From: Sam Sloan ISHIPRESS COM> Date: 11 jul 2003 Subject: I met Habu at the World Open in Philadelphia on Sunday I met Habu Yoshiharu at the World Open in Philadelphia on Sunday For those of you who do not know, Habu Yoshiharu is one of the most famous people in Japan. Habu is the Tiger Woods of Shogi, which is Japanese chess. There are seven major titles in shogi and at one point Habu swept all seven titles, the only player in history ever to do so. Habu is down to only four of the top seven titles now. So great is the fame of Habu that he has the reputation of being the smartest person in the entire country of Japan. So great is his reputation that the daily newspapers in Japan have been filled with articles about Habu's brain. The newspapers are wondering why Habu's brain is so superior to all the other brains in Japan. One theory concerns the fact that most people have a left-sided brain, whereas Habu has a right-sided brain. I waited for my chance and bravely went up and introduced myself to The Great Habu. I told him that I have a website about him. http://www.samsloan.com/habu.htm I was surprised when the man who accompanied him, Mr. Ishii, knew exactly who I was. "Are you Mr. Sam Sloan", his companion said. Habu speaks some English. Mr. Ichirou Ishii immediately offered to take a picture of me and Habu together. I gave him my address and I hope that Mr. Ishii remembers to send me the picture. Will somebody remind him? Somebody asked why the top shogi player in Japan would be considered the smartest person in Japan, as opposed to the top go player. One answer is that the Japanese are no longer the best in go. The Koreans are now the best in go, followed by the Chinese. The Japanese are only number three in go now. I told Habu that we have an outstandingly beautiful Russian girl shogi player in New York who would be very interested in meeting him. I was surprised that Habu did not know her already. I was sure that if Rachael had known that Habu was in America, she would have made a beeline to Philadelphia right away. This was the second chess tournament for Habu in America. His first was the 2000 Chicago Open. Habu has a USCF rating of 2351/07 from that tournament. http://www.64.com/uscf/ratings/12775433 This rating might not seem that impressive, until one considers that Habu is a beginner at our kind of chess. At the World Open in Philadelphia, Habu won his first two games and then had a draw with grandmaster Joel Benjamin in Round 4. Habu had a credible performance of 5-4, to finish number 67 in the 238 player field. He defeated two players rated over 2200 and probably gained a few rating points. http://www.worldopen.com/2003Results/open.htm I asked Habu if he could play go. He said that he is an amateur shodan in go. This is about the equivalent of a Class A player. So, chess is Habu's game, not go. Sam Sloan