Experiences and Flexibility

Hey all,

Yesterday I was asked by one of Malaysia's strongest Go player to play Shogi at his house. He was a chess fanatic, so it's no wonder why he would want to play a game of Shogi with me. We even made an agreement that I would come to his house almost everyday just to play a few games of Shogi. Knowing that he has more than 10 years of chess experiences, I decided to accept his suggestion of coming to his house during the weekdays. But why would I accept his suggestion eventhough he's just a beginner? The main reason is because the level of concentration and strategies that he has accumulated from his chess experiences has made him a formidable opponent that I can practise on.

I have been playing Shogi for a year only by spending more time on books and lesser time on games. Eventhough I have improve a lot just by studying, I will still be defeated by my opponent if the Shogi's joseki (or unknown territory) is different from what I have anticipated. Therefore the main purpose of me accepting his suggestion is to gain more experiences, and also to improve my flexibility of countering all sorts of strategies in the game. Not only that it will help me to develop my adaption if I were to play at different surroundings and against players.

Nevertheless playing Shogi almost everyday will surely improve my skills and concentration (or calmness) alot.

Regards,
Ryou Takehito