From: David J Bush <twixt <at> CSTONE <dot> NET>
Date: 16 dec 2002
Subject: Re: "art"

| ...
| From what I know, pros think that their primary job is to produce a good
| kifu or moves
| and they do not always come with a win.  Of course, they have
| to make a living so they need to win, but they really think their ultimate
| "strength"
| is reflected on and exists in the kifu and moves, not in the outcomes.
|
| For instance, pros often make "katachi zukuri" and resign in a position
| which seems there is still a
| chance for a turn-over.  They do this because they don't want to mess up
| with
| their kifu by making moves which do not show their "strength".  Some of such
| games
| actually could have been won, if they had refused to resign, but they
| didn't.  I think what this implies is meaningful for what we have been
| talking about, the relationship between ratings and strength.
|
| In fact, players who are considered with "strength" are not always
| winners with big titles.  Players such as Hirofumi Serizawa, Nobuyuki
| Oouchi, Keiji
| Mori, Satoshi Murayama, and Motoji Hanamura (and even Jyumei Koike) got only
| a few
| titles, but they are remembered as players with "strength" and their
| artistic moves which people
| still love.

This reminds me of what Ando Meritee wrote in his account of his
Renju match against Shigeru Nakamura:

"Technically we have quite same style - we are both playing in aggressive
way, never let the opponent to have easy game, but fight till the end. We
both work hard on new moves and try them on opponents. We both prefer
reasonable moves rather than beautiful moves. (This is what makes Nakamura
different from other Japanese - the other Japanese always want to play
beautiful moves which eventually may not be very effective, whereas Nakamura
plays more technical and reasonable way)."

Is Mr. Meritee talking about the same thing, do you think?
What I mean is, would you say that those Shogi players you listed like
to play "beautiful" moves? Thanks.

David