From: Sam Sloan <sloan <at> ISHIPRESS <dot> COM>
Date: 12 apr 2000
Subject: Re: 2 funny things happened

At 12:31 AM 4/12/00 -0400, Larry Kaufman wrote:

>     Some of these rule issues are far from academic.  At the same time as
>the Ohio shogi qualifier was having its nifu problem, our own qualifier in
>Washington had one too!  In our case, my son Raymond, in a difficult
>position against a 4 Dan, answered a back-rank rook check by dropping a
>pawn, not noticing that he had another pawn much farther up the file.  His
>opponent, despite his high rank, somehow failed to notice the nifu and the
>game continued for many moves with both players unaware.  Then, one of the
>other players (also 4 Dan) happened to notice it and pointed it out, not
>knowing that it was improper for him to do so.  As TD, I didn't know what
>the proper ruling should be, though my feeling was that the game should
>continue since it seemed unlikely that the nifu would have been claimed
>without interference.  Fortunately, before I made a ruling, the 4 Dan
>player offered to continue, perhaps not feeling entitled to the point.  He
>won anyway, so there were no consequences, but like Doug I wonder what the
>proper ruling would have been?
>
>     Larry Kaufman

With all due respect I believe that Larry Kaufman made the wrong ruling.

In my own games, it is my policy never to call nifu immediately. I always
play two or three moves more and then subtly hint to my opponent that there
is something strange about the position.

Always, when he realizes what he has done, he concedes the game.

My reason is practical. If I call nifu as soon as he plays it, he might
take the move back and play something else.

I am sure than in tournaments and even in social games, if nifu exists on
the board, the game is over, even if neither player notices it or if they
choose to ignore it.

Therefore, Larry Kaufman should have forfeited his own son.

By the way, I have never, ever lost a game by nifu. For some reason, that
is a mistake I have never made. I wonder how many can make this claim.

However, when I was an absolute beginner, I lost a game to Larry Kaufman
himself by dropping a pawn to checkmate, or at least I should have lost
because he let me take the move back, a courtesy I no longer extend to my
opponents.

Sam Sloan