Computer beats human at Japanese chess for first time
The loser of this match was the holder of women's Ohso title, Shimizu Ichiyo,
Japan's highest-ranked female player.
While computers have fared well against humans in Western chess, Shougi is remarkably more difficult. The article reports that Western chess has about 10^123 (a one followed by 123 zeroes) different possible games, while for Shougi that figure is 10^224, or just under the square of the figure for Western chess. I'm guessing that the player's ability to replace pieces during the game is at least one source of Shougi's complexity.
Shion fans will not find this part of the article particularly surprising:
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Originally Posted by New Scientist
The Japan Shogi Association, incidentally, seems to have a deep fear of computers beating humans. In 2005, it introduced a ban on professional members playing computers without permission, and Shimizu's defeat was the first since a simpler computer system was beaten by a (male) champion, Akira Watanabe, in 2007.
Perhaps the association doesn't mind so much if a woman is beaten: NHK reports that the JSA will conduct an in-depth analysis of the match before it decides whether to allow the software to challenge a higher-ranking male professional player. Meanwhile, humans will have to face up to more flexible computers, capable of playing more than just one kind of game.
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