Commotie over partijen van profs tegen computerprogramma's
Hieronder drie berichten van het
internet over het verbod op shogi-partijen tussen professionals en
computerprogramma's.
Overigens speelde Moriuchi Toshiyuki, Meijin, een loper-handicap partij tegen
YSS, één van de sterkste shogi-programma's, tijdens het 3e Internationale Shogi
Forum 2005 in Tokyo.
De partij is hier na te spelen.
Uit Mainichi-Msn berichtenservice (15-10-2005):
Japanese chess masters ordered not to play computer opponents
Masters belonging to the Japan Shogi Federation have been ordered not to play
unauthorized games against computer opponents in public, it has been learned.
It is believed the federation's directive came about because a computer made the
quarterfinals of the shogi national amateur championship in June and went close
to beating a go-dan master in a public match last month.
"If there is talk of a competition with a computer, the federation would like to
move ahead with caution," Kazuyoshi Nishimura, managing director of the
federation, said.
Federation officials fear that a professional shogi master losing to a computer
would be beneath their dignity and have ordered male and female masters to seek
permission before they play against a computer in public.
Federation officials concede that there are commercial opportunities available
in matching up professionals against computer opponents, but wanted to make sure
that companies would not exploit the situation.
(Mainichi)
October 15, 2005
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http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20051015p2a00m0na008000c.html
Uit The Japan Times-Online (16-10-2005):
Shogi pros warned not to play computers
Professional shogi players have been told not to compete against
computer programs in public without permission from their association in the
face of emerging competitive software, association officials said Saturday.
The Japan Shogi Association says it will respond discreetly if such a match
offer is made. Some software programs have already reached a level equal to top
amateur players.
Shogi is a strategic board game often
referred to as Japanese chess.
A national tournament for amateur players held in June in Tokyo was the first to
let players compete against the "Gekisashi" computer program developed by
Yoshimasa Tsuruoka. The program made it through the preliminaries and advanced
into the top 16.
The association's move appears to have been motivated by an open match held in
September in Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, during which a software program
almost defeated a pro, which generated a sense of crisis within the association.
If one pro loses, it could create the perception that pro players "are weaker
than the software," said Kazuyoshi Nishimura, a director of the association.
Another motive for the restriction may be the association's drive to control
business opportunities that software matches may provide.
"A match with a computer has a market value of its own," said association chief
Kunio Yonenaga, who himself has overseen the production of a software program
for shogi beginners. "We would like (pros) to be cautious about an easy offer
for a match."
The association says on its Web site that there are around 150 pro and 35
retired players, who all happen to be men, and another league of around 50 pro
and retired female players who have won a female pro title and compete in
tournaments for women.
The Japan Times: Oct. 16,
2005
(C) All rights
reserved
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20051016a4.htm
Uit The Times-Online (22-10-2005)
Ancient game
bans hi-tech rivalry
OF
ALL the cultural pursuits of Japan, there are few so esoteric as the game known
as shogi.
An oriental variant of chess, it demands precise technique and imaginative
tuition.
But now the players of this ancient game have been plunged into crisis by a very
modern challenge.
After an upset last month, when a shogi master was almost defeated by a
computer, the game’s governing body has banned its members from playing against
electronic opponents. The decision has opened up a debate between shogi software
designers and traditionalists who fear irreparable damage to the dignity of the
game.
“If one professional loses, that could create the image that professional
players are weaker than the software,” said Kazuyoshi Nishimura, director of the
Japan Shogi Federation.
Shogi’s rules and terminology are similar to those for chess, but with important
differences. It is played on 81 squares, rather than 64, with flat wooden
counters bearing Chinese characters.
These include “jewels”, “lancers” and “silver generals”, as well as rooks,
kings, bishops, knights and pawns. Each player has 20 pieces, most of which can
be promoted.
This makes the number of permutations even greater than chess, one reason why
shogi masters have so far avoided the fate of Garry Kasparov, who was defeated
by the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue in 1997. But now the forces of digital shogi
are shaking the foundations of the game.
Last month a professional shogi player named Susai Hashimoto found himself
struggling in the face of an assault by a programme named Tacos.
Although he recovered, the close game appalled the shogi world and led to the
ban on public confrontations between human beings and microchips.
“I felt upset when I was cornered,” Mr Hashimoto said. “I enjoy playing more
against a human opponent.”
The ban has been criticised by the growing number of computer shogi enthusiasts.
“Nobody wants to be the first to lose against a computer,” said Takenobu
Takizawa, president of the Computer Shogi Association and a professor at Tokyo’s
Waseda University.
“I can see the revulsion, and fear that being beaten by a computer will damage
the reputation of the professionals. But either way, the day will surely come
when a computer will beat the top professional shogi player.”
Yoshimasa Tsuruoka, the developer of the Gekisashi shogi programme, said: “There
was a belief that professional shogi players possessed a mystery, and an
assumption that computers could never win.”
Some also fear that the game is in decline. According to government figures,
there are 8.4 million shogi players, half the number of 20 years ago.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1837512,00.html
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