Ryuuou no Oshigoto! - Volume 18 - Chapter Pr2

  The Fourth Rule to End the Game

“The reason I agreed to the Meijin’s proposition?”

Ryuo Takeru Usui (at that time) came to a halt when his good friend and Shogi journalist posed that question.

The Player’s Meeting, which had been held at the Kenpo Plaza next to the Kanto Shogi Association building, ended in a state of disarray that had hardly ever been seen in recent years.

Many of the players themselves had stayed behind to discuss the issue even further despite the extremely late hour.

Only Takeru had seized the opportunity to leave and was caught by the journalist.

“Hmph. Yes, that man only speaks once in a blue moon at Player’s Meetings. Since he was proposing rules for a fourth possible way to end the game, in addition to surrender, Repetition Draw and stalemate, arguments are bound to happen.

Shogi players were very sensitive about rule changes.

While fairness was in the discussion, the most important aspect was exactly who would benefit from said changes.

Coming from someone who had been sitting at the top of the Shogi world for so long, the Meijin’s words carried a great deal of weight.

However, if they were intended to compensate for his declining late-game skill in his advancing age, his suggestion would have met fierce resistance. Nearly every player thought so.

The issue was that, as the implications were analyzed …… the discussion dissolved for a different reason.

The rules didn’t make any sense whatsoever.

“His new rules wouldn’t take effect until the 500th move. The longest match record we have didn’t even reach 400, so how could a match ever last another 100 plus? Then there are the rules themselves. Number of pieces in the opponent’s territory? In check or not? There are too many conditions to make head or tails of them. No human being could consider the whole list during one-minute Shogi. It’s impossible. Makes you want to ask him who he’s planning to play against. Martians? Oracles from the future?”

“Why did you give your approval if you have so many critiques?”

“Because I liked the name.”

“The …… name?”

“Yes. Nyugyoku Declaration. Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

Most players opposed the Meijin’s proposition at the time.

Not so much that they were against the changes, but they failed to comprehend what issue they were meant to address.

It was Takeru’s approval that turned the tide.

Even if they couldn’t understand the content, the rules could be considered fair if the Meijin’s greatest rival, Dragon King Ryuo Usui, was in favor of the changes …… this was the mindset of many Shogi players.

However, said Ryuo’s only reasoning for it had nothing to do with Shogi theory itself.

“Besides, don’t you think Go and Shogi are really somber when ending the game? Chess players discuss when to call it a draw and shake hands, for goodness sake. Meanwhile, we Japanese consider hiding our joy after a win to be virtuous. Same goes for sumo wrestlers. A yokozuna got roasted just for pumping his fist ………… Anyway……”

“The point is,” ――― Takeru Usui began. “In Shogi, we say I lost and bow. I’ve never liked that, personally.”

The man heralded as the best early-game prodigy to have ever lived spelled out the real reason he threw his weight behind the fourth rule to end a game with a grin.

“Just once, I’d love to say it myself. To declare: I win.”