From: "e.t" <etognoni <at> CURSORE <dot> IT>
Date: 1 feb 2000
Subject: to play shogi on the net

Hi,
i play on javashogi server and on shogidojo
(i  dont like java tech too slow)
Considering Igs (internet go server) and Fics (freechess.org) java
server for
shogi is not the best.
difficult to save game on hard disk.
difficult to examine game after save.
difficolt to speak with players.
there are no option for players like go or chess server

Why nobody build a client to play shogi on fics? fics has a lot of
potential
shogi players, crazy house variation of western chess is the bad copy of
shogi
(crazy house=madchess the western shogi variation invented by Alex
Randolph)

I know crazy house players,  they are very strong, they are natural
player of
shogi, but, they dont know shogi ^___^ this is bad waste of talent.

The problem of shogi is only the symbol difficult to recognize, so why
nobody
draw a shogi set on typical rumble shape using the typical image of
western chess?

(i mean for shogi server)
King, Rook, Bishop, Pawn and Knight can be the same,  the prob on Lance
can be
solved with a missile stylized and general gold and general silver easy
to work
out with little king stylized with arrow (direction arrow), maybe using
Jack
symbol from card?
Promotion is easy, it is enough to add little red arrow on old piece.
And a lot of western players can immediately play shogi (from crazyhouse
to
shogi).

I have friends now who play with me and amuse oneself playng crazy
house, bughouse
or shogi, well the rock of server is hard, but .... maybe the latest
fashion of
shogi make tolerable the collapse of quality  from fics server to java
shogi
servers, but the potential shogi player sometime is lost only for
problem
communication.

Bug house is another similar chess variation On Fics,  playing in team
game,
captured piece can be dropped from partner team, why nobody set a
similar
variation on shogi?

Best
Enrico