Michael,

Yes. I did know all this, especially where I have repeatedly = heard of=20 shogi referred to as "the General's Game".

The source of the article was from the Western Shogi = Quarterly, Fall=20 1984, no.1. James Riley was the editor of the Quarterly, and = author of the=20 article. He apparently dropped out of shogi completely due to = a=20 threatening lawsuit over his right to promote shogi in the U.S. = with=20 printed material. Has anyone heard from him recently?

The last two sentences from his article are (including his = italics):

"If a chess player's interest comes from an = appreciation=20 for the felicity and scope for the imagination chess offers, if he loves = the=20 game for its variety, its challenge, for the good it does his mind, like = the=20 Ratings Chairman of the U.S. Chess Federation and the = Go player=20 from Nobel Prize winning author Yarunari Kawabata's, The Master of = Go,=20 he will love Shogi even more. Shogi means the world's greatest = game."

I believe that Mr. Riley was voicing his love and enthusiasm for = shogi, and=20 not necessary giving its etymological definition, and for this, I would = make him=20 an honorary member of the ISPS.

Peace,

Tim Rogalski

BTW, I learned shogi in 1982, and do not recall hearing of the ISPS = until I=20 read about it this week from Tony Hosking's, The Art of Shogi. I = did find=20 their website, http://www.specjp.com/is= ps/index_e.html,=20 where I sent my request to join.

----- Original Message -----=20

From: "Ho-chi Yuen" < HOTMAIL COM">aquinaswannabe@HOTMAIL COM= >

To: < TECHUNIX TECHNION AC IL">SHOGI-L@TECHUNIX TECHNION= .AC.IL>

Sent: Friday, August 08, 2003 12:56 AM

Subject: Re: Beginner's Lessons No.1, Getting Orientated: = Perspectives on=20 Shogi and Chess

> >This article was the first and only instance I = have ever=20 read where it was
> >stated that the "definition" of shogi = means 'the=20 world's greatest game'.
> >Can anyone verify this statement = with a=20 second source?
>
> you mean its etymological definition, = it's=20 meaning in Japanese? if so,
> certainly not. "sho" = means=20 general (as in shogun,) and "gi" means piece as
> in the piece in = a=20 boardgame, though it's shorthand for boardgame in general.
> = so,=20 roughly, it means "the generals' boardgame."
>
> the = Japanese=20 probably got the name from the Chinese -- the Chinese call
> = Chinese chess=20 "Xiang qi," while "Xiang" means elephant. when = transliterated
> into=20 Japanese, perhaps because the Japanese for elephant doesn't sound = like
>=20 "xiang," so they used the word "sho" instead. that way the=20 transliteration
> is close to Chinese and stil makes = sense.
>=20
> you probably knew all this, and if you did, then I = misunderstood=20 your
> question.
>
> peace,
> Michael
>=20 8-7-2003
>
> >
> >=20 >