. So on average = a Renmei 1 Dan is a stronger player than a Shinjuku 1 Dan, but a = Shinjuku 4 Dan is stronger than a Renmei 4 Dan (primarily because = Shinjuku doesn't award higher ranks, so some of their "4 Dans" would be = 5 Dan elsewhere). Also I think that Osaka/Kyoto ranks are a bit more = strict than Tokyo ranks. I think Western shogi organizations need to = choose which standard they are attempting to emulate. It is most = logical to follow Renmei standards, since we are generally recognized as = Renmei branches, but the majority of visiting Japanese players quote = ranks from other clubs, so this leads to some problems. In the near = future I'll present new recommendations on how to address these issues. = Another point is that every club I have visited bases its ranks = partly on handicap games, as does the "Shoreikai" (professional training = organization). About a third of my official games in Japan were = handicap games. Any organization that awards ranks based solely on even = game play is not conforming to the way the game is actually played in = Japan. There is one organization (Tokyo Amateur renmei) that keeps = western-style Elo ratings, but it does not tie these ratings to Dan = ranks in any way. We had a wonderful time and I recommend a similar trip to all = western shogi lovers. My special thanks to my hosts Toru and Miyako = Inoue, to the Shogi Renmei (both Tokyo and Osaka), to the many pros who = spent time with us, and to all the Japanese shogi fans who contributed = to the enjoyment of our trip. =20 Larry Kaufman ------=_NextPart_000_0014_01BECA0D.65040360 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

= Having just=20 returned from three weeks of playing shogi in Japan (along with some = sightseeing=20 and a bit of Go playing), I thought I'd share some of my experiences = with=20 Shogi-L.

The first = few days were=20 taken up by the "First International Shogi Tournament", which = I think=20 should have been called the World Amateur Shogi Championship, especially = since=20 the Japanese did decide to send one of the top Amateur titleholders, who = not to=20 anyone's surprise did emerge as the winner. As there has already = been a=20 full report on this event in Shogi-L I'll just add a few comments. = The=20 time limit was 30 minutes plus 30 seconds per move byoyomi; I would just = like to=20 note that if this time limit is deemed suitable for a world championship = it=20 should certainly be considered slow enough for serious tournaments in = the=20 West.

As for my games, in the prelims I = had a tough=20 time with Matt Casters after I played the opening like a retarded = turkey,=20 getting a very lost position, but gradually pulled back to equalize and = finally=20 win. In the main event my win over Mark Theeuwen was relatively=20 straightforward, but against Boris Mirnik I could have been in some = trouble=20 early in the middlegame if he had seen the right continuation. = Then my win=20 over the Japanese Elementary School Champion (age 10, ranked as 5 dan) = was=20 reasonably "clean", though I had to find some good moves in = Byoyomi to=20 win. In the final game with Hayashi 6 Dan I was fairly equal in = the=20 opening, clearly worse thru much of the middlegame, but somehow I = recovered and=20 was probably winning fairly near the end. However, although pros = pointed=20 out that I could have given him one less piece to mate with by setting = up a=20 different Hisshi near the end, it turns out that that would not have = saved me,=20 as he still would have had a Tsume. My losing error came a couple = of moves=20 earlier. Actually I was not unhappy about finishing second, except = that I=20 sensed that I was winning the final game near the end and blew it. = The=20 event was very well run and a fabulous experience.

=20 After the tourney we attended a chess simul by GM Joel Lautier against = Habu,=20 Sato, and Moriuchi (all top shogi pros). Joel won all three games = but=20 pointed out that his opponents missed excellent chances to draw their=20 games.

In Tokyo we played shogi at = three=20 different clubs; the Shinjuku Shogi Center (the world's largest shogi = club), the=20 Okachimachi club (probably the world's strongest shogi club), and the = Shogi=20 Renmei club. My son Raymond was initially ranked as a 1 Dan at all = three,=20 but was promoted to 2 Dan at Okachimachi and was scoring at least evenly = against=20 2 Dans at Shinjuku by the end of the trip, though at the Renmei he was = just an=20 average 1 Dan. As for myself, at Okachimachi I could only manage = about an=20 even score as a four dan (they don't award or even recognize ranks above = 4 Dan=20 except for top Japanese title winners), but at Shinjuku playing as four = dan=20 (they also don't go above 4 Dan normally) I scored 10-3. At the = Renmei I=20 played as 5 Dan (they do award 5 dan and even 6 dan ranks there), and = scored a=20 total of 13-2; the requirement for promotion to 6 Dan is a score of = 30-2. =20 In general throughout my tip I won most of my games from 5 Dan players, = but did=20 not defeat any 6 Dans except for the 84 year old living legend Ota = Manabu of=20 Osaka, once Japan's top amateur, whom I beat by 5-3. When he was a = young=20 70 year old he could still give me rook handicap, but old age takes its = toll,=20 and he can be proud to be able to still play at or near 5 dan level at = his=20 age.

Another memorable = event was a=20 special eight player round robin held at the Shogi Renmei which = consisted of two=20 professionals, two Japanese amateur 5 dans, and four westerners (myself, = my son=20 Raymond, George Fernandez, and Les Blackstock). The games were = played at a=20 fast pace (5 minutes plus 20 seconds byoyomi) and with unusually severe=20 handicaps. The pros still won all their games against the amateurs = and=20 drew with each other (!) to share first. I won all my games = against the=20 amateurs to take clear third at 5-2(despite handicapping as a 5 dan), = and Les=20 shared fourth with Raymond. That evening I went to another Shogi=20 gathering, where I lost three times to my old teacher Takeuchi 6 Dan = (amateur,=20 but of professional strength) but beat two 5 dans. Mr. Takeuchi is = so=20 strong that I was told that he only loses an even game every two or = three years,=20 despite often playing with 5 dan opponents! Obviously they should = play him=20 at handicap, but the normal rule in Japan is that handicap games are = only played=20 when the rank difference is at least two.

In Osaka we played mostly = at the=20 Renmei club, where I won the biweekly handicap tournament despite = handicapping=20 as a 5 dan. My total score at the Renmei club was 11-4; my = losses=20 were all games where I gave bishop or rook handicap, except one loss = even to a 6=20 dan. I also got to play two games against pros at bishop handicap = head to=20 head; one was a pro 3 dan, while the other was a 6 Dan who just won the = NHK=20 tournament, Mamoru Hatakeyama. I won both games. My son got = to play=20 four games against pros that day at rook and lance handicap, winning = one. =20 My thanks to the people at the Osaka Renmei who made the Osaka trip very = enjoyable for us.

We made a short visit to a = shogi club=20 in Kyoto, where I scored 2-1 and Ray scored 2-2. One curiosity = about this=20 club is that it is the only one I have been to that still recognizes = three piece=20 handicap as an official one.

Now = for some=20 general observations. First of all it seems that the standards = vary=20 considerably from club to club. It is not just a question of one = club=20 being strict, the other not. The "width" of a rank seems = to vary=20 greatly as well. The Shogi Renmei clubs (both Tokyo and Osaka) use = narrow=20 ranks; they are rather strict about awarding kyu ranks, but allow = promotion more=20 readily than other clubs. In contrast, the other clubs allow = rather weak=20 players to play as 1 dan, but require extremely long winning streaks for = subsequent promotions. So on average a Renmei 1 Dan is a stronger = player=20 than a Shinjuku 1 Dan, but a Shinjuku 4 Dan is stronger than a Renmei 4 = Dan=20 (primarily because Shinjuku doesn't award higher ranks, so some of their = "4=20 Dans" would be 5 Dan elsewhere). Also I think that = Osaka/Kyoto=20 ranks are a bit more strict than Tokyo ranks. I think = Western shogi=20 organizations need to choose which standard they are attempting to=20 emulate. It is most logical to follow Renmei standards, since we = are=20 generally recognized as Renmei branches, but the majority of visiting = Japanese=20 players quote ranks from other clubs, so this leads to some = problems. In=20 the near future I'll present new recommendations on how to address these = issues.

Another point is that every = club I=20 have visited bases its ranks partly on handicap games, as does the=20 "Shoreikai" (professional training organization). About = a third=20 of my official games in Japan were handicap games. Any = organization that=20 awards ranks based solely on even game play is not conforming to the way = the=20 game is actually played in Japan. There is one organization (Tokyo = Amateur=20 renmei) that keeps western-style Elo ratings, but it does not tie these = ratings=20 to Dan ranks in any way.

We had a wonderful time and = I=20 recommend a similar trip to all western shogi lovers. My special = thanks to=20 my hosts Toru and Miyako Inoue, to the Shogi Renmei (both Tokyo and = Osaka), to=20 the many pros who spent time with us, and to all the Japanese shogi fans = who=20 contributed to the enjoyment of our = trip.

Larry Kaufman

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