Shogi

Shogi (General's Boardgame) or Japanese Chess is a is a two-playerboard game in the

same family as western chess,chaturanga, Chinese Xiangqi. With its original system of

promotions and drops, it has title of most complex chess in the world. The object of the game is to capture the opponent's King. Shogi is played on a nine-by-nine board and each player has twenty pieces. Played similarly to 'western' chess Shoji has some very different rules. One is that almost all pieces can be promoted to stronger pieces once they reach the opposite side of the board. The second very important difference is that when a piece is captured it can be put back in play for the capturer. Shogi is played by millions but is little known outside

of Japan.

Rules

How is the game played.

Shogi is played on a 9x9 uncheckered board. Each player begins with one King, one Rook, one Bishop, two Gold Generals, two Silver Generals, two Knights, two Lances and nine Pawns. Four black dots are shown to the board to delineate promotion zones (those squares lying on the last three ranks). Unlike Orthodox Chess , all Shogi pieces are exactly the same color. Loyalties are determined by their directional headings.

1. A Pawn is tossed to decide which player moves first.

2. The object of the game is to checkmate the enemy King.

3. Perpetual check is forbidden. The player initiating the check must break it off.

4. Promotions are granted as follows...

   1. A starting piece moving to a square in the promotion zone (the last 3 ranks) earns a promotion. A promotion is indicated by flipping the piece over to display the symbol on its bottom side.

   2. An earned promotion (see above) may be deferred to a later move, as long as this move begins inside the promotion zone (the last 3 ranks). Where the move ends is of no relevance.

   3. Pieces arriving at a rank whereon they can move no further must promote. [e.g., a Pawn or Lance arriving on the 9th rank; a Knight arriving on the 8th or 9th rank.]

   4. Promoted pieces lose their promotion upon capture.

   5. Pieces 'dropped' into the promotion zone (the last 3 ranks) may not promote until making at least one move. (See below).

5. Captive drops are performed as follows...

• 1. A captured piece may be dropped onto the board (placed on a vacant square) to subsequently be used as one's own. This is done in lieu of a regular move.

  2. A Pawn may not be dropped onto a file containing a non-promoted Pawn.

  3. No piece may be dropped to a square from which it is impossible to move. [e.g., a Pawn or Lance to the 9th rank; a Knight to the 8th or 9th rank.]

  4. A checkmate may not be performed by the drop of a Pawn. A King may be checked by dropping a Pawn, but only if the drop does not result in an immediate checkmate.

• • • 1. The Gold General may move one square vertically, horizontally, or diagonally forward. (In all directions except diagonally rearward).

• • 1. The Silver General may move one square diagonally, or straight forward. (In all directions except horizontally or straight rearward.)

• • 1. The Bishop (actually 'angle goer') moves as an Orthodox Bishop.

       1. The Rook (actually 'flying chariot') moves as an Orthodox Bishop.

       2. The Pawn (actually 'soldier') moves one square straight forward. Shogi Pawns

       3. capture in the same manner as they move -- as do all Shogi pieces.

       4. Promoted Pieces

    2. The Silver General promotes to a Gold General. (Here the symbol indicates a promoted Silver General.)

    3. The Knight promotes to a Gold General. (Here the symbol indicates a promoted Knight.)

• • • 1. The Lance promotes to a Gold General. (Here the symbol indicates a promoted

      2. Lance.)

• • 4. The Pawn promotes to a Gold General. (Here the symbol indicates a promoted Pawn.)

• • • 1. The Rook promotes to Dragon King. (Here the symbol indicates a promoted

      2. Rook -- a Dragon King -- which has the combined moves of King and Rook.)

      3. The Bishop promotes to Dragon Horse. (Here the symbol indicates a promoted Bishop -- a Dragon Horse -- which has the combined moves of King and

      4. Bishop.)

History

The origins of Shogi remain obscure. The eldest mention of Shogi is the Kirinshô, a text dated 1027 which just explains how to calligraphy the characters on the pieces. From Nara and about the same time (1058-1059) 16 pieces in Hinoki wood (Japanese cypress) have been conserved. They have already the same shape as modern pieces. Along with them was found a wooden tag used for writing purposes, on which Japanese archaeologists have identified the characters for Suizô, meaning “Drunk Elephant”.

The earliest predecessors of the game, chaturanga, originated in India in the 6th century AD, and spread from China to Japan, where it spawned a number of variants. Shogi in its present form was played as early as the 16th century, while a direct ancestor without the "drop rule" was recorded from 1210 in a historical document Nichūreki, which is an edited copy of Shōchūreki and Kaichūreki from the late Heian period.

Game Design Elements

Shogi is strategy similar to chess but has a much larger game tree complexity because of the use of drops. Like chess the game can be divided into the opening, middle game and endgame, each requiring a different strategy. The opening consists of arranging one's defenses and positioning for attack, the mid game consists of attempting to break through the opposing defenses while maintaining ones own, and the end game starts when one side's defenses have been compromised.

Art

The art elements of the game are minimal and function only to differentiate the pieces a player controls.

References

http://www.shogi.net/shogi.html

http://history.chess.free.fr/shogi.htm

http://www.chessvariants.com/shogi.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shogi

Links