A funny thing happened in Cincinnati. In the first round of our recent qualifier, chess master Ramdake Lewis offered me a draw...in a shogi game! This he did twice, which was not unexpected by myself, or any others among the Ohio Shogi Club, since Ram has offered draws before (and gotten some!!) and has declared he will continue to do so. Truth is, my position was bad the first time he offered a draw, and losing the second time. Ram thought I was brave but stupid for declining it. But hold on a second... 1. A draw never happens in professional shogi, even with sennichite, 2. A draw is a natural result in chess, but not in shogi, 3. I was the TD, so I had no precedent on which to say, "OK, I can do this and not look like a total idiot (and coward!)." As of yet, there is no *Official Rules of Shogi*, either for the US Shogi Federation or for Nihon Shogi Renmei, to my knowledge. It seems good to get this out now, since it will look funny when some guy shows up in New York from Alabama and says to, say, Moriuchi-san, "How's about a draw there, feller?" So, what's the word? To draw or not to draw? That IS the question, my brethren. *BTW, I actually DID get a draw in a kamaochi game against a pro in a recent USSF event! Cheers, Doug Dysart Ohio Shogi Club founder

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