Japanese Booklets - hard to read but lured to read for Europeans - 5

(7) Individual response from European Players who brought back

(a) Very pleasant. Very precious.
(b) Next Move from real games by famous pro players has high attractions.
(c) On the contrary, non-famous tactics are in low needs.
(d) Texts for senior players are most needed.
(e) Japanese texts are difficult to understand.
(f) I know a person who understands general Japanese and I may ask him for translation. Even if translation is a little queer, rough understanding of the content might be helpful.
(g) If I understand the theme and objectives in advance, tracing Kifu would be useful.
(h) I have searched this kind of texts. (after selecting (6)(f) & (6)(i) above)

(8) Individual response from European Players who did not bring back

(a) I want to escape from Japanese booklets.
(b) I do not solve Tsume-Shogi. Face-to-face playing is my fun and relaxing tool.
(c) I am not familiar to this kind of booklets though I have some.
(MIR, translated into English by Ozekia. updated 2014-05-28)

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(5) Methods of handing out

In the venu of the middle scale championships, I presented the Booklets explaining that these were gifts from Japan and free and anyone might take any Booklet. For senior players, I introduced and explained the Booklets and observed their response from their selection and conversations with me. Because beginners may not be able to study by themselves with the support just in Japanese, I focused on the players above 6 kyuu.
Followings are the information of the championships in focus;
(a) Swedish Open (Stockholm, May5-6,2013)
(b) Kurpfaltz Club Tournament (Ludwigshafen, Germany, May 25,2013)
(c) Munich Shogi Festival (Germany, June 22-23,2013)
Nationality of participants: Germany, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Russia, England and Japan.
Number of the target of handing out: 15 (out of 53 in total).

(6) European-Selected Booklets are as follows;

(a) Next Move: From actual end games by Yoshiharu HABU
(b) Next Move: From famous actual games by Koji TANIGAWA
(c) Next Move: Tesusji - Selected by HABU
(d) Next Move: From actual games bySatoshi MURAYAMA, 9 Dan
(e) High Kyu player’s Next Move: Inspirations for good moves - Go for 1st Dan in 3 months!
(f) Next Move: Breaking Mino castles
(g) Next Move: Breaking Ibisha-Anaguma with Shiken-Bisha
(h) 120 x Tsume problems: Mate in 5-7-9-11-13
(i) Next Move: Breaking Yagura castles
(MIR, translated into English by Ozekia. updated 2014-05-28)

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(4) Aim and preparation
Preparation has been done (a) to waste minimum efforts on the part of provider and (b) to attract European and to reach to the players who are adequate for their objectives, levels and desires.
So long as　clear indications appeared in the title or preface, I attached words in English implying title, theme, features and goals as well as targeted reader level. The words were just for attracting phrases.
(MIR, translated into English by Ozekia. updated 2014-05-28)

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(3) Results
(a) Minimum introduction in English is useful or necessary when handing out. The bare Booklets are acceptable to Europeans if they satisfy the conditions in (b) and (c) below. But, it is not certain that the Booklets are useful just when handing out. If the theme and objectives of the Booklets are clear, the reader of the Booklets can study the Booklets by tracing Kifu in the Booklets. (I have the similar results with excellent books as textbooks.) If I hand out the Booklets without any explanations, the receivers will not want to receive or will not understand how to use them.

(b) Those European players who do not understand Japanese but have certain degree of playing Shogi (approximately ELO1500 or above 2 kyuu) have needs for the Booklets. Those who do not want to receive the Booklets seem to have factors (such as preconception and inexperience) which may derive from current European Shogi circumstances or current chess circumstances on the back.

(c) Another factor for stirring up demand for the Booklets is when the title implies the content and when the content is for senior players and concrete in objectives and theme.
For examples;
(c1) The title contains clear and concrete keywords well-known. Super-star like ‘Habu’ , ’Moriuchi’ and famous tactics like ‘Yagura’, ‘Ibisha’.
(c2) The Booklets indicate the degree of the target readers, objectives of study and theme. Also, the Booklets are for senior players.
(c3) Those Booklets which contain explanation of real games or ‘How to’ techniques are more acceptable to European players than those Booklets which introduce theories and concepts.
(MIR, translated into English by Ozekia. updated 2014-05-28)

Japanese Booklets - hard to read but lured to read for Europeans - 1

Followings are results of experimental handing out of the extra of ‘Shogi Sekai’ and ‘Kindai Shogi’ (hereinafter ‘Booklets’) and study hereof.
Though the scale of the experiment is small and statistically insufficient, you may read a certain tendency of the response of the Europeans. I look forward to the succeeding cooperation of the Shogi relative people.

(1) Summary
I introduced 15 Booklets donated by a Japanese NPO to the participants in three championships held in May-June, 2013 and experimented to hand out to those who wanted to receive.

(2) Objectives
(a) To foresee the usefulness of the Booklets,
(b) To seek effective ways of handing out and effective targets,
(c) To bring out underlying needs of Europeans.
(MIR, translated into English by Ozekia. updated 2014-05-28)