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Why isn't chess popular in Japan?

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Re: Why isn't chess popular in Japan?

#81

Post by pmontra »

zht wrote: post #16
pmontra wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's debatable. Maybe shogi is superior to chess because it's a longer game and pieces can change side. Or maybe Chinese chess are better because they are a faster game with less pieces and more movement. Go is definitely better than all of them though, at least for me, and yet it's less popular than any game of chess in any country.

What? Go is not less popular than Chess in China or Korea

Anecdotally I saw many people playing Chinese chess on streets all around China but I never saw anybody playing Go/Weiqi. I saw people playing Mahjong and games of cards (long thin cards.)

I don't know which game of chess is popular in Korea, western or Chinese ones? Or is there a Korean variant? About the popularity of Go/Baduk there I was told that it was because of the three years of mandatory military service and the availability of go boards in the barracks.

Re: Why isn't chess popular in Japan?

#82

Post by joenot443 »

autocorr wrote: post #3

For those interested in playing and learning Shogi, take a look over at the great site https://lishogi.org -- a fork of LiChess for Shogi that includes real-time and correspondence play, AI opponents, analysis, puzzles and more. One of my favorite variants, Kyoto Shogi, is also available. The website https://pychess.org also has a ton of interesting and unique variants both traditional (Makruk) and modern (Chennis!).

This is neat! Does anyone know if there's much of a community of total-noob level Shogi players, as there is for chess these days?

Re: Why isn't chess popular in Japan?

#83

Post by ziyao_w »

This article does not seem to mention this but Bobby Fischer lived in Japan and his wife is a WIM - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyoko_Watai.

He certainly had his insanities but some accounts say he was quite sane in his later years, and it must be amusing to be possibly the GOAT and living incognito in a place where chess wasn’t played much.

Re: Why isn't chess popular in Japan?

#84

Post by johtso »

RetroTechie wrote: post #51
Jigsy wrote: post #9

Probably because they have Shogi, which is also fun to play. They also like Go, which I hate. Absolutely love Mahjong, though. (Thanks Yakuza series!)

> They also like Go, which I hate. To each their own... :-) What I like about Go, is its combination of simple rules, contrasted with the rich set of ever-more advanced tactics. And (using handicaps) players of different skill can still enjoy a somewhat-balanced game. There are just a few basic rules (board sizes, placement of stones, groups, freedoms, atari, capture) that are easily explained. Beginners may think it…

"While the Baroque rules of Chess could only have been created by humans, the rules of Go are so elegant, organic, and rigorously logical that if intelligent life forms exist elsewhere in the universe they almost certainly play Go." - Edward Lasker

Re: Why isn't chess popular in Japan?

#85

Post by kmeisthax »

Jach wrote: post #71
mcv wrote: post #63

Another way to ask this question is: why is go less popular outside east asia? It's huge in Japan, China and Korea, and although it has its fans in Europe and the US, it's much more niche there. I've got to admit, since I got kids I moved back from go to chess. Somehow it's more accessible, because everybody here knows chess.

I'm not even convinced Go is all that popular in Japan compared to Shogi or Mahjong. Even Gomoku (five in a row, no capture rule) seems more popular. I can't really say anything about the popularity of go salons since I have yet to visit one but I can't help but notice that the game is never included as a minigame in Japanese titles like the Yakuza series (which has all sorts of other board minigames) or even Clubhou…

I suspect the lack of Go in Yakuza or Clubhouse has more to do with the computational complexity of providing a decent computer opponent to play against.

Re: Why isn't chess popular in Japan?

#86

Post by freilanzer »

mcv wrote: post #65
freilanzer wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find Go just much more elegant than Chess. Having different pieces with different rules just feels clunky.

I think Go is about as simple and elegant as a board game can possibly be. And yet it has immense strategic depth unmatched by any other game.

Exactly. Hansa Teutonica also has very few pieces that do a lot of stuff - not comparable to go, but it's a normal boardgame.

Re: Why isn't chess popular in Japan?

#87

Post by remram »

ziyao_w wrote: post #83

This article does not seem to mention this but Bobby Fischer lived in Japan and his wife is a WIM - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyoko_Watai . He certainly had his insanities but some accounts say he was quite sane in his later years, and it must be amusing to be possibly the GOAT and living incognito in a place where chess wasn’t played much.

WIM = Woman International Master

Re: Why isn't chess popular in Japan?

#88

Post by Kuraj »

ninjin wrote: post #39
Hamuko wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is riichi mahjong even that popular?

At least in my circles it is common that people play or have played, especially males. I myself play on average two tables or so per day online. Although I certainly should force myself to read up a bit more on strategy.

Daina Chiba's Riichi Book I is an excellent free resource for intermediate players.

Re: Why isn't chess popular in Japan?

#90

Post by ancount »

kvrck wrote: post #75
akkartik wrote: post #7

This linked game is amazing: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1411126

Why so?

I'm no chess expert, but I think because at 17... Bxa4 followed by 18... Bxh2, the double bishop sacrifice, it's not obvious how Black will then dominate the rest of the game.
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