From: Pieter Stouten <stouten <at> SHOGI <dot> NET>
Date: 14 dec 2002
Subject: Re: My last comment on the grades issue

On 2002/12/13 at 12:01 -0500, Larry Kaufman wrote:

>>I had mentioned earlier that we could accept any grade and just
>>list on the Elo list both a player's FESA/USSF grades and his
>>NSR grade (in case he has one). Both are titles, but they may
>>mean different things, so why not list both? In that case we
>>don't need to speculate or make judgement calls about
>>NSR grades.
>>
>>Pieter
>>
>This idea sounds good to me.  Would we also list other club ranks
>(i.e. Asle's shodan from Shinjuku Center) in the second column?
>
I have not thought it through, but to me personally FESA/USSF and NSR
grades are most important. FESA and USSF will have to decide together
what to list.

>By the way, I would point out that many clubs in Japan, including
>the Shinjuku (the world's largest), don't generally recognize NSR
>5 Dan ranks unless they were earned in national Japanese
>championships.  So when I play there (and I presume the same if
>Gert plays there), I am 4 Dan.
>
That is interesting as it means there is an apparently accepted
precedent of not recognizing NSR grades. Maybe NSR would have no
problems if we did not automatically accept grades they award either.
Please note that I am not suggesting we do not recognize NSR grades.
It is just that this information sheds some light from a different
angle on the discussion.

Ciao,

Pieter