From: Eduard Werner <edi.werner <at> GMX <dot> DE>
Date: 12 dec 2002
Subject: Re: Elo ratings and grades

> In my opinion (and that of the Dutch Shogi Association), if the NSR awards a
> non-Japanese player a certain dan/kyu-grade, we should accept this. If only
> out of respect to the NSR.
>
> Hugo Hollanders

Furthermore, it would save us a whole lot of useless discussions. You
have the same in Martial Arts where you receive your rank based on
certain technical criteria (there are also grades honoris causa, of
course), usually not based on combat strength. And it never occurs to
anybody to say things like "no, I don't think he should be awarded a
3-dan. He's shodan, nothing more." There are only two possibilities
under which discussions occur:

1) The person in question found himself undergraded, founded his own
   style and graded himself.
2) A higher-graded dan discusses the grading of a person he is considering
   to grade. In this case the discussion would be confident.

Discussing the gradings the way we are doing it here, be it by not
accepting it (not "carrying" it officially) or by doubting whether to
accept it or not would be considered extremely rude and respectless.

Cheers

Edi