MSO 2000 was my first time at this premier shogi event. I missed the two previous tournaments due to some unforeseen complications and bad planning, but three times was the charm, so I got to be a part of possibly the biggest shogi tournament ever held outside Japan (this point becomes debatable only if you consider the New York World Championship had upwards of 300 players competing in qualifiers). I finally had the chance to meet players I had emailed for years, the best example being Pieter Stouten. Pieter did a great job running the event, along with Hans Secelle, who both gave their services to the tournament, even though it prevented them from playing. I applaud them for their great dedication and the sacrifices they made to the sport of shogi. I had the chance once more to meet friends from around the globe, such as George Fernandez, the Kaufmans, Mike and Patti Lamb, Tony Hosking, and my first-ever shogi friend, Chiaki Ito. Ito-san is a 5Dan from the Kenshukai and works for ShogiDojo24, and at this tournament he had great competition from Sato-san, a 6Dan from the Shorekai, who was accompanied by a gentleman from Shukan Shogi. The game between Sato-san and Ito-san determined 1st and 2nd place in the open tournament. Sato won, and I had a chance to see his awesome strength earlier in the tournament, when he smoked me with a blazing hisshi right out of the opening. I was very glad to see Tony Hosking, the author of the "holy book" of shogi, "The Art of Shogi," win the European KO Championship, as well as earning the right ot be called "Best in the West," only being surpassed by Sato-san from Japan and Ito-san from Thailand. The other most notable thing about the event was the rising stars from Central Europe, Mrrs. Schneider and Pfalfer from Austria and Mr Werner from Germany. Both Austrians had their chances to beat me, and I should have been mated for both, but some miracles saved me and I somehow survived. They seem to be chasing 2Dan rapidly. Mr. Werner had an upset win over 4Dan Fernandez, and he's only been playing for a few months! I took part in three events, the simul by the pro Nakao-Sensei, the speed tournament (G/8!), and the Open. The simul was very fun and instructive - I have no idea though how Nakao-Sensei managed to escape my mating threats, except that he's a professional and I'm not! The speed tournament was a collossal comedy of errors, where only one of my six wins was a legitimate win. Although I went 6-2, two wins were on time, one was because my opponent missed a one-move tsume, another one was because my opponent didn't know there was an 8th round and came very late only to blunder, and one win actually came because my opponent had tsume in 3 or 5 (shogi) moves, but instead captured his own lance! The Open tournament was almost funnier, becuase I had no idea what to do with all that time before byoyomi. Sixty minutes is too long, but thirty seconds in byoyomi is quite different. After the tournament, I became convinced that my friend from the Kensgukai was right when he recommended that amateurs use the same time control that pros use, namely 45/60s. This is because I find 20/30s and even 30/30s to be too fast for championship games, while 60/30s is not too helpful because byoyomi is so different and fast. I think 45/60s deserves a try. Anyway, I played too fast in the tournament, and I was lost in almost every game, although somehow I managed to get a plus score. 4Dans like Uemura and Cheymol from France gave me tough lessons. Sato 6Dan smoked me nicely, while a shodan from France named Tran (reminds me of one of my favorite movies, "Tron") played very well in byoyomi and overcame me. Well, to me, those three events were only a prelude to the real event - getting to meet superstar Yamato Takahashi. She is a ladies' 2Dan whose face should be familiar to most shogi players, although she was sporting a new coiffeur. We had quite a nice hirate game after my final tournament game. She coolly avoided all my tactical shots and hit me with a number of mating threats that were simply too fast for me to overcome, even with my entering king and an attack of my own. She demonstrated her great teaching abilities in her commentaries to many players, and Yamato-san is very good at promoting shogi to players of all strengths. When you're a teacher, it's good to have a sense of humor. Yamato-san has the best one of all the pros I've met. I was glad to get a lesson from her and get her autograph as well (on my Ohio Shogi Club T-shirt, of course). So, that's about all I have. There were lots of players having lots of fun battling for yet another world amateur championship. Will there be a reunification bout? Will even more championships pop up? One can only guess, but for now, just look for Pieter's report on the tournament, and keep pushing them foos.

Doug Dysart Ohio Shogi Club founder
Great chess, great e-mail: http://www.KasparovChess.com