IL=20 Sent: Friday, August 01, 2003 9:16 AM Subject: promotion Mr. Tim Rogalski of Virginia has just earned promotion to Shodan = under the Pan-Atlantic rules by maintaining his rating above 1740 for = the necessary number of games. Congratulations, Tim! Tim learned shogi over twenty years ago, and has had the goal of = becoming shodan ever since. I believe that he is the first = American-born player to enter the Dan ranks since the current = Pan-Atlantic rating system was created a few years ago. Let me know if = I've forgotten someone. I think the last American to become a Dan = player was my son Raymond, but I believe that predated the system. Larry Kaufman, Chairman of U.S. Shogi Federation ------=_NextPart_000_0040_01C35837.87EE68E0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Larry,

Thanks for being such an excellent = teacher and=20 strong sparring partner. Of the original players that I remember = from the=20 80's (Troy, Mike, Don), Larry is still hoisting the shogi banner for = everyone to=20 see. When I first learned shogi, it took me years to appreciate = its'=20 superiority over western chess. My heart refused to accept that = any game=20 could be better than chess.

I have a four-page article entitled, = "Beginner's=20 Lessons No.1, Getting Orientated: Perspectives on Shogi and Chess", = which=20 discusses game theory, checkers, shogi, differences of shogi from chess, = handicap play, non-handicap play, and summarizes with the statement, = "Shogi=20 means the world's greatest game". I do not recall what = year I=20 received this great article, or who wrote it, but I would give anyone a = copy to=20 read that showed any interest in shogi. Another sentence from the = article=20 is "Shogi well deserves to be a popular game in North = America".

I know I am preaching to the choir, = since=20 subscribers to Shogi-L are all members of that choir; however, I bemoan the level of interest of Shogi outside = Japan. =20 If there was a scene in the Matrix where Neo inserts a shogi disc, and = seconds=20 later exclaims, "Wow! I know Shogi!", a few movie scenes like that = would=20 do more to popularize Shogi than all our efforts combined = to-date.

There is a sentence from a letter = published in New=20 In Chess 2003/5, pg. 9 that states, "Although playing Shogi in my = opinion=20 doesn't help to improve your western chess, it is certainly worth a = try!". =20 My experience is different. I firmly believe that shogi helps your = chess=20 because compared to shogi tactics, chess tactics are tame. I = remember an=20 instance back in the 80's when I arrived home late one night from a DC = shogi=20 club meeting, where I had been played hours of rated shogi. I = opened my=20 Chess Life to the nine problems in Chess to Enjoy, and solved all nine = problems=20 in less than 10 minutes with 100% accuracy. It was like my brain = was=20 magnetized for tactics. I cannot speculate if this phenomena is = akin to=20 the temporary Mozart Effect, but I can say that in the few months since reacquainting myself with rated = shogi games,=20 my chess rating has improved by 30 rating points.

Tim Rogalski

1-Dan Amateur

----- Original Message -----
From:=20 COMCAST NET = href=3D"mailto:lkaufman COMCAST NET">Larry=20 Kaufman
To: TECHUNIX TECHNION AC IL=20 = href=3D"mailto:SHOGI-L TECHUNIX TECHNION AC IL">SHOGI-L@TECHUNIX TECHNION= .AC.IL=20

Sent: Friday, August 01, 2003 = 9:16=20 AM

Subject: promotion

     Mr. Tim = Rogalski of=20 Virginia has just earned promotion to Shodan under the Pan-Atlantic = rules by=20 maintaining his rating above 1740 for the necessary number of = games. =20 Congratulations, Tim!

     Tim learned = shogi over=20 twenty years ago, and has had the goal of becoming shodan ever = since. I=20 believe that he is the first American-born player to enter the Dan = ranks since=20 the current Pan-Atlantic rating system was created a few years = ago. Let=20 me know if I've forgotten someone. I think the last American to = become a=20 Dan player was my son Raymond, but I believe that predated the=20 system.

     Larry = Kaufman, Chairman=20 of U.S. Shogi Federation

------=_NextPart_000_0040_01C35837.87EE68E0--