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 -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ----- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software ------=_NextPart_000_0062_01C3585F.7A6850A0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

The above article does not teach the = basic=20 fundamentals of shogi, it highlights the merits of shogi over chess from = a chess=20 player's perspective; such as -- the goal of chess is to queen a = pawn and=20 win by attrition, while the goal of shogi is, first and foremost, to = checkmate=20 the opponent's king.

If you email me your postal address, = I'll be happy=20 to snail mail you a copy. You have to promise to make further = copies and=20 distribute them to others who show interest in shogi. I believe = that the=20 article is important enough for someone to post on a webpage, but = that=20 hasn't happened yet.

In my opinion, the best shogi primer is = John=20 Fairbairn's "How to Play Shogi". It is 24 pages packed full of=20 concentrated shogi information. Ex. page 24 is a raw listing of = dozens of=20 shogi proverbs -- very useful.

Maybe another Shogi-L member would know = if "How to Play Shogi" is still available somewhere?

Tim

----- Original Message -----

From:=20 YAHOO COM=20 href=3D"mailto:wasonlyyesterday YAHOO COM">Christopher Vu

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 = 5:05=20 PM

Subject: Re: Shodan

I'd like to learn the basic fundamentals of shogi, could you show = me=20 where i can get this pamphlet?

"T.Rogalski" < ACCESS-4-FREE COM">Mik@ACCESS-4-FREE COM>=20 wrote:=20
Larry,

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

I have a four-page article = entitled,=20 "Beginner's Lessons No.1, Getting Orientated: Perspectives on Shogi = and=20 Chess", which discusses game theory, checkers, shogi, differences of = shogi=20 from chess, handicap play, non-handicap play, and summarizes with = the=20 statement, "Shogi means the world's greatest game". I = do not=20 recall what year I received this great article, or who wrote it, but = I would=20 give anyone a copy to read that showed any interest in shogi. = Another=20 sentence from the article is "Shogi well deserves to be a popular = game in=20 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=20 Japan. If there was a scene in the Matrix where Neo inserts a = shogi=20 disc, and seconds later exclaims, "Wow! I know Shogi!", a few = movie=20 scenes like that would do more to popularize Shogi than all our = efforts=20 combined to-date.

There is a sentence from a letter = published in=20 New In Chess 2003/5, pg. 9 that states, "Although playing Shogi in = my=20 opinion doesn't help to improve your western chess, it is certainly = worth a=20 try!". My experience is different. I firmly believe that = shogi=20 helps your chess because compared to shogi tactics, chess tactics = are=20 tame. I remember an instance back in the 80's when I arrived = home late=20 one night from a DC shogi club meeting, where I had been played = hours of=20 rated shogi. I opened my Chess Life to the nine problems in = Chess to=20 Enjoy, and solved all nine problems in less than 10 minutes with = 100%=20 accuracy. It was like my brain was magnetized for = tactics. I=20 cannot speculate if this phenomena is akin to the temporary Mozart = Effect,=20 but I can say that in the few = months=20 since reacquainting myself with rated shogi games, my chess = rating has=20 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=20 by maintaining his rating above 1740 for the necessary number of=20 games. Congratulations, Tim!

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

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

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