From: Pieter Stouten <stoutepf <at> CARBON <dot> DMPC <dot> COM>
Date: 17 may 1996
Subject: Notation revisited

At 22:43  +0800 96/05/17, Dick Iwakura wrote:

>I also was very sad because we continued to play Shogi for
>more than 400 years and our culture has been modifed by conception of
>Western Chess.
>
Recently, we already had a very elaborate discussion on notation on
SHOGI-L, and I really would not want to see the same arguments repeated
over and over again. Please search the SHOGI-L archives or go to Bob
Diertens's SHOGI-L mirror at
<http://www.fwi.uva.nl/~bobd/shogi-list/Archive/> to read the arguments pro
and con.

Let me just make one comment, though. Notation gives people an opportunity
to exchange information *about* shogi games. It has nothing do with
modifying the cultural heritage of the game of Shogi. If you discuss van
Gogh paintings in Japanese, are you smudging the Dutch cultural heritage?
Of course not!

>I hope SHOGI-L officer can adapt both way as Mr.Engelhardt mentioned
>above.
>
I think you may have misinterpreted Mr. Engelhardt's words. He said
"japanese system with kanjis and all." Without kanji the Japanese system is
not so suitable. Mr. George Fernandez, American representative to the next
Ama Ryu O tournament, strong 4-dan, officer of the DC Shogi Club, and
spouse of a Japanese lady, is preparing a very eloquent evaluation of
notation systems. I would hope we can wait for his posting to appear and
then close this discussion. As far as SHOGI-L officers are concerned,
Matthias Mutz and I together own SHOGI-L. I have not heard his opinion, but
I am certainly dead against using any different notation system than the
one in use unless there are clear advantages to adopting a new system.

>it is very difficult for me to study the international notation of
>only 20 years history.
>
When I learned Shogi, it took me two or three games to learn the kanji on
the pieces (although I sometimes mistook golds for silvers and vice versa
for a while after that). It took me 5 minutes or less (I did not time it
<g>) to learn the international notation system, which is a prime example
of clarity. I forwarded Mr. Iwakura the international notation system, and
I am sure he will be able to understand it in a very short time.

Best regards, Pieter.



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Pieter Stouten                              ||  Nothing shocks me;
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