From: "George I. Fernandez" MINDSPRING COM> Date: 2 nov 2000 Subject: 2000 U.S. Shogi Championship and 5th Amateur Ryu-O Tournament Dear Shogi-L subscribers, On behalf of United States Shogi Federation and the New York Shogi Club, I'd like to cordially invite all of you to attend the 2000 U.S. Shogi Championship and 5th U.S. Amateur Ryu-O Tournament. The format for the event has been changed and is fully explained below. Most of the U.S. organizers have been aware of this for some time now, but I haven't had the time to post the update on Shogi-L. Basically, we've reverted to the same format that has been used in the previous 4 years in an effort to accommodate the preferences expressed by the visiting Pros and some of the sponsors. I regret any inconvenience caused by the changes and this late notice. The other big news is that now TWO shogi professionals will be attending the event! Mr. Masakazu Kondo, 4Dan, will be joining Mr. Akio Ishikawa 6 Dan. Substantial additional sponsorship for the event is still pending. Information and updates regarding this event can also be obtained at the new USSF web site: bujutsu.com (partially under construction) or at the NY Shogi Club's web site: nyshogi.com (Japanese and English versions). I sincerely hope that many of you will be able to come. Best regards, George ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2000 United States Shogi Championship & 5th U.S. Amateur Ryu-O Tournament 2000 U.S. Team Match Competition 2000 (1st) U.S. Blitz Championship * Special Guests: Mr. Akio Ishikawa, Pro 6 Dan and Mr. Masakazu Kondo, Pro 4Dan * Past Individual Winners: Year Host Club U.S. Champion 1996 (New York) Masanori Watanabe (NY) 5 Dan 1997 (Washington, DC) Masanori Watanabe (NY) 5 Dan 1998 (Los Angeles) Makoto Kotera (DC) 5 Dan 1999 (Chicago) Yoshihisa Suzuki (NY) 4 Dan Past Team Winners: 1996 DC Shogi Club 1997 DC Shogi Club 1998 DC Shogi Club 1999 LA Shogi Club 2000 Host Club: New York Shogi Club. Sponsors: Nihon Shogi Renmei, United States Shogi Federation (USSF), Shukan Shogi, Van Club International and others to be announced [TBA]. Date: 3-5 November, 2000. Place: Oikawa Restaurant, Large Party Room (2nd Floor), 805 3rd Avenue (at 50th Street), New York, New York. Honorary Tournament Director and Chief Arbiter: Mr. Akio Ishikawa, pro 6Dan. Advisor and liaison to Mr. Ishikawa: Minoru Hayashi. Directors: Yasufumi Fujiwara, George Fernandez, Shigeru Ishida and Hiroki Inoue. Format: (Classification Match) Each group consists of four players. Some players may be seeded into the A class at the discretion of the Tournament Committee. Even game [Hirate]. 1st round will be played among the players arranged by drawing (e.g. 1 vs 2, 3 vs 4). 2nd round will be played winner vs winner, loser vs loser. 2-0 players go to U.S. Championship class (A class), 0-2 players go to B class. 3rd round will be played only among 1-1 players. Winners go to U.S. Championship class, losers go to B class. If a group has only 3 players, one player will receive a bye. The draw for Finals will be conducted after the Classification Match. (Finals) Both A and B classes will be played by elimination format. The U.S. Championship A Class will be played using Even game [Hirate]. The B class will be played using handicaps [Komaochi]. Handicaps will be based on current Pan-Atlantic Elo ratings. Unrated players will be rated based on the judgement of the Tournament Committee and their ratings will be increased by 100 points per win. The U.S. Championship Final will be played after all other games are completed. (U.S. Team Match Competition) Even game [Hirate], 5-player teams will compete in a three-round Swiss or Round-Robin tournament, depending on the number of entrants. On Saturday and Sunday, Mr. Akio Ishikawa, Pro 6 Dan, and Mr. Masakazu Kondo, Pro 4 Dan, will be available to play teaching games. Schedule: Friday, 3 November 1) Registration 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM 2) 1st U.S. Blitz Championship 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM 8 Rounds. Swiss System. $10 Entry fee. 8 minutes for each player, sudden-death. No byoyomi. Late arriving players will be accepted until the 5th Round and will receive tournament points according to their Pan-Atlantic Elo ratings. Saturday, 4 November 1) Registration & Drawing 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM 2) Classification Round 1 9:45 AM - 11:15 AM 3) Classification Round 2 11:15 AM - 12:45 AM 4) Lunch 12:45 AM - 1:45 PM 5) Classification Round 3 1:45 PM - 3:15 PM 6) U.S. Team Match Round 1 3:15 PM - 4:30 PM 7) U.S. Team Match Round 2 4:30 PM - 5:45 PM 8) U.S. Team Match Round 3 5:45 PM - 7:00 PM 9) USSF Board of Directors and Officers Meeting 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM 10) Group Dinner follows from 8:00 PM. Details and cost to be announced. Sunday, 5 November 1) Final 1st Round 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM 2) Final 2nd Round 10:30 AM - 12:00 AM 3) Lunch 12:00 AM - 1:00 PM 4) Semi-Finals 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM 5) B class Finals and 3rd Place game 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM 6) Championship Finals 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Mr. Ishikawa, Pro 6 Dan, on a large magnetic display board, will analize and give commentary during the Final game. 7) Awards Ceremony 6:00 PM - 6:30 PM Entry Fee: USSF members $45. Non-USSF members $50. The fee is for both days and includes refreshments only (NO MEALS). Discounts are available for juniors (under 18) and seniors (60 and over). USSF Membership: Full Membership $15, Associate Membership $10. Please visit the new USSF web site, located at: bujutsu.com for complete details regarding the various membership benefits and options. Prizes: At least one-half of the entry fees collected will be returned in cash prizes. Cash prizes will tentatively be divided as follows: 2000 U.S. Shogi Championship and 5th U.S. Amateur Ryu-O Tournament [90% of prize fund] Exact distribution is yet to be determined. The winner will receive the title of U.S. Champion and U.S. Amateur Ryu-O. The winner will also receive a special rotating trophy from Nihon Shogi Renmei, on which his or her name will be inscribed. To be eligible for these prizes (and for the A class 1st place cash prize), a minimum of one year U.S. residency is required. Trophies for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers. The winner of the B group will recieve a permanent trophy and a special rotating trophy from Nihon Shogi Renmei, on which his or her name will be inscribed. Additional prizes for the A and B groups to be announced. U.S. Blitz Championship [Separate prize fund based on entries. 80% of collected fees will be returned in cash prizes] 1st (50%) and Trophy, 2nd (30%) and Top 2 Dan and below (20%). U.S. Team Championship [10% of prize fund] 1st Place Team only (100% to be divided among team members). The winning team will also receive a large rotating trophy, on which the team name will be inscribed. Time Control: 20 Minutes, followed by 40 seconds byoyomi. The A Class Finals will be 30/40. The Team Match Competition will be 20/30. Recommended accommodations: The NY Marathon will be run during this particular weekend. Please make your reservation as soon as possible. Red Roof, Secaucus, NJ. 1(800)THE-ROOF. Some rooms are available at this location. Please contact me directly, if interested. George I. Fernandez President United States Shogi Federation 28-30 34th Street, Apt.#6-O Long Island City, NY 11103 USA Home Telephone: (718)956-5382 Pager: NEW (917)780-0972 E-Mail: g.fernandez mindspring com