From: bogin yahoo co jp> Date: 8 nov 2005 Subject: Re: Congratulation on Segawa-san's victory Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Oprah vs Dr. Phil- who is your favorite? Vote now. http://click.topica.com/= caaeatsa2i6YsbnuqMaa/Your opinion ------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for the reply, Seems I have gotten myself in trouble again with my choice of vocabulary. By "gap" I meant the difference in strength between the average pro and the= average amateur. Of course, some amateurs are so strong that they might actually be "stronger" then a "weak" pro. This has probably always been the= case. But in general I think that the Internet has helped give more amateurs access to the type of strong competition that pros face daily. Therefore, more and more amateurs are becoming strong enough to give the "weak" pros a run for their money. Even so, I still feel that generally shogi pros are stronger than shogi amateurs. I guess that's what I meant by= "gap". I think it is hard to compare the "Shogi Pro/Amateur" relationship to the "Chess Pro/Amateur" relationship. I am not a chess pro but I could just go out and say I am couldn't I? As far as I now there although there are organisations that give out titles and hold championships and do other things, but I do not believe that determine who is a pro and who is not. Perhaps the former some countries/companies do make this distinction by offering financial support and other assistance to top players. In a sense they are employing them to play chess. But, I could just decide one day that I am a chess pro. In fact, I knew a few people who did just that. They= never made much money at it or became world champion but they still considered themselves pros. In shogi, the distinction between pro and amateur is much more clear. If you want to become a pro then you join the Shogi Renmei as a trainee and if= you're good enough, you eventually become a full time employee. It is like any other company here. You work for the company and get paid a salary. Your job is to play shogi but your are still an employee. You still have to= follow the company rules. You cannot just decide for yourself that you are a pro. I can only speculate but I do not think that the Shogi Renmei will be letting in too many over 20 year old non-Japanese into their Shoreikai any time soon. And, I do not think they will be making a special pro-exam for non-Japanese unless they created something like a special category of pro for foreigners (sort of like they do for women).Japanese baseball follows almost the same rules as the Major Leagues. Japanese pros have gone to the US and become very successful Major Leaguers and some former Major League players have come to Japan and done pretty well here as well (though quite alot have not and have been fired almost immediately). The game is essentially the same but the "game" is also very different. Baseball or "Yakyu" in Japanese, are, pardon the pun, two completely different ballgames. From the way the fans celebrate to how the pros practise, everything is completely different. Baseball is a game, "Yakyu" is a part of Japanese culture and tradition. I think Shogi and Chess can be viewed the same way. I think that for the Shogi Renmei, Shogi is much more that a game.=20=20=20=20=20 I know that alot of chess players are shogi players and there are quite a few shogi players that are actually pretty good chess players. For obvious reasons, it does help you when you start out in shogi if you are familiar in chess. But, I do not think that the first Western Shogi Pro will presumably come from a strong chess background. I think that it will probably be the opposite. Someone who learnt the shogi as a young child, became pretty good and then came to Japan to further improve. Eventually, they will enter the Shoreikai and become pro. That is the way I see it happening. I think that there is much more involved that playing strength in becoming a shogi pro. I like chess. I learnt shogi because of I liked chess. I was not a bad chess player and did win a few games. My knowledge of chess helped me to open the door but I do not think it has made me a better shogi player. If I had never come to Japan, I might still have started playing shogi. But, I am not sure I would have become all that good. At some stage my chess knowledge became more of a liability than an asset. Despite their similarities the games are quite different. Maybe others feel differently but just I do not think you can think like chess player if you want to become a very good (pro level) shogi player.=20=20 Bill Gaudry -------------------------------------- Yahoo! Mail - supported by 10million people http://pr.mail.yahoo.co.jp/10m/ Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- MAKE NEW FRIENDS, MEET POTENTIAL BUSINESS PARTNERS, FIND THAT SPECIAL SOMEO= NE! IT'S EASY, IT'S FUN! 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