From: bogin <bogin <at> YAHOO <dot> CO <dot> JP>
Date: 2 aug 2003
Subject: Re: Beginner's Lessons No.1, Getting Orientated: Perspectives on Shogi and Chess

 I think the comment you quote about the goals of chess and shogi are way
off and show of a lack of understanding about both games.

Of course, shogi and chess are both interesting games. They are quite
similiar and also quite different. And, I believe that it may be true that
for some people shogi may improve there chess and for some people chess may
improve their shogi. But, I think that the ultimate goal of any game is the
win and shogi and chess are decided by checkmate or by forcing your
opponent to resign when mate is unavoidable.

I've played a lot of chess and I've lost a few games even though I had
queened a pawn. It makes no difference how many queens you make in chess,
just as it makes no difference how many tokins you make in shogi. If you
get mated you lose.

In chess, people resign in position when a pawn is promoted probably
because they feel that they will eventually be mated. Quite possibly a
strong shogi player may also immeadiately resign immeadiately if their rook
or rook or bishop were to be taken without leaving them any compensation at
all. They feel that with best play they will be mated. Both games are won,
especially at high levels of play, due to a combination of small mistakes
that over time add up to make a position unteneable.

The fact that shogi allows you to use captured pieces does add an exciting
dynamic that chess doesn't have, but it doesn't change the fact that the
games are won by taking advantage of your opponent's mistakes. That is
completely a war of attrition. You wait and wait for your opponent to make
an error and then you take advantage of it.

Beginners at shogi and chess may feel that you win by capturing the most
pieces, but a 1 dan should be well beyond that naive way of thinking.
Strong chess players, like strong shogi players go straight for the king.
They don't waste time queening pawns unless it actually helps them
eventually mate their opponent. Since in chess, you can't use captured
pieces again the need to queen pawns to mate may be greater than the need
to promote pawns in shogi. But, queening a pawn is only one way to get to
mate.

Saying that queening a pawn is the main goal of ches is like say that
promoting your rook is the main goal of shogi. They are only a means to the
end. Checkmate is the first and foremost goal of both.


Bill Gaudry


--- "T.Rogalski" <Mik <at> ACCESS-4-FREE <dot> COM>  $B$+$i$N%a%C%;!<%8!' (B
> The above article does not teach the basic fundamentals of shogi, it
> highlights the merits of shogi over chess from a chess player's
> perspective; such as -- the goal of chess is to queen a pawn and win
> by attrition, while the goal of shogi is, first and foremost, to
> checkmate the opponent's king.
>
> If you email me your postal address, I'll be happy to snail mail you
> a copy.  You have to promise to make further copies and distribute
> them to others who show interest in shogi.  I believe that the
> article is important enough for someone to post on a webpage, but
> that hasn't happened yet.
>
> In my opinion, the best shogi primer is John Fairbairn's "How to Play
> Shogi".  It is 24 pages packed full of concentrated shogi
> information.  Ex. page 24 is a raw listing of dozens of shogi
> proverbs -- very useful.
>
> Maybe another Shogi-L member would know if "How to Play Shogi" is
> still available somewhere?
>
> Tim


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