From: Sam Sloan ISHIPRESS COM> Date: 31 jul 1999 Subject: Have not forgotten about the US Shogi Championship This is in regard to the many letters about the outrageous events at the US Shogi championship. I appreciate the comments. However, the ratings of the players before the competition starts should have no bearing on the results, because otherwise why play at all. I find it rediculous that Mr. Suzuki actually won first prize in the tournament but received no prize at all, other than the title, whereas Mr. Bekele, who won 2 and lost 5 games, which was the worst result of any dan rated player in the event, won a trip to Japan. As to the pronouncements of others as to how strong Mr. Bekele is, I know a 4-dan player who gives Mr. Bekele a handicap of bishop and beats him every game. Mr. Bekele is simply not a strong player. I recognize that Douglas Dysart defeated Mr. Ono on an outright blunder of ni-fu by Mr. Ono, but that is how shogi is. On the other hand, Mr. Bekele lost two of his first three games and under the rules was eliminated from the competition. Yet, because of his friendships with Mr. Hayashi and Mr. Fernandez, Mr. Bekele was allowed to play in the finals and, again because of the same friendships, was declared winner of the trip to Japan even though he had lost almost all his games in the tournament. This situation is so outrageous that I cannot understand how anyone could defend it. What would happen if a popular player were defeated in an early round of the Wimbleton Tennis Tournament and then the organizers decided to reinstate this favored player, who then went on to win top prize? Please note that in his letter, Mr. Hayashi mentioned that he and Mr. Bekele flew from New York to the competition in Chicago on the same flight together. Mr. Hayashi also admits that it was he and George Fernandez who decided that Bekele would win the top prize, although it had previously been stated that Mr. Ishikawa, a professional player, had decided that Bekele got the prize. (This had been an obvious lie, because had the decision been up to Mr. Ishikawa, he clearly would have selected a strong player.) As to the statement that I should have been prepared to bear the expense of a $70 taxi ride from the airport to the playing site, the fact is that I came to Chicago to compete with limited funds and had I known that the tournament was not being held in Chicago but in a remote area only reachable by taxi at a cost of $70, I would not have come at all. I feel that I and the other competitors have been cheated. We should all be given our money back. (I spent more than $400 to play in this event.) This is the most outrageous thing I have ever seen or known to have happened in my more than 40 years of various tournament competitions. I will not be forgetting this. Sam Sloan http://www.samsloan.com/usshogi.htm