From: Larry Kaufman comcast net> Date: 21 jun 2004 Subject: Poconos Meijin tournament This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0013_01C45722.F74957A0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----------------------------------------------------------- Apply now for a No-Annual-Fee Discover=AE Platinum Card=20 0% Intro APR*, No Annual Fee, Up to 2% Cashback Bonus=AE=20 award* Start Saving Today =96 APPLY NOW! It's fast, easy and=20 secure.=20 http://click.topica.com/= caaciqQa2i6YsbnuqMaa/Discover Card ----------------------------------------------------------- The annual "Poconos Meijin" tournament was held this weekend in the Po= conos mountains of Pennsylvania. All the players stay in a large rented hou= se for the weekend, so lots of shogi can be played. The event functions as = a combined D.C./N.Y. shogi club tournament, as all the players come from th= ese clubs. This year attendance was down; apparently we picked a bad weekend for = several players. Still, we held a round robin of the nine attending players= . Due to the low tournout, we used a slower time limit than in the past (20= ' plus 40" byoyomi instead of 20' plus 30"). All games are "properly" handi= capped (meaning lance for 1 rank, bishop for 2, rook for 3, rook & lance fo= r 4, and two piece for 5 ranks). Instead of just using the nominal ranks, w= e converted each player's current Pan-Atlantic rating to a rank with one de= cimal place (for example 1800 =3D 1.5 Dan), and rounded the rank difference= to the nearest integer. I think this produces much fairer handicaps than t= he use of integer ranks only.=20 In one way, the event was nearly unique for American tournaments. Of t= he nine players, only three were Japanese! Of the six American players, thr= ee came from D.C. and three from N.Y.=20 The result was a three way tie for first place at 6-2 between myself, = Greg D'Elia, and S. Ogihara. A round-robin playoff at the same handicaps re= sulted in Greg taking first place with two wins, while I came second with o= ne win and Ogihara placed third. Congratulations to Greg, the recent winner= of the "B" division in the U.S. championship, who is clearly the most rapi= dly improving American player. He played as 5 kyu a year ago and as 1 kyu t= his time, but if recent NY club games not yet reported are counted, he migh= t already be 1 Dan, and this Poconos victory should put him well on the roa= d to 2 Dan, the rank he deserves in my opinion. When asked the secret of hi= s dramatic improvement, he "confessed" to having played about a thousand ga= mes on Shogi Club 24 in the past year!. That would explain it. I look forwa= rd to our next meeting, when I'll no longer have to spot him Two Piece hand= icap! Fourth place was a tie between J. Yoshinari 4 Dan of D.C. and George F= ernandez (4 Dan, but playing at 3.4 Dan) of NY. Both scored 4-4. Next was a= tie between my son Raymond Kaufman 2 Dan and Kajiura 2 Dan of NY club, at = 3-5. The tailenders this time were Tim Rogalski 1 Dan (last year's amateur = winner) and Alex Trotter 1 kyu, both with 2-6.=20 Of the 33 games in which a handicap was given, the handicap giver won = 20, almost exactly the 60% which we were aiming for when setting up the sys= tem. The stronger player came out ahead at all handicaps except rook, where= the receiver won by 5-3. As for myself, I was glad to see that my advancin= g years (age 56 now) don't seem to have hurt my shogi yet, as I won 2 out o= f the 3 games in which I had to give Bishop handicap to 4 Dan players. Many of the players found that 8 or ten official games in one weekend = wasn't enough - they played many extra rapid games (usually 20" or 30" per = move games). Some of us played over twenty games in total. One game of Chu = Shogi was also played, won by George Fernandez over Alex Trotter. All in all it was a very enjoyable weekend for all, and we are tentati= vely planning to hold this event twice a year now. Larry Kaufman, Amateur 5 Dan Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Save up to 67% on Omaha Steaks + Get 6 FREE Burgers and a=20 FREE Cutlery Set + Cutting Board! http://click.topica.com/= caaclxSa2i6YsbnuqMaf/OmahaSteaks ------------------------------------------------------------------- --^---------------------------------------------------------------- This email was sent to: = shogi-l shogi net EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a2i6Ys.= bnuqMa.= c2hvZ2kt Or send an email to: shogi-unsubscribe topica com For Topica's complete suite of email marketing solutions visit: http://www.topica.com/?p=3DTEXFOOTER --^---------------------------------------------------------------- ------=_NextPart_000_0013_01C45722.F74957A0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable = 
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     The annual "Pocon= os=20 Meijin" tournament was held this weekend in the Poconos mountains of=20 Pennsylvania. All the players stay in a large rented house for the weekend,= so=20 lots of shogi can be played. The event functions as a combined D.C./N.Y. sh= ogi=20 club tournament, as all the players come from these clubs.
     This year attenda= nce was=20 down; apparently we picked a bad weekend for several players. Still, we hel= d a=20 round robin of the nine attending players. Due to the low tournout, we used= a=20 slower time limit than in the past (20' plus 40" byoyomi instead of 20' plu= s=20 30"). All games are "properly" handicapped (meaning lance for 1 rank, bisho= p for=20 2, rook for 3, rook & lance for 4, and two piece for 5 ranks). Instead = of=20 just using the nominal ranks, we converted each player's current Pan-Atlant= ic=20 rating to a rank with one decimal place (for example 1800 =3D 1.5 Dan), and= =20 rounded the rank difference to the nearest integer. I think this produces= =20 much fairer handicaps than the use of integer ranks only.
     In one way, the e= vent was=20 nearly unique for American tournaments. Of the nine players, only three wer= e=20 Japanese! Of the six American players, three came from D.C. and three from = N.Y.=20
     The result w= as a=20 three way tie for first place at 6-2 between myself, Greg D'Elia, and S.= =20 Ogihara. A round-robin playoff at the same handicaps resulted in Greg takin= g=20 first place with two wins, while I came second with one win and Ogihara pla= ced=20 third. Congratulations to Greg, the recent winner of the "B" division in th= e=20 U.S. championship, who is clearly the most rapidly improving American playe= r. He=20 played as 5 kyu a year ago and as 1 kyu this time, but if recent NY club ga= mes=20 not yet reported are counted, he might already be 1 Dan, and this Poconos= =20 victory should put him well on the road to 2 Dan, the rank he deserves in m= y=20 opinion. When asked the secret of his dramatic improvement, he "confessed" = to=20 having played about a thousand games on Shogi Club 24 in the past year!. Th= at=20 would explain it. I look forward to our next meeting, when I'll no longer h= ave=20 to spot him Two Piece handicap!
     Fourth place was = a tie=20 between J. Yoshinari 4 Dan of D.C. and George Fernandez (4 Dan, but playing= at=20 3.4 Dan) of NY. Both scored 4-4. Next was a tie between my son Raymond Kauf= man 2=20 Dan and Kajiura 2 Dan of NY club, at 3-5. The tailenders this time were Tim= =20 Rogalski 1 Dan (last year's amateur winner) and Alex Trotter 1 kyu, both wi= th=20 2-6.
     Of the 33 games i= n which a=20 handicap was given, the handicap giver won 20, almost exactly the 60% which= we=20 were aiming for when setting up the system. The stronger player came out ah= ead=20 at all handicaps except rook, where the receiver won by 5-3. As for myself,= I=20 was glad to see that my advancing years (age 56 now) don't seem to have hur= t my=20 shogi yet, as I won 2 out of the 3 games in which I had to give Bishop hand= icap=20 to 4 Dan players.
     Many of the playe= rs found=20 that 8 or ten official games in one weekend wasn't enough - they played man= y=20 extra rapid games (usually 20" or 30" per move games). Some of us played ov= er=20 twenty games in total. One game of Chu Shogi was also played, won by George= =20 Fernandez over Alex Trotter.
     All in all it was= a very=20 enjoyable weekend for all, and we are tentatively planning to hold this eve= nt=20 twice a year now.
 
 
     Larry Kaufman, Am= ateur 5=20 Dan
= 
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