The 2000 World Shogi Championship was held this last weekend. It was a great success, and it was the best tournament in which I have ever participated. Below are some details of the event, which will probably be expanded upon by a report from the NY Shogi Club. When I first arrived on Friday, I received very kind greetings from 3 of the main organizers, Mssrs. Masui, Inoue, and Ogihara. I also received a name badge saying, "Midwest Champion," which felt good, although I felt nervous because I'm only 2 dan. Such a nice reception never happens at a chess tournament, unless of course you're a Super GM. I quickly met many new friends, which I will now have for life. Also, there was an extremely professional program which outlined the entire format, so I knew there could be little controversy about the outcome of the tournament. I was pleased to see my roommate was Marc Theeuwen, the Dutch Champion with whom I had already made friends with over the internet. On Saturday, the serious stuff began. Being a seeded player, I skipped the preliminaries and played the professionals in Kaku-ochi games. Afterwards, Larry told me I should have taken a bigger handicap, but I feel I held my own in most games. We then went to lunch, which was already paid for. It's very nice when you prepay for meals, because it's one less distraction. All my new friends were fun to talk to during all meals. After lunch, the real action began. I was happy to make it to the second round, but I was quickly KOd by none other than my roommate. Fortunately for my ego, he made 4th place in the tournament. As the night wound down, I witnessed an incredible game between T. Asada and Chiaki Ito, who happens to be the first friend I ever made in the shogi world. This game was for $1000, so it was very intense, and eventually Asada-san won due to his entering king. That evening, we had dinner together, and some speeches were made. I made sure to thank Hayashi-san and Masui-san, along with Nihon Shogi Renmei and the USSF, for making such a great event possible. What was really nice was that the professionals tried their hands at speaking English. This was especially true for Sato Sensei and Kondo Sensei. Both are very friendly and outgoing persons, and I am now big fans of theirs. On Sunday, more KO took place, along with 2 consolation tournaments and a B class for 1-2 players and a C class for 0-2 players. These games were all for big stakes, so everyone was still very serious and intense. Congrats go to Ray Kaufman, among others, for winning prizes in his section. A fantastic game happened between Mark Ono and Marc Theeuwen, the battle of the Marks. Somehow Marc managed to come back in a magical fashion. The grand finale between Egoshi-san and my friend Chiaki Ito was an exciting game. The top prize of $3000 was at stake. The professionals analyzed the game as it progressed, and everything was put on the internet. I now know that shogi is a spectator sport! Congratulations go to Mr. Egoshi for winning the Shogi World Championship. And how about that flag!? On Monday, we had the team tournament. I had a good performance for my team, along with Ray Kaufman and George Fernandez. They both were very generous by giving me the nod for team MVP. I was very honored by their gesture. This was a fun day, which ended with an excellent steak party with the professionals. I do think Peter Luger's makes the best steak I've ever had, and the rest of the food and beer was also excellent. Then we said our goodbyes, looking forward to seeing each other at the MSO in London. This was a very competitive event with high stakes, but it was also a fun social gathering for all. Masui-san was an "emcee" of sorts, always joking around and getting everyone to talk to one another and share a few laughs (and drinks). Then there was Kondo Sensei, who actually went out of his way to talk to me in English. I was very honored that he would do this, knowing that his English is not yet perfect. I hope he wins the rest of his career. It was great meeting the Europeans, who were all quite friendly. The Brazilians didn't know much English, but they still tried to communicate with me, and we did have a fun time together. I liked meeting the now famous author, Tony Hosking. Marc Ono is also always fun to be around. And, of course, I got to re-acquaint myself with all the DC and NY players that I have been friends with for some time. So, I think that the tournament was run excellently. Nothing was left to chance, and no questions were left hanging afterward. Everybody that showed up left with a smile on their face, and we will all look forward to playing in the next big event, which may be held next year under the same conditions. I can't wait!

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