From: SalvaAC <at> AOL <dot> COM
Date: 1 feb 2000
Subject: Re: to play shogi on the net

In a message dated 2/1/00 9:36:41 AM Central Standard Time, jtisdall <at> C2I <dot> NET
writes:

<<
 I have always thought a little pain at the beginning (just use the real
 equipment) and then you are up to speed, but i find more and more that
 people feel that visual "training wheels" could be a big help in getting
 people to make the biggest, first step of learning the game.

 I know that breaking with tradition is always a touchy subject in shogi,
 but I would be very interested is some feelings about these topics.
  >>

Hi,

I've had very little trouble in teaching with the kanji sets, although I do
keep an international set on hand when I'm doing something like a clinic
where I might run into someone who is more comfortable with it at first.  I
run a shogi tournament in conjunction wtih a high school chess clinic every
year, and if a student is put off by the kanji, a simple question like, "If
you were teaching someone chess, would you want pieces that were just the
letter of the piece and arrows, or just start right in with the real thing?"
I do keep "cheat sheets" handy, and am always willing to answer questions on
the go.

Tony