From: DANERUD MARTIN <martin.danerud <at> TELIA <dot> COM>
Date: 13 nov 2002
Subject: Re: A cultural difference?

Dear all,

> I have played many times in competitions with sudden-death style.
(What
> do you say in english?) And each time I see players(including me)
> strugling to push clock button,I feel this system is against spirit
of
> Shogi.

I agree completely with you. It is very difficult to play
constructively with just a few seconds left in shogi. It is a little
different in chess, since in the end of a chess game there is often
either a race for pawn promotion or some way of forcing a mate or a
draw. In shogi, you can often be in a middle game position close to
sudden death, where both players are far from check mating. But of
course, the reasonable idea is then that you are the better player if
you used less time to reach that playable position.

> >  I thought that the director just
> > > felt
> > > it was probable that your time was up first. Because,
> > > if your oponent's time was up first you shoud have claimed first.
> >
> > Have you understood the case properly? There were only seconds left
> > for both players. Then you do not have time to look constantly at
> the
> > clock.
>
> Please don't take me wrong.  I just speculated what the director may
> have thought. You said you saw a second after the guy's declaration.
> While playing in this system and when time is running out we are
> forced to CONSTANTLY check the clock..A second is long time then.

I had a driving teacher once who said that he spent 80% of his driving
time looking in the rear mirror. I would not have believed him if he
had claimed that he spent 100% of his driving time looking in the rear
mirror. That would surely have resulted in frontal collisions.

> > > And when your
> > > oponents declared your time was up,you should have checked the
> clock
> > > immediately
> > > and should have claimed he was wrong.
>
> > That was exactly what I did. My opponent was not wrong. My time was
> > out, but so was his time. That is the issue.
>
> Now I understand why this may be a cultural issue.The western 'chess'
> culture and Japanese one.The lack of the detailed rule is prety
common
> here.In this case also,basic idea is 'honor' system.Participants are
> required to judge on their own.
> Anyway,I agree there should be the rule in place like chess.

I agree with you.

Best regards,

Martin