From: Pieter Stouten CARBON DMPC COM> Date: 30 apr 1996 Subject: PC Shogi software (was: Human vs. computer shogi software) At 4:57 96/04/30, Joe Lindsay wrote: >I am looking for shogi software for my PC (Windows 95 or DOS) that >allows me to play against the computer. I do not have a Japanese >DOS version. What are the best such programs and where can I get >them? > Most information that I have is about a year old (May 1995), so it may be to a large extent obsolete by now. Here is what I know: * Kiwame-2 9000 Yen (about $100). Strength 2-dan, the strongest PC-based program by far. At the 1995 Verkouille Memorial Tournament in Belgium it beat 4-kyu, 2-kyu, 1-kyu, 2-dan and 3-dan players and lost only to a 4-dan. I have played against Kiwame-2 in August 1995 and was favourably impressed. It does not need a Japanese OS version if you have a cheat sheet with key codes for the various commands. The manual is in Japanese only. Contact Frans Roquas pi net> for more information. * GNU Shogi Freeware. Alpha or beta version, I think. Please contact Matthias Mutz fmi uni-passau de> for detailed info. * Shogi Master Strength 6-kyu. The price is $49.95, plus $5.50 shipping in the U.S. (as of May 1995). Ishi Press International, phone +1-408-271-0415, fax +1-408-271-0416, e-mail ishius ishius com. It seems to have a bug where giving checkmate is concerned. * Morita Shogi DOS/V Costs about $140. Requires Japanese DOS version. It does run on standard DOS, but the menus are unintellegible. Manual in Japanese. Random House Inc., phone +81-492-88-1147, fax +81-492-81-5612. Morita and Kiwame (Kiwame-1 ?) secured a shared first place at the 5th Computer Shogi Championship held in December 1994. Hiroki Kawada (kawada merl hitachi co jp) provided most of the information on Morita Shogi. * AI Shogi Strength about 2 or 3-kyu (unconfirmed). May suffer the same drawback as Morita Shogi (i.e., it officially requires DOS/V). Something Good Inc., phone +81-3-3232-0801, fax +81-3-3232-0963. Hiroki Kawada (kawada merl hitachi co jp) provided most of the information on AI Shogi. -- Pieter Stouten || Nothing shocks me; Computer Aided Drug Design Group || The DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Company || I am a scientist! P.O. Box 80500, Wilmington, DE 19880-0500 || Phone: +1 (302) 695 3515 || -- Fax: +1 (302) 695 9090 || Internet: stoutepf carbon dmpc com || Indiana Jones