From: Larry Kaufman <lkaufman <at> WIZARD <dot> NET>
Date: 4 jun 2000
Subject: Re: Shogi World Championship-Tournament Time Table

At 03:49 PM 6/3/00 -0400, you wrote:
>The committee of the shogi world championship hereby invite your
>proposal which could actually fit to the tournament held on May 20th nd
>21st in New York.
>The committee will analyze all of the proposals and will award $100 to
>the winner  if minimum 5 proposals are made.
>The proposal shall be sent to " smasui <at> banet <dot> net" directly or through
>shogi-L
>Conditions of the tournament is as follows, which shall not be changed
>as the tournament was held exactly under such conditions.

>4) Pro/Am: 19 seeded players waived classification tournament and
>invited to play at Pro/AM Kakuochi Handicap game (Dropping Kaku) for the
>prize of $1,000 (1st Place) and $500 (2nd Place) for the most winning
>amateur out of 3 rounds of games against Pros.

>Prizes: Tournament announced 5 months in advance that:
>          A-Class (Championship Class)
>             1st : $3,000
>             2nd: $1,500
>             3rd : $500
>             4th : 300
>          B-Class:
>              1st: $1,500
>              2nd: $700
>              3rd: $300
>              4th : $100
>          C-Class:
>              1st: $300
>              2nd: $100
>          Other classes, if any: surprise prizes.

     Masui-san, please make clear whether you are requiring that the event
still have A, B, and C classes, or if we may propose a system in which all
players are part of the same event.  In this case, the prizes for B and C
would be available for fifth thru eighth places, for top non-seeded player
or players, for top woman or Junior, etc.

     I would like to point out that the above prize structure created a
strong incentive for some players to deliberately lose games in the
prelims, in order to qualify for the B section where they could still win a
large prize without facing tough competition.  I am not saying that anyone
did this, but surely the temptation was there for some.  Fortunately most
western shogi players are honest and are playing for the competition, not
for money, but there are always exceptions.

>Regards,
>Shigeki Masui
>Executive committee of the Shogi World Championship.
>
     Regards, Larry Kaufman