From: Richard Sams parkcity ne jp> Date: 25 feb 2005 Subject: Strong Amateur Segawa Wants to Turn Pro Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Like music? Get a CD player on us. Click here. http://click.topica.com/= caadc7Za2i6YsbnuqMaa/PermissionData ------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello Shogi Fans, This week=92s Shukan Shogi (February 23 issue) contains a two-page=20 special feature (pages 18-19) on the announcement of the strong amateur=20 player, Shoji Segawa, that he wishes to become a shogi professional.=20 Segawa=92s win against the A-class player Kubo 8-dan was recently=20 discussed on the Shogi List. In 22 games against professionals (most of=20 them in the televised Ginga Tournament), Segawa has won 16 and lost 6,=20 giving him a win rate of over 70%. Even among professionals, such a=20 high win rate is very rare. The Shukan Shogi special feature includes=20 an interview with Segawa and the opinions of shogi professionals and=20 strong amateurs, which I have translated into English. Shukan Shogi=20 readers are invited to send their opinions, so why don=92t you join in=20 the debate? Richard Sams =A0 A Passionate Desire to Turn Professional: Interview with Shoji Segawa The announcement by Shoji Segawa (34), former Shoreikai 3-dan and=20 currently the top amateur shogi player, that he strongly wishes to turn=20 professional has become a hot topic in the shogi world. Segawa has=20 reached the final stage of the last two Ginga Tournaments by winning=20 televised games against professionals, and now looks likely to do so=20 for a third time, with five wins in a row under his belt. But under the=20 current system there is no way for him to become a professional player.=20 For this special feature, we talked to Shoji Segawa about his dream and=20 asked people in the shogi world for their opinions on the whether he=20 should be allowed to turn professional. Q: In the March issue of Shogi Sekai, you express your strong desire to=20 become a shogi professional. What is the background to this? Segawa: I=92ve always thought that, regardless of age, there should be=20 some way for amateur shogi players to turn professional. When I tell my=20 colleagues at work that I=92ve beaten professional players, most of them= =20 say =93That=92s amazing. Why don=92t you become professional yourself?=94 T= hen=20 I explain that I can=92t because of the age limit system. They don=92t know= =20 anything about the shogi world, so they say, =93Its really strange that=20 you can=92t turn professional though you=92ve won so many games against=20 pros.=94 I too have always wanted to be a professional if I could, but=20 the shogi world has this strict system that you can only become 4-dan=20 if you graduate from the Shoreikai before reaching a certain age=20 [currently the age limit is 26]. When I=92ve been winning games against=20 professionals in the Ginga Tournament, that strong desire has returned,=20 and I=92ve constantly wondered if there might be some way I could. I=20 suppose it=92s because I really love shogi. Then one day, I told a close= =20 friend, the strong amateur player Masaki Endo, how I felt, and that=92s=20 when I decided I=92d try to do something about it. Q: In the 9th Ginga Tournament, you won seven games in a row against=20 professionals and got into the main tournament, which you achieved=20 again last time, when you beat the A-class player Kubo 8-dan in the=20 final tournament. And this time you=92ve also won five games in a row=20 against professionals. Did these results give you confidence? Segawa: Yes, if I hadn=92t won so many games against pros, I would never= =20 have publicly announced my wish to turn professional. This is not=20 really something I can say myself, so I wondered if there might be room=20 for discussion about it. Q: Have you discussed it with your family and professionals you are on=20 friendly terms with? Segawa: Yes. My family support me, though they worry that I might stop=20 winning if I became professional. My friends among pros think it would=20 probably be difficult to do straight away Q: Have you thought about what kind of measures could be taken to=20 enable you to do it? Segawa: No, I haven=92t thought about it very concretely yet. Since we=92re= =20 still at the stage of raising it as an issue, I thought I would first=20 have to let people in the shogi world and shogi fans know about my=20 wish, and see whether there is any interest. Then, if they feel that it=20 is an issue that should be considered by the Shogi Federation, they=20 could urge that it be taken up at a meeting of the Board of Directors.=20 After that I suppose an official application could be made to the Shogi=20 Federation. Q: Specifically what would =93turning pro=94 mean? There are various ways= =20 it could be done, such as entering the Junisen as a 4-dan, entering the=20 free class as a 4-dan, participating in the 3-dan league (Shoreikai),=20 or taking some kind of examination. Which would you prefer? Segawa: The most important thing for me is to become professional, so I=20 would appreciate it most if I could be allowed to be a free-class 4-dan=20 straight away. But realistically speaking, I suppose it would have to=20 be the 3-dan league or some kind of examination [a certain number of=20 games against professionals]. Of course it would be a big change if=20 some way was found for me to enter the 3-dan league, but the problem is=20 that I would have to give up my current job to do it. Frankly I think=20 it would be impossible to take part in the 3-dan league while=20 continuing to work at my company. Being a professional shogi player=20 means making your living from it, so I really hope there might be a way=20 other than the Shoreikai. If a series of test games for entering the=20 free class could be organized, I would be delighted to do it that way. Q: If your entry into the free class was officially decided, would you=20 leave your company? Segawa: Of course. Q: You might have to take a drop in income. Segawa: Yes, I certainly would, but since I would be making a living=20 from what I really like doing, I=92m prepared for that. I really don=92t= =20 know how it would go =96 I just want one more chance. Q: In tournaments apart from the Ginga =96 the Kio and Asahi Open =96 you= =20 have a record of two wins and two losses against professionals. Are you=20 concerned that you haven=92t had such great results in tournaments with=20 long time limits? Segawa: I think it=92s mainly a matter of getting used to it. Once I get= =20 used to long time limits, I don=92t think it would be a problem. Q: If you turned professional, you would lose your special status or=20 appeal as the strongest amateur. How would you feel about that? Segawa: I wouldn=92t regret it at all. =A0 Shoji Segawa Profile Born on March 23, 1970. 34 years old. Lives in Yokohama, Kanagawa=20 Prefecture. Entered the Shoreikei in 1984 as a 6-kyu, under the=20 tutelage of Yasue 7-dan. Left the Shoreikai in March 1996 after 8=20 seasons (11th to 18th) in the 3-dan league. Currently works for an=20 affiliate of NEC. Shoji Segawa=92s Record in Official Games against Professionals Games: 22 Wins: 16 Losses: 6 Win rate: 0.727 =A0 Opinions of People in the Shogi World Four Professionals and a Shoreikai 3-dan Yoshiharu Habu Triple Titleholder: A Way Should be Found "The fact that Segawa has won so many games in the Ginga Tournament is=20 highly significant. The Shoreikai is a fine system, but I think there=20 is room for improvement concerning the age limit conditions. I don=92t=20 think it=92s a bad thing to set an age limit, but I=92m not sure that it= =92s=20 right that there should be no chance whatsoever after a certain age.=20 Since the conditions for entry could be made very strict, I think it=20 would be better to create some way to do this." Tadao Kitajima 6-dan: Difficult to Give an Immediate Reply "I think the fact that this has become a hot topic is a very good=20 thing. However, speaking as one of the directors of the Shogi=20 Federation, even bearing in mind the Federation=92s financial situation=20 [the Shogi Federation receives a substantial subsidy for each new=20 professional] I still think it would be difficult to respond in favor=20 of immediate acceptance. This is an issue that has to be debated by the=20 whole shogi world." =A0 Teruichi Aono 9-dan: Only Graduates from the 3-Dan League Can Become=20 4-dan "I think that the most important principle should be the status=20 achieved within the rules of the existing system. Specifically, that=20 means that only those who graduate from the 3-dan League can become=20 4-dan professionals. In this sense, I would find it hard to accept=20 Segawa=92s entry into the free class as a 4-dan. Having said that, an=20 exceptionally strong amateur might emerge at any time, so I think it=20 might be good if there were a rule allowing an amateur to enter the=20 3-dan League, regardless of age, if he reaches a certain level." Makoto Chuza 5-dan: The System Would Become Meaningless "I think it is brave of Segawa to announce his wish to become a=20 professional player. As a shogi professional, I feel very pleased that=20 an amateur should have such an aim. However, as a manager of the=20 Shoreikai, I have to take a different view. I feel that, if an=20 exception were made for Segawa, the Shoreikai system itself would lose=20 its meaning. For that reason, I cannot give my personal support." =A0 Satoshi Takano 3-dan: An Exception Should be Made "I was surprised when I first heard about this issue, because there is=20 no precedent for it. I discussed it with other 3-dan players and at=20 first I was against it, because if an exception were allowed, what=20 would be the point of all our efforts up to now in the Shoreikai? But=20 since then my attitude has softened, and I think that if Segawa were to=20 play 10 test games with long time limits and won 6 of them, he should=20 be allowed to turn professional. But I think this exception should only=20 be made for Segawa =96 I don=92t want the system itself to be changed." =A0 Opinions of the Ryuo Tournament Sponsor and a Strong Amateur Koichi Saijo, Journalist, Yomiuri Shimbun (Sponsor of the Ryuo=20 Tournament) Segawa Should Enter the Free Class and be an Associate Member of the=20 Shogi Federation "At present, provided that a player becomes 4-dan, he is guaranteed a=20 living as a shogi professional. Why? Because professionals are strong=20 and amateurs are weak, or so the thinking goes. The Segawa issue=20 clearly shows that this is a distortion of the actual situation. The=20 Shogi Federation should reform its closed, exclusive organization and=20 clearly indicate criteria (e.g. getting into the quarter-finals of the=20 Ryuo Tournament) for accepting amateurs like Segawa. In recent years,=20 sales of shogi magazines and books have dropped considerably,=20 reflecting a decrease in the number of shogi fans. Questions about=20 shogi and submissions of articles to newspapers have also decreased=20 during the past 10 years. At such a time, the Shogi Federation=92s=20 continuing insistence that qualification as a professional be limited=20 to Shoreikai graduates has disappointed shogi fans and may discourage=20 newspapers from sponsoring shogi events. It is not only the economic=20 recession that has caused the drop in shogi tournaments and sponsorship=20 money. Considering Segawa=92s results, I think he should be allowed into= =20 the free class as a 4-dan. However, perhaps he could be made an=20 associate member rather than a full member of the Shogi Federation. If=20 he fails to achieve certain results in five years, he would have to=20 retire, but if he is successful he could then become a full member and=20 be allowed into the Junisen. My only concern is that his wins have=20 mainly come in a televised shogi tournament =96 I would like to see him=20 get similar results in tournaments like the Ryuo." Yukio Kato, strong amateur Segawa Should be Supported "In official games against professionals, Segawa has achieved=20 unprecedented results. My frank opinion as a shogi fan is: how can the=20 shogi world not accept someone who has so clearly demonstrated his=20 exceptional strength? It really is unsatisfactory that the issue hasn=92t= =20 even been debated up to now. Professionals are not supposed to lose to=20 an amateur player as much as this. It=92s true that Segawa failed once in= =20 the Shoreikai, but he kept his passion for shogi and has achieved=20 amazing results. I have heard negative comments about his announcement=20 that he wants to turn pro, but I feel strongly that he should be=20 supported. He shouldn=92t just be viewed as a former Shoreikai member.=20 Those who are against the acceptance of Segawa as a professional have a=20 duty to explain their reasons to shogi fans." =A0 Send Your Opinion to the Shogi Federation! Please send your opinion concerning the issue of Shoji Segawa=92s entry=20 into the ranks of shogi professionals. Send an e-mail to the following=20 address with the title =93Segawa Question.=94 shogi mycom co jp =A0 =A0 Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Get a FREE* MP3 Player - yours to keep! 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