From: Kazuyuki Iwamoto <iwamoto <at> MY <dot> EMAIL <dot> NE <dot> JP>
Date: 13 nov 2002
Subject: Re: Is joseki really so importend?

Hello,all,

Is Joseki so important? Yes,VERY much. Let me tell you my story.I
become 4th-Dan almost 20 years ago. At that time I was pretty
confident knowing Joseki and believed that Joseki was just a worn out
knowledge and realy count was calculation power.As time goes by I have
been rarely playing Shogi for my interest shifted to other things.In
this way my knowledge of Joseki remained as was 20 years ago.At times
I overhead about new born Josekis such as FUJII methods against
ANAGUMA fort or SAGINOMIYA Joseki but I payed little attention because
of  my conviction that superiority of cluculation power over
knowledge.I was not wrong really.
But.
When I took up playing Shogi again a few years ago mainly in
SHOGI-DOJO24,I was devastated.Because in every game I got so bad
position in openings and discouraged that each game I was forced to
fight desparately. Soon I realized,some times the opponents told  me,
that the wrong moves I made were in the Joseki and everybody knew it.
I even found several times in the Joseki books the exact moves I made
in a few games and was beaten just like in the books.

Joseki realy advanced in this 20 years.No one can underplay the
importance of Joseki.

> Gerts impression, that westerners are generally better in
calculating, then
> japanese of equal strength.

On the other hand,like above impression,I felt I was no inferior in
caluculation. Calulation power is not something you master overnight.
It shows your true strenghs.Joseki is easy to learn.It's a matter of
memorizing.

So have faith in your strengh, and learn Joseki.

Iwamoto.