From: bogin yahoo co jp> Date: 7 jul 2006 Subject: Yoshiharu Habu vs. Junichiro Koizumi? --0-1947523420-1152268572=:18651 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-2022-jp MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable While your post was informative and Yoshiharu Habu is indeed well known in = Japan, your statement he is more popular and better known than the current = Prime Minister of Japan is a little bit of a stretch don't you think? Perha= ps yuo have not been here in a while and your information is a little dated= .=20 The current Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, has not only has le= d his party to the victories in the last 3 general elections, has amazingly= high personal approval ratings and has been the longest serving Japanese P= rime Minster for the past 20 years. His party's overwhelming victories are = entirely do to his enormous popularity. Even the people who don't support w= ill probably acknowledge that he is , for better or worse, a political, soc= ial and cultural phenom.=20 I like shogi and I am a big fan of Mr. Habu but if you were to show his pic= ture to 100 people across Japan (people not in a shogi club at the time) yo= u'd might be lucky to get 50 who knew who he was. But, if you were to show = a picture of Prime Minister Koizumi to the same people you'd be unlucky to = not get 95-100 people who kew who he was.=20 I have met plenty of Japanese people who do not know who Mr. Habu is. But, = I have yet to have met one who doesn't know who Mr. Koizumi is.=20 Mr. Habu is a genius over the shogi board but I have never heard of him ref= erred to as being the smartest person in Japan. And, I have been here for a= while. I am interested in knowing where you got that information.=20 Bill Gaudry=20 =20 --- Sam Sloan samsloan com> =1B$B$+$i$N%a%C%;!<%8!'=1B(B=20 >=20 > Shogi World Champion makes IM Norm at World Open in Chess=20 >=20 > When the World Open Chess Championship was played in Philadelphia=20 > from June=20 > 28 to July 4, 2006, few of those present were aware that the two=20 > strongest=20 > shogi players in the world were competing.=20 >=20 > Shogi is the Japanese variety of chess. Shogi has a rook, a bishop, a=20 > knight, a king and pawns. Checkmate ends the game. However, it also=20 > has a=20 > lance, a gold general, a silver general, and a dragon. A captured=20 > piece=20 > becomes part of the enemy army and can be dropped back onto the=20 > board. The=20 > games last longer, are more wide open and more complicated. In spite=20 > of=20 > being a cousin of chess, it is radically different.=20 >=20 > The recognized best player in the world of shogi is Habu Yoshiharu.=20 > Not=20 > only is he regarded as the best player in shogi, but he is regarded=20 > as the=20 > smartest person in Japan, with the highest IQ. Books and articles=20 > have been=20 > written about Habu's Brain, trying to determine why it is so superior=20 > to=20 > any other brain. Habu is perhaps the best known person in Japan, more=20 > famous than even the latest Prime Minister of Japan, whomever that=20 > might be.=20 >=20 > Habu is a household word in Japan. Just ask any Japanese person.=20 > Everybody=20 > has heard of him.=20 >=20 > Why would such famous person as Habu come to grace us at the World=20 > Open=20 > Chess Championship in Philadelphia? Certainly not for the money. The=20 > $40,000 first prize at the World Open is peanuts for Habu, who makes=20 > millions from tournament fees, television appearances and teaching=20 > games in=20 > Japan.=20 >=20 > Habu came here for an IM Norm, and he got it!=20 >=20 > Habu was accompanied by the number two shogi player in the world,=20 > Moriuchi=20 > Toshiyuki. A few years ago, Habu was regarded as invincible, as he=20 > won all=20 > the titles and all the important tournaments. However, recently,=20 > Moriuchi=20 > Toshiyuki has defeated Habu in several important matches and they are=20 > now=20 > considered to be nearly equals.=20 >=20 > Here is the FIDE rating card for Moriuchi Toshiyuki=20 >=20 > http://www.fide.com/ratings/hist.phtml?event=3D7000405=20 >=20 > Going into the last round of the World Open, Habu and Moriuchi both=20 > had the=20 > same score, 5-3. However, Habu had played a stronger field. Moriuchi=20 > was=20 > eliminated for a possible FIDE IM norm but Habu had chances provided=20 > that=20 > he defeated Grandmaster Garcia from Colombia.=20 >=20 > Habu succeeded in a wild, open and complicated game typical of shogi=20 > contests. On the other hand, after a wild opening, Moriuchi lost a=20 > long and=20 > difficult endgame to International Master Stephen Muhammad. Moriuchi=20 > could=20 > have forced an endgame draw, but chose to play for a win and lost.=20 > Still,=20 > Moriuchi probably did get his rating over 2300, which is a start for=20 > the FM=20 > Title. Also, it must be noted that Moriuchi is a beginner at chess.=20 > He has=20 > only been playing for three years and this was just was just his=20 > fourth=20 > rated tournament. Getting 5-4 in the Open Section of the World Open=20 > is not=20 > bad for a beginner at chess!=20 >=20 > Here are the results of Habu:=20 >=20 > http://www.worldopen.com/2006Results/open.html=20 >=20 > Defeated Iryna Zenyuk 2132=20 > Lost to GM Lars M. Hansen 2650=20 > Defeated Martin Hansen 2214=20 > Defeated Chuck Cadman 2235=20 > Lost to GM Sandipan Chanda 2722=20 > Drew IM Ben Finegold 2648=20 > Defeated David Harris 2105=20 > Drew GM Abhijit Kunte 2604=20 > Defeated GM Gildardo J Garcia 2521=20 >=20 > With an average opponent of 2426 and a score of 6-3, this is easily=20 > an IM=20 > norm. I am not up to date on the regulations but a half point more=20 > would=20 > have been close to a GM norm.=20 >=20 > Meanwhile, Sam Sloan has come out with a Video DVD Teaching Shogi for=20 > Beginners in English. This DVD covers the basis rules of shogi and a=20 > few of=20 > the more basic strategies. Coincidentally, it was just released=20 > today. It=20 > is available on Amazon at:=20 >=20 > http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CPS3GG/=20 >=20 > Unfortunately, only two of the games played by Habu Yoshiharu and=20 > Moriuchi=20 > Toshiyuki were published in the tournament bulletins. We hope to see=20 > more=20 > of the games soon, including Habu's win over grandmaster Garcia.=20 >=20 > Here are the two games:=20 >=20 > Sam Sloan=20 >=20 > [Event "34th Annual WORLD OPEN"]=20 > [Site "Philadelphia United States"]=20 > [Date "2006.07.03"]=20 > [Round "06"]=20 > [White "Habu, Yoshiharu"]=20 > [Black "Finegold, Benjamin"]=20 > [Result "1/2-1/2"]=20 > [WhiteElo "2367"]=20 > [BlackElo "2648"]=20 >=20 > 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6=20 > 8.O-O-O h6 9.Be3 Bd7 10.f4 Qc7 11.Bd3 Rc8 12.Kb1 Be7 13.h3 Na5=20 > 14.Qe1 b5 15.g4 Nc4 16.Bc1 Qb6 17.Nce2 g6 18.Rf1 e5 19.Nf3 Qc5=20 > 1/2-1/2=20 >=20 >=20 > [Event "34th Annual WORLD OPEN"]=20 > [Site "Philadelphia United States"]=20 > [Date "2006.07.04"]=20 > [Round "09"]=20 > [White "Moriuchi, Toshiyuk"]=20 > [Black "Muhammad, Stephen"]=20 > [Result "0-1"]=20 > [WhiteElo "2295"]=20 > [BlackElo "2451"]=20 >=20 > 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O b5 6.Bb3 Bb7 7.d4 Nxd4=20 > 8.Bxf7+ Kxf7 9.Nxe5+ Kg8 10.Qxd4 c5 11.Qd1 Qe8 12.Nf3 Qxe4 13.Bg5=20 > Qf5 14.Nbd2 Ne4 15.Bh4 h6 16.Bg3 g5 17.Nxe4 Bxe4 18.Ne1 Re8 19.c3=20 > Rh7 20.a4 Re6 21.axb5 axb5 22.Ra7 Bc6 23.Rc7 Rhe7 24.Qd3 Qf7=20 > 25.Nc2 h5 26.Rc8 h4 27.Bc7 Be4 28.Qd2 Bxg2 29.Kxg2 h3+ 30.Kg1 Qf3=20 > 31.Ne3 Rf7 32.Ra1 d6 33.Raa8 Kh7 34.Rxf8 Rxf8 35.Qd3+ Kh8=20 > 36.Rxf8+ Qxf8 37.Qd5 Qe7 38.Bd8 Rxe3 39.fxe3 Qxd8 40.Qe6 Kg7=20 > 41.Qxh3 Qe8 42.Kf2 Qf7+ 43.Ke1 Kg6 44.Qg3 Qd5 45.h4 Qe5 46.Qg1=20 > Qf5 47.Kd2 g4 48.Qg3 Qd5+ 49.Ke2 Kh5 50.Qf2 Qc4+ 51.Kd2 Qe4=20 > 52.Qf6 Qe5 53.Qf2 b4 54.Kc2 bxc3 55.bxc3 Qe4+ 56.Kd2 Qf3 57.Qh2=20 > g3 0-1=20 >=20 >=20 >=20 >=20 >=20 --------------------------------- Let's start Yahoo! Auction - Free Campaign Now! --^---------------------------------------------------------------- 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 --^---------------------------------------------------------------- --0-1947523420-1152268572=:18651 Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-2022-jp MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

While your post was informative and Yoshiharu Habu is indeed well known = in Japan, your statement he is more popular and better known than the curre= nt Prime Minister of Japan is a little bit of a stretch don't you think? Pe= rhaps yuo have not been here in a while and your information is a little da= ted.

The current Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, has not only has le= d his party to the victories in the last 3 general elections, has amazingly= high personal approval ratings and has been the longest serving Japanese P= rime Minster for the past 20 years. His party's overwhelming victories are = entirely do to his enormous popularity. Even the people who don't support w= ill probably acknowledge that he is , for better or worse, a political, soc= ial and cultural phenom.

I like shogi and I am a big fan of Mr. Habu but if you were to show his pic= ture to 100 people across Japan (people not in a shogi club at the time) yo= u'd might be lucky to get 50 who knew who he was. But, if you were to show = a picture of Prime Minister Koizumi to the same people you'd be unlucky to = not get 95-100 people who kew who he was.

I have met plenty of Japanese people who do not know who Mr. Habu is. But, = I have yet to have met one who doesn't know who Mr. Koizumi is.

Mr. Habu is a genius over the shogi board but I have never heard of him ref= erred to as being the smartest person in Japan. And, I have been here for a= while. I am interested in knowing where you got that information.

Bill Gaudry

 


--- Sam Sloan <samsloan samsloan com> =1B$B$+$i$N%a%C%;!<%8!'=1B(B >
> Shogi World Champion makes IM Norm at World Open in Chess
>
> When the World Open Chess Championship was played in Philadelphia
= > from June
> 28 to July 4, 2006, few of those present were aware that the two
> strongest
> shogi players in the world were competing.
>
> Shogi is the Japanese variety of chess. Shogi has a rook, a bishop, a =
> knight, a king and pawns. Checkmate ends the game. However, it also > has a
> lance, a gold general, a silver general, and a dragon. A captured
= > piece
> becomes part of the enemy army and can be dropped back onto the
> board. The
> games last longer, are more wide open and more complicated. In spite <= BR> > of
> being a cousin of chess, it is radically different.
>
> The recognized best player in the world of shogi is Habu Yoshiharu. > Not
> only is he regarded as the best player in shogi, but he is regarded > as the
> smartest person in Japan, with the highest IQ. Books and articles
= > have been
> written about Habu's Brain, trying to determine why it is so superior =
> to
> any other brain. Habu is perhaps the best known person in Japan, more =
> famous than even the latest Prime Minister of Japan, whomever that > might be.
>
> Habu is a household word in Japan. Just ask any Japanese person.
> Everybody
> has heard of him.
>
> Why would such famous person as Habu come to grace us at the World > Open
> Chess Championship in Philadelphia? Certainly not for the money. The <= BR> > $40,000 first prize at the World Open is peanuts for Habu, who makes <= BR> > millions from tournament fees, television appearances and teaching > games in
> Japan.
>
> Habu came here for an IM Norm, and he got it!
>
> Habu was accompanied by the number two shogi player in the world,
= > Moriuchi
> Toshiyuki. A few years ago, Habu was regarded as invincible, as he > won all
> the titles and all the important tournaments. However, recently,
> Moriuchi
> Toshiyuki has defeated Habu in several important matches and they are =
> now
> considered to be nearly equals.
>
> Here is the FIDE rating card for Moriuchi Toshiyuki
>
> http://www.fide.com/ratings/hist.phtml?event=3D7000405
>
> Going into the last round of the World Open, Habu and Moriuchi both > had the
> same score, 5-3. However, Habu had played a stronger field. Moriuchi <= BR> > was
> eliminated for a possible FIDE IM norm but Habu had chances provided <= BR> > that
> he defeated Grandmaster Garcia from Colombia.
>
> Habu succeeded in a wild, open and complicated game typical of shogi <= BR> > contests. On the other hand, after a wild opening, Moriuchi lost a > long and
> difficult endgame to International Master Stephen Muhammad. Moriuchi <= BR> > could
> have forced an endgame draw, but chose to play for a win and lost. > Still,
> Moriuchi probably did get his rating over 2300, which is a start for <= BR> > the FM
> Title. Also, it must be noted that Moriuchi is a beginner at chess. > He has
> only been playing for three years and this was just was just his
> fourth
> rated tournament. Getting 5-4 in the Open Section of the World Open > is not
> bad for a beginner at chess!
>
> Here are the results of Habu:
>
> http://www.worldopen.com/2006Results/open.html
>
> Defeated Iryna Zenyuk 2132
> Lost to GM Lars M. Hansen 2650
> Defeated Martin Hansen 2214
> Defeated Chuck Cadman 2235
> Lost to GM Sandipan Chanda 2722
> Drew IM Ben Finegold 2648
> Defeated David Harris 2105
> Drew GM Abhijit Kunte 2604
> Defeated GM Gildardo J Garcia 2521
>
> With an average opponent of 2426 and a score of 6-3, this is easily > an IM
> norm. I am not up to date on the regulations but a half point more > would
> have been close to a GM norm.
>
> Meanwhile, Sam Sloan has come out with a Video DVD Teaching Shogi for =
> Beginners in English. This DVD covers the basis rules of shogi and a <= BR> > few of
> the more basic strategies. Coincidentally, it was just released
> today. It
> is available on Amazon at:
>
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CPS3GG/
>
> Unfortunately, only two of the games played by Habu Yoshiharu and
= > Moriuchi
> Toshiyuki were published in the tournament bulletins. We hope to see <= BR> > more
> of the games soon, including Habu's win over grandmaster Garcia.
>
> Here are the two games:
>
> Sam Sloan
>
> [Event "34th Annual WORLD OPEN"]
> [Site "Philadelphia United States"]
> [Date "2006.07.03"]
> [Round "06"]
> [White "Habu, Yoshiharu"]
> [Black "Finegold, Benjamin"]
> [Result "1/2-1/2"]
> [WhiteElo "2367"]
> [BlackElo "2648"]
>
> 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6
= > 8.O-O-O h6 9.Be3 Bd7 10.f4 Qc7 11.Bd3 Rc8 12.Kb1 Be7 13.h3 Na5
> 14.Qe1 b5 15.g4 Nc4 16.Bc1 Qb6 17.Nce2 g6 18.Rf1 e5 19.Nf3 Qc5
> 1/2-1/2
>
>
> [Event "34th Annual WORLD OPEN"]
> [Site "Philadelphia United States"]
> [Date "2006.07.04"]
> [Round "09"]
> [White "Moriuchi, Toshiyuk"]
> [Black "Muhammad, Stephen"]
> [Result "0-1"]
> [WhiteElo "2295"]
> [BlackElo "2451"]
>
> 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O b5 6.Bb3 Bb7 7.d4 Nxd4
= > 8.Bxf7+ Kxf7 9.Nxe5+ Kg8 10.Qxd4 c5 11.Qd1 Qe8 12.Nf3 Qxe4 13.Bg5
= > Qf5 14.Nbd2 Ne4 15.Bh4 h6 16.Bg3 g5 17.Nxe4 Bxe4 18.Ne1 Re8 19.c3
= > Rh7 20.a4 Re6 21.axb5 axb5 22.Ra7 Bc6 23.Rc7 Rhe7 24.Qd3 Qf7
> 25.Nc2 h5 26.Rc8 h4 27.Bc7 Be4 28.Qd2 Bxg2 29.Kxg2 h3+ 30.Kg1 Qf3
= > 31.Ne3 Rf7 32.Ra1 d6 33.Raa8 Kh7 34.Rxf8 Rxf8 35.Qd3+ Kh8
> 36.Rxf8+ Qxf8 37.Qd5 Qe7 38.Bd8 Rxe3 39.fxe3 Qxd8 40.Qe6 Kg7
> 41.Qxh3 Qe8 42.Kf2 Qf7+ 43.Ke1 Kg6 44.Qg3 Qd5 45.h4 Qe5 46.Qg1
> Qf5 47.Kd2 g4 48.Qg3 Qd5+ 49.Ke2 Kh5 50.Qf2 Qc4+ 51.Kd2 Qe4
> 52.Qf6 Qe5 53.Qf2 b4 54.Kc2 bxc3 55.bxc3 Qe4+ 56.Kd2 Qf3 57.Qh2
> g3 0-1
>
>
>
>
>


Let's st= art Yahoo! Auction - Free Campaign Now! --0-1947523420-1152268572=:18651--