From: Sam Sloan <sloan <at> ISHIPRESS <dot> COM>
Date: 11 aug 2000
Subject: Re: Regarding Shogi Impasse

At 01:15 PM 8/11/00 +0200, Ralf Lundberg wrote:
>Regarding Shogi Impasse.
>
>I am currently playing in a Shogi email tournament (at
>Richard's PBeM server).
>
>In this tournament it was stated that a alternate
>rule should be used in the case of entering kings.
>(After that I have heard that several different ways
>to handle this exists, and are used at some occasions.)
>
>The rule used in this tournament states that:
>     The first player to legally move his king onto
>     the opponents initial king square wins.
>
>I think this alternate rule is worth mentioning. It
>appeals to me much more than the resolution by counting
>for several reasons; it is simple to formulate, there
>can be no discussion upon if the situation has occured
>or not, and it avoids draws.
>
>I think this rule affects a normal shogi game very little.
>(However having an anaguma would not be nice if the
>opponents king is entering and you use this rule..)
>
>Any comments?
>

I am reminded of a meeting of the "Preparatory Committee of the World
Xiangqi Association" in Singapore in 1990.

The representative of England was named Chandler. (He was a medical doctor,
not the chess grandmaster.) The draw rule in Chinese chess is extremely
complicated. The Asian Chinese Chess Federation has one rule, but the
Chinese Chess Association in China has a more complicated and difficult rule.

This Mr. Chandler was at the meeting when the draw rule was discussed. He
jumped into the discussion to say that in England the rule is simply that
three times repetition of position is banned. A played cannot repeat any
position for the third time and must move elsewhere.

The Chinese officials listened politely to Chandler's exposition on this
rule, and then went back to their discussion. Chandler interrupted and said
that apparently they did not understand and again explained why his rule
was better.

Again, the Chinese went back to their discussion of this very important
rule for them and again Chandler interrupted and said that perhaps because
they could not understand his English but they should realize that his rule
was obviously better.

This went back and forth four or five more times.

I later played Chandler and he was the equivalent of a 1200 player at
Chinese chess. He was just a little better than a beginner. (He
subsequently gave up the game.) There were several Chinese chess
grandmasters in the meeting plus all the top officials from the various
national federations of Chinese chess, but Chandler had the temerity to
interupt repeatedly to tell them what he thought the rule should be.

So, I think that the rules of shogi should be the same as the recognized
shogi players use and not what some local organizer thinks that they should
be.

Sam Sloan