From: DANERUD MARTIN comhem se> Date: 12 mar 2007 Subject: Ang: New Handicap style for bigger difference in strengths Dear Bernhard,=20 I have a big experience from teaching shogi to beginners. I am a 2-dan=20 player. In Sweden, we use successive piece handicaps at our numerous=20 shogi promotions, and just as you point out in your e-mail the step=20 from the eight piece handicap to the six piece handicap seems to be big=20 for several beginners. It is even the case that players who have played=20 shogi for several years in tournaments (with a low kyu rating) still=20 cannot win the six piece handicap against a dan player. These facts are of course reflecting the fact that the players=20 actually are at different levels of playing strength.=20 Your implicit question is then: How to bring a beginner above the six=20 piece handicap level (first maybe against a medium strength player and=20 then against a dan player)? The answer is, according to me, to go through the lost handicap games=20 and show the mistakes to the beginner. Often they do not realize the=20 danger of a general seemingly slowly climbing around the board=20 threatening their rook and bishop in combination with pawn sacrifices=20 and pawn drops. They simply allow too much counter play for the=20 experienced player, since they keep evaluating the position like a=20 chess position based on counting the pieces. But as soon as they have=20 learnt some basic attack and defence principles, they will jump past=20 the six piece handicap level.=20 In that way, there is no need for a missing link in the handicap=20 chain. The ultimate goal for the beginners is of course the hirate=20 game, and the real talents will and should not get stuck in the six=20 piece handicap quagmire or anything even near it.=20 Best regards,=20 Martin=20=20 ----Ursprungligt meddelande---- Fr=E5n: shogi4fun arcor de Datum: 2007/03/12 14:01 Till: topica com> =C4rende: New Handicap style for bigger difference in strengths Hello, earlier I was playing Shogi with newbies and I hope (!!!) I will=20 find=3D20 people interested in Shogi again in the near future. At that time I found a lack in the existing handicap system: 6 piece handicap gives interesting games, but still I (at that time=3D20 7kyu!!!) was able to win them all. It's not easy and really gives=20 nice=3D20 games, but still this can be frustrating for the newbie player. At the other side, more than 6 piece handicap will give an=20 absolutely=3D20 save game for the weaker player, without need of any risk. Shogi is an old and wonderful game and have a nice handicap system. I don't like to change the rules and also are not happy changing=20 the=3D20 nice handicap system. So BEFORE I will start thinking about solutions, I like to ask you=20 the=3D20 following things: 1) How is your opinion about a new form of handicap? Do you think it=20 can=3D =3D20 make it more interesting, or do you prefer to stay with the=20 historical=3D20 handicap? 2) HOW can the solution looks like? IS there a solution, or is it=3D20 nevertheless impossible??? So (to number 2) I'm thinking, two gold and two silver is too much=20 and=3D20 other starting position wouldn't change anything. But what instead??? Instead of one silver maybe two knights or two lances? Or maybe also at starting position one piece at hand? But maybe there still didn't exists any good solution. For my own experience (when I receive handicap) it is the following, =3D20 that the person receiving handicap tries to play very save and tries=20 to=3D20 keep all risk away. But (when the hight of handicap is correct)=3D20 sometimes will be happen some danger and mostly you have to hurry.=20 But=3D20 when the strength difference is too high, than this moment when the=3D20 weaker player have to hurry will be a lost game for him. So I expect, that starting with a piece in hand would be to high. Or maybe a lance at hand instead of both silvers? Oh, I have an other idea: maybe give the weaker player MORE pieces=20 from=3D20 that one the stronger player omits!!! What's about this idea??? But first, please answer about 1) and then (maybe) let us think=20 about=3D20 realization of 2). Thanks. --^---------------------------------------------------------------- This email was sent to: = shogi-l shogi net EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a2i6Ys.= aB5TiY.= 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 --^----------------------------------------------------------------