From: "George I. Fernandez" MINDSPRING COM> Date: 3 mar 2002 Subject: Re: US Shogi & 2002 U.S. Shogi Championship announcement At 10:18 PM 4/1/02 +0400, you wrote: >Larry, > >Could you please announce some more details about the US Championship in LA so I can try to make flight arrangements if possible? I didn't go last year because of poor planning (and when I did fly to NY, the event was cancelled, and I am starved for serious shogi!). > >Thanks! >Doug Dysart > Dear Doug, The announcements below regarding the 2002 U.S. Shogi Championship were prepared by Mr. Ogihara of the NY Shogi Club. I'll try to post more detailed information as it becomes available. I'd like to clarify that last year's U.S. Shogi Championship, held in Washington DC, was NOT cancelled. It was the 2nd Shogi World Championship that was cancelled, due to concerns and obstacles related to the World Trade Center disaster among the expected participants and organizers. Questions regarding any future SWC should be directed to Mr. M. Hayashi of the NY Shogi Club (nyshogi rcn com). As for your earlier post (3/3/02), inquiring as to my wherabouts among other things, I'm fine, thanks! Actively participating in the NY Shogi club and reading through Shogi-L every few days, as always. Please e-mail me or call me directly in the future (same e-mail and telephone number since moving to New York 4+ years ago). Shogi-L is not an appropriate place to exchange private e-mail. Regards, George ---------------------------------------------- Current status of USSF (U.S. Shogi Federation) Over the last year, and before that, we've continued to receive numerous inquiries regarding the status of USSF and requests to join USSF. At present we are undergoing some organizational changes, have suspended the issuance of a newsletter indefinitely, and are hoping to resolve some key issues at the next USSF Board meeting. The USSF web site: http://www.bujutsu.com/shogi/index.html is still around but has not been updated in some time. The USSF Shogi Store: Has some shogi stock remaining but the storekeeper has moved cross-country and we've halted the promotion of sales for now. Currently, we're offering open free membership for the remainder of 2002, or until further notice, for those wanting to be a part of the organization. In 2003 new elections will be held and, hopefully, USSF will start to play a more active role in the promotion of shogi in the U.S. Coordinating activities among the different clubs (and members-at-large) and establishing more clear-cut and regular communication with Shogi Renmei will be among our priorities. Recently, it appears that Shogi Renmei has routinely been given erroneous and unauthorized misinformation about our existence and operational status. This has resulted in the U.S. players being under represented and largely uninformed regarding the 2nd International Shogi Forum, to be held in Japan in October 2002. ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- Prepared in part by Mr. Ogihara (NY Shogi Club) 1) This year's U.S. Shogi Championship Tournament will be held on the weekend of April 27-28 in Los Angeles. Several pro's are coming to the tournament from Japan. Rooms are booked for the participants at The Hotel New Otani in downtown LA where the tournament will be held. The rate for double-occupancy is about $90. Therefore, if you stay 2 nights and room with another player, the total for each person would be about $90. Players will be attending from the NY and Washington DC shogi clubs and other players at-large. The tournament will be the qualifying event for the 2nd Shogi Forum, to be held in Japan in October 2002. Three players will be selected. 2) Announcement on the U.S. Shogi Championship Tournament and the Second International Shogi Forum in Japan (March 2002) The U.S. Shogi Championship Tournament will be held in Los Angeles on April 27 & 28 this year. Thanks to the efforts of Mr. Ohno of the Los Angeles Shogi Club, we have secured the Hotel New Otani in downtown L.A. (in Little Tokyo) as the location of the event. You should made hotel arrangements with Mr. Ohno as soon as you can, so that you can book your room at special rate. The last time we held the U.S. Shogi Championship Tournament in Los Angeles was 5 years ago. This tournament takes place every year in different cities and circulates around the country in 5 years. Adopting the format of the Amateur Meijin Tournament of Japan as a model, this tournament has a preliminary and the main tournament. In the preliminary, all participants will be randomly divided into groups of four players and play preliminary games among the four. Those with 2 wins or more will be advanced to A Class and all others will be classified as B Class. The player who wins the A Class league is the U.S. Champion of the year. Prizes are awarded to many people such as Top Kyu-class player, Top 3-Dan and runners -up in each league, among others. Not only that, this year's tournament is also the tournament to determine who will be invited to the Second International Shogi Forum to be held in Japan this October! Three players will be selected as representatives from the U.S. in accordance with the Tournament Guidelines provided by the Nihon Shogi Renmei, as follows: Player #1 is the top Qualifying Player in the A Class league, regardless of his/her Dan level. Player #2 is the top Qualifying Player in the A Class league among Sho-Dan, 2-Dan and 3-Dan players. Player #3 is the top Qualifying Player in the B Class league among Kyu-level players. (The "Qualifying Player" means a player who is a U.S. citizen who resides consecutively in the U.S. at least for the past 12 months.) If you have any questions or concern, please contact Mr. Hayashi of the New York Shogi Club by e-mail at nyshogi rcn com . Thank you. --------------------------------------------------- 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 E-Mail: g.fernandez mindspring com