Shogi and Me


Associate Professor of Philosophy Alan Baker joined Swarthmore's faculty in 2003. Specializing in the philosophy of mathematics and the philosophy of science, his courses also include logic and philosophy of mind. During the summer of 2006, he served as "philosopher in residence" at Whitehall, the 18th-century home of philosopher George Berkeley near Newport, Rhode Island. Write to him at abaker1@swarthmore.edu.

I used to play a lot of western chess. On a trip to Japan in 1996, I discovered the Japanese version of the game. I was due to take a 36-hour ferry journey from Tokyo to the southern island of Kyushu, so I bought a portable shogi set. I spent most of the ferry trip playing shogi - very badly - with the English friend who was traveling with me, much to the amusement of our fellow passengers! I have played shogi ever since, at clubs and tournaments, but also online, and I estimate that I've played about 2,500 games over the past 10 years. In the process, I've gradually moved into the ranks of the top handful of American shogi players.

Members of the shogi club Alan founded at Swarthmore hope to expand the game's popularity so they can establish an inter-collegiate club.
At Swarthmore, I founded the Shogi Club in 2005, and we meet weekly during the semester. It is currently the only college-based shogi club in the country. The number of students attending fluctuates from week to week, but there is now a core of around a dozen players who have achieved a respectable standard, and probably between 20 and 30 more who have learned the basics of shogi. The quirky nature of shogi and the intellectual challenge it provides seems to appeal to Swarthmore students. The club has also benefitted from the strong Japanese studies progam at the College. I hope to bring students with me to future U.S. shogi tournaments.
In March, I participated in the 13th U.S. Shogi Championships in Chicago. Of the 32 players in the main event, about three-quarters were either Japanese or of Japanese descent. There were also four professional shogi players from Japan in attendance whose role was to give shogi lessons, play instructional games, and provide commentary on some of the tournament games. I don't speak any Japanese myself, so a lot of the comments being bandied around during and after the games went straight over my head.

Alan, a 2 Dan, played Mark Ohno, a 4 Dan from Los Angeles, in the championship's final round.
By the Sunday afternoon it was down to just two competitors - myself and Mark Ohno, an experienced player and one of the strongest members of the Los Angeles shogi club. We played the final game in a separate room that was linked by a live video feed to the main auditorium, where two of the pros gave play-by-play commentary. One of the professionals acted as scorekeeper, recording our moves as they were played. I think we were both nervous before the game started; neither of us had been in a final before, and we did not want to do something stupid with such a large audience watching.
But as soon as we started playing, my nerves melted away. I quickly became immersed in the intensity of the game itself, concentrating on my next move and on the possible replies for my opponent. Despite the main auditorium being separated from us by two closed doors and a long corridor, I could hear occasional shouts, and roars of laughter from the audience. Clearly the pros were providing some entertaining commentary for the crowd!

By winning, Alan will represent the U.S. when he competes in Yamagata, Japan, for the world championship.
As I waited for a move to be played I heard a muffled roar from the distant audience. Up on their video screen they must have seen Mark Ohno's hand poised to make the illegal move, and they reacted accordingly. I cursed inwardly. Surely the hubbub would alert Mark to the error he was about to make. He paused for a couple more seconds, withdrew his hand and then dropped the pawn on a different square. But this was an illegal move, too! Luck was on my side. He had lost the game and I had won the title of U.S. Shogi Champion.