From: Manabu Terao <Manabu.Terao <at> JAPAN <dot> SUN <dot> COM>
Date: 27 apr 1999
Subject: Re: Championships? titles?

Hello,

> Date: Mon, 26 Apr 1999 14:24:58 +0900
> From: Reijer Grimbergen <grimberg <at> ETL <dot> GO <dot> JP>


> I do not think professional Shog players have a choice. Except for illness,
> they are supposed to play in all tournaments supported by the Nihon Shogi
> Renmei (the Japanese Shogi Federation). I have never heard of a player
> refusing to enter a tournament.

This is true till Fiscal Year 1993. The system changed considerably in FY1994,
i.e."Free Class" has been created. The pro players who belong to "Free Class" do
not participate in Junisen(Meijin League and lower). Any pro player can choose
belonging to "Free Class" at his will that means he will not enter Junisen. But
Free Class player still cannot refuse to enter the other tournaments.

> If I am not mistaken, professionals get a game fee for every official game
> they play. This game fee used to be heavily based on the Junisen class they
> played in, but that system seems to have changed a couple of years back. Of
> course professionals recieve extra payment for winning a game and bonusses
> for getting far into a tournament.

There are another big change in game fee in FY1994. Game fee in a final preliminary
round had been depending on the ranking in Junisen. It has become in principle even
to every player. Mushano 6dan unveiled an example of game fee hierarchy before
FY1994 as follows.


      Game fee of a tournament before FY1994(unit --- Yen)
  Junisen Class $B!!!! (JPreliminary $B!!!!!! (JQualified
      A                181,000 $B!!!! (J    226,000
 $B!! (J    B1 $B!!!! (J           127,000 $B!!!! (J    192,000
 $B!! (J    B2 $B!!!! (J            81,000    $B!! (J   153,000
 $B!! (J    C1                57,000    $B!! (J   137,000
 $B!! (J    C2                41,000    $B!! (J   127,000

                 (source : http://www.jwindow.net/LWT/SHOGI/PCNET/KIKAI/00005.html, in
                 Japanese)

Before FY1994, the game fee of preliminary for C2 players are less than one forth of
that for A players. The change clearly works for lower class players to have
opportunities to gain more money without getting to higher class in Junisen.

Manabu Terao