Hi,
I am Takashi Araki, a Shogi instructor for i-tsu-tsu Shogi classes in Motomachi, Kobe.
This newsletter is called “Shogi Tournament Special” and I will talk about how to prepare to participate in it.

About Shogi Tournaments!

Writer: Takashi Araki, a former member of Shorei-kai, who has a third dank rank.

1. You Don’t Have to Win a Game at First.

Have you ever participated in any Shogi tournaments? Shogi tournaments are ideal opportunities to play games and get results of your daily works.

When you do, you want to win, right? Parents are thrilled when their children win a game. When all you do is to chase results, it puts pressure on you. Participation could be a burden for children.

Shogi tournaments are not frequent. I hope you put more emphasis on unusual atmosphere and realism. Such a way of thinking will allow you to stay motivated to play Shogi.

2. Respect for Courtesy and Manners.

Often, in the class, you play a game with familiar faces. On the other hand, at tournaments, you will compete against someone you’ve never met before.

In a game against a friendly opponent, casual conversation is acceptable. However, during tournaments players play a game in earnest. You need to be careful not to display rude behavior to your opponents.

If you focus too much on a game, you may forget to organize your pieces. Of course, it’s important to have a passion for Shogi. At the same time, you are supposed not to lose your cool to organize your pieces. It’s great if you could combine passion and calmness.

It’s a pity if you would play a game in an awkward mood your rude behavior caused. Be polite and well behaved so you can play a game comfortably with each other during a tournament.

3. Good Opportunities to Make Friends.

As I mentioned before, during a tournament, you often play a game against someone you wouldn’t normally play with. In other words, tournaments are the places where you interact with people you’ve never met before.

It’s not easy to break the ice with unknown people. According to my personal experiences, it’s much easier to get along very well with someone I met at tournaments comparing with someone I knew at school or workplace. In many cases, I became good friends with the people I played against. I would say, it’s easy for like-minded people to get along with each other.

Having a group of people with shared interests is an irreplaceable asset in your lives. I hope Shogi tournaments give you good opportunities to expand your friendship.