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Sir: Though reluctant to contribute to The Spectator's transformation into a chess jour- nal, could I take issue with Paul Johnson's chess column of 6 March (And another thing)?
The Japanese are unlikely to take up western chess just because Nigel Short had the well-deserved chance to become a mil- lionaire. Their own version, shogi, is superi- or (more strategy, more tactics, no draws), they and the Chinese have an even better board game — go or weiqi — and they have plenty of money already in both games.
The March issue of Igo Club (160 pages and one of many Japanese go magazines) gives the 1992 earnings of the top player, Kobayashi Koichi, as Y111,990,000 (about £665,000) from games alone. He played 63, winning 36.
Shogi players are more coy about their earnings, probably because they earn less than go players. But in 1991 Tanigawa Koji, who played one of his title games in Lon- don last year, earned Y75,190,000 from games (about £446,000; source: Shogi Sekai, May 1992).
This is all achieved without hype or call- ing opponents baboons. I once asked a shogi professional what was the worst behaviour he could recall. After much anguished thought, he said, 'I've lost two games by playing an illegal move.'
John Fairbairn 11 a Brook Drive, Harrow
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