John Fairbairn
Encyclopedia
John T Fairbairn, born in Newcastle upon Tyne
, lives in London
where he works as a political journalist, author and translator. His hobby is board games, particularly Go
and Shogi
. As a specialist in Oriental Languages
, he has translated and written many books about these games. He is also a developer and vendor of Go and Shogi software.
He spent 11 years writing for the Shogi Association's magazine, providing translations and original research on the shogi variants. During this period he also worked on developing a shogi program, and also a xiangqi
program.
He has also been a Go player for over 30 years, holds the rank of amateur 3rd dan
in the British Go Association
, and has written many original features in Go World
, including the first substantial expositions of ancient Chinese, ancient Korean and Tibetan Go in English.
Prior to moving to London, he taught a Japanese course - based on computer research - (at Newcastle University).
Author:
Articles:
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, lives in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where he works as a political journalist, author and translator. His hobby is board games, particularly Go
Go (board game)
Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
and Shogi
Shogi
, also known as Japanese chess, is a two-player board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, and Chinese Xiangqi, and is the most popular of a family of chess variants native to Japan...
. As a specialist in Oriental Languages
Languages of Asia
There is a wide variety of languages spoken throughout Asia, comprising a number of families and some unrelated isolates. Many languages have a long tradition of writing.-Central and North Asian languages:*Turkic**Azeri**Kazak**Kyrgyz**Tatar**Turkish...
, he has translated and written many books about these games. He is also a developer and vendor of Go and Shogi software.
He spent 11 years writing for the Shogi Association's magazine, providing translations and original research on the shogi variants. During this period he also worked on developing a shogi program, and also a xiangqi
Xiangqi
Xiangqi is a two-player Chinese board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, shogi, Indian chess and janggi. The present-day form of Xiangqi originated in China and is therefore commonly called Chinese chess in English. Xiangqi is one of the most popular board games in China...
program.
He has also been a Go player for over 30 years, holds the rank of amateur 3rd dan
Dan (rank)
The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
in the British Go Association
British Go Association
The British Go Association promotes and supports the playing of Go, the ancient Chinese strategy game, in the United Kingdom. The BGA was founded in 1953 and has a membership of about 500. It oversees tournaments, publishes the British Go Journal, and maintains a list of clubs.- See also :*...
, and has written many original features in Go World
Go World
Go World is an English-language magazine published in Japan about the game of go. It is published by Kiseido Publishing Company four times per year....
, including the first substantial expositions of ancient Chinese, ancient Korean and Tibetan Go in English.
Prior to moving to London, he taught a Japanese course - based on computer research - (at Newcastle University).
Publications
Translations:- Appreciating Famous Games (1977) by Shuzo Ohira, translated by John Fairbairn
- The Direction of Play (1979) by Takeo Kajiwara, translated by John Fairbairn
- Guide to Shogi openings: Shogi problems in Japanese and English (1983) by Aono Teruichi, translated by John Fairbairn
- Better Moves for Better Shogi (1983) by Aono Teruichi, translated by John Fairbairn ISBN 4871879992
- He has translated over a dozen Go books for Ishi Press, Kiseido and Yutopian.
Author:
- The Dictionary of Go Names.
- Invitation to Go. Oxford; 1977. Republished by Dover in 2003.
- How to play Shogi (1979)
- Shogi for Beginners (1984)
- The Go Companion (Slate and Shell)
- Kamakura (Slate and Shell, 2009)
- Final Summit (Slate and Shell, 2009)
- The Go Consultants (Slate and Shell, 2009)
- 9-dan Showdown (Slate and Shell, 2010)
Articles:
- "Go on the Roof of the World", Go World, No. 58, Spring 1990, pp. 10–15 (Ishi Press, Tokyo)
- "Go in Ancient China" (1995) http://www.pandanet.co.jp/English/essay/goancientchina.html
- "Origin of Go in Korea" (2000) http://www.msoworld.com/mindzine/news/orient/go/history/origin_korea.html
- "Honinbo Jowa - Sage or Scoundrel" (2000) http://www.msoworld.com/mindzine/news/orient/go/history/jowa.html
- "History of Newspaper Go" (2000) http://www.msoworld.com/mindzine/news/orient/go/history/newspaper.html