1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
3 @c % ** Start of header.
4 @setfilename gnushogi.info
5 @settitle GNU Shogi manual
10 * gnushogi: (gnushogi). Japanese chess
13 @setchapternewpage odd
15 @c ==================================
16 @c TeX-specific macros
17 @c ==================================
21 @c ==================================
22 @c info-specific macros
23 @c ==================================
27 @c ==================================
28 @c Summary description and copyright.
29 @c ==================================
33 This file describes how to use GNU shogi,
34 a program which plays Shogi (Japanese chess).
36 Copyright (C) 1999 Michael C. Vanier and the Free Software Foundation, Inc.
38 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
39 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
40 are preserved on all copies.
43 Permission is granted to process this file through TeX and print the
44 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
45 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
46 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
49 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
50 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the entire
51 resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission
52 notice identical to this one.
54 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
55 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions,
56 except that this permission notice may be stated in a translation approved
57 by the Free Software Foundation.
61 @c =========================================
62 @c End of summary description and copyright.
63 @c =========================================
66 @c ====================
67 @c Title and copyright.
68 @c ====================
72 @comment The title is printed in a large font.
73 @center @titlefont{GNU Shogi (Japanese chess)}
76 @c The following two commands start the copyright page.
78 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
79 Copyright @copyright{} 1999 Michael C. Vanier and the Free Software Foundation
83 @c ===========================
84 @c End of title and copyright.
85 @c ===========================
88 @c =========================
89 @c Top node and master menu.
90 @c =========================
92 @node Top, (dir), (dir), (dir)
93 @top GNU Shogi (Japanese chess)
97 * Introduction:: What is GNU shogi?
98 * License:: The GNU General Public License.
99 * About shogi:: General information, rules, etc.
100 * gnushogi:: How to play GNU shogi (gnushogi).
101 * xshogi:: The X interface to GNU shogi.
102 * References and links:: Where to go for more information.
104 * Bugs:: Where and how to report bugs.
110 This document describes GNU shogi, a program which plays Japanese chess
111 (shogi) against a human opponent.
114 @c ================================
115 @c End of top node and master menu.
116 @c ================================
123 @node Introduction, License, Top, Top
124 @chapter Introduction
127 GNU shogi is a program that plays shogi, the Japanese version of chess,
128 against a human (or computer) opponent. This file describes how to use
129 GNU shogi and also gives background information about the game of shogi.
131 This file describes GNU shogi version 1.3.2. It was written by me, Mike
132 Vanier, the current maintainer of GNU shogi. My email address is
133 @email{mvanier@@cs.caltech.edu}.
136 GNU shogi is actually two programs:
143 is the text-based program which also contains the game-playing engine.
146 is the X-windows graphical interface to gnushogi.
152 Since xshogi invokes gnushogi, most players will just type ``xshogi''
155 Disclaimer: I use the personal pronouns ``him'', ``his'' etc. to refer
156 to a shogi player regardless of gender. That's easier than writing
157 ``his or her'' all over the place. I don't mean to infer that women
158 don't play shogi; in fact shogi is very popular in Japan among women as
163 @node License, About shogi, Introduction, Top
164 @unnumbered GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
167 @center Version 2, June 1991
170 Copyright @copyright{} 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
171 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
173 Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies
174 of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.
177 @unnumberedsec Preamble
179 The licenses for most software are designed to take away your
180 freedom to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public
181 License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free
182 software---to make sure the software is free for all its users. This
183 General Public License applies to most of the Free Software
184 Foundation's software and to any other program whose authors commit to
185 using it. (Some other Free Software Foundation software is covered by
186 the GNU Library General Public License instead.) You can apply it to
189 When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not
190 price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you
191 have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for
192 this service if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it
193 if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it
194 in new free programs; and that you know you can do these things.
196 To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid
197 anyone to deny you these rights or to ask you to surrender the rights.
198 These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for you if you
199 distribute copies of the software, or if you modify it.
201 For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether
202 gratis or for a fee, you must give the recipients all the rights that
203 you have. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the
204 source code. And you must show them these terms so they know their
207 We protect your rights with two steps: (1) copyright the software, and
208 (2) offer you this license which gives you legal permission to copy,
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211 Also, for each author's protection and ours, we want to make certain
212 that everyone understands that there is no warranty for this free
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214 want its recipients to know that what they have is not the original, so
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218 Finally, any free program is threatened constantly by software
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224 The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and
229 @unnumberedsec TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION
232 @center TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION
237 This License applies to any program or other work which contains
238 a notice placed by the copyright holder saying it may be distributed
239 under the terms of this General Public License. The ``Program'', below,
240 refers to any such program or work, and a ``work based on the Program''
241 means either the Program or any derivative work under copyright law:
242 that is to say, a work containing the Program or a portion of it,
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245 the term ``modification''.) Each licensee is addressed as ``you''.
247 Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not
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249 running the Program is not restricted, and the output from the Program
250 is covered only if its contents constitute a work based on the
251 Program (independent of having been made by running the Program).
252 Whether that is true depends on what the Program does.
255 You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Program's
256 source code as you receive it, in any medium, provided that you
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259 notices that refer to this License and to the absence of any warranty;
260 and give any other recipients of the Program a copy of this License
261 along with the Program.
263 You may charge a fee for the physical act of transferring a copy, and
264 you may at your option offer warranty protection in exchange for a fee.
267 You may modify your copy or copies of the Program or any portion
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269 distribute such modifications or work under the terms of Section 1
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278 You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in
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284 If the modified program normally reads commands interactively
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433 be similar in spirit to the present version, but may differ in detail to
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481 POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
485 @heading END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS
488 @center END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS
492 @unnumberedsec How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs
494 If you develop a new program, and you want it to be of the greatest
495 possible use to the public, the best way to achieve this is to make it
496 free software which everyone can redistribute and change under these terms.
498 To do so, attach the following notices to the program. It is safest
499 to attach them to the start of each source file to most effectively
500 convey the exclusion of warranty; and each file should have at least
501 the ``copyright'' line and a pointer to where the full notice is found.
504 @var{one line to give the program's name and a brief idea of what it does.}
505 Copyright (C) 19@var{yy} @var{name of author}
507 This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
508 it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
509 the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
510 (at your option) any later version.
512 This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
513 but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
514 MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
515 GNU General Public License for more details.
517 You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
518 along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
519 Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
522 Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail.
524 If the program is interactive, make it output a short notice like this
525 when it starts in an interactive mode:
528 Gnomovision version 69, Copyright (C) 19@var{yy} @var{name of author}
529 Gnomovision comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details
531 This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it
532 under certain conditions; type `show c' for details.
535 The hypothetical commands @samp{show w} and @samp{show c} should show
536 the appropriate parts of the General Public License. Of course, the
537 commands you use may be called something other than @samp{show w} and
538 @samp{show c}; they could even be mouse-clicks or menu items---whatever
541 You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or your
542 school, if any, to sign a ``copyright disclaimer'' for the program, if
543 necessary. Here is a sample; alter the names:
546 Yoyodyne, Inc., hereby disclaims all copyright interest in the program
547 `Gnomovision' (which makes passes at compilers) written by James Hacker.
549 @var{signature of Ty Coon}, 1 April 1989
550 Ty Coon, President of Vice
553 This General Public License does not permit incorporating your program into
554 proprietary programs. If your program is a subroutine library, you may
555 consider it more useful to permit linking proprietary applications with the
556 library. If this is what you want to do, use the GNU Library General
557 Public License instead of this License.
560 @node About shogi, gnushogi, License, Top
561 @chapter About the game of shogi
565 ``Japanese chess cedes nothing in depth or beauty to the European
566 game... it is at least as interesting.''
568 --- Alexander Alekhine @*
569 (quoted in David Pritchard, @cite{The Encyclopedia of Chess Variants})
573 ``... shogi [is] by far the most complex form of chess that has ever
574 achieved widespread popularity.''
576 --- R. Wayne Schmittberger, @cite{New Rules for Classic Games}
581 Shogi is the version of chess played in Japan. It is strikingly
582 different from standard chess (which I shall refer to henceforth as
583 ``international chess'') and also to all other regional variants,
584 because captured pieces can re-enter play on the side of the capturer.
585 This has several interesting effects on the play of the game:
591 Shogi is much more complex than international chess, at least in
592 terms of the average number of possible moves per turn (estimated at
593 about 35 for chess and at about 80 for shogi).
596 There are almost no draws (about 1-2% of all games in professional play).
599 Exchanges complicate the play rather than simplifying it.
602 There are no ``endgames'' in the standard chess sense; all pieces remain
603 in play throughout the game. Games typically end in a race to
604 checkmate the other player before being checkmated oneself.
607 Ownership of a piece is not indicated by the color of the piece;
608 instead, pieces are wedge-shaped and point towards the opponent. The
609 name of the piece is inscribed in Kanji characters on the front of the
613 Most importantly: it's more fun than other forms of chess :-)
619 Shogi is extremely popular in Japan; it has been estimated that 20
620 million Japanese can play shogi, of which perhaps 1 million are active
621 players. It is even more popular there than the game of go, Japan's
622 other favorite board game. There are a number of professional players
623 who make a considerable amount of money playing in shogi tournaments,
624 and the game receives extensive newpaper and television coverage.
625 Despite this, the game has yet to become popular outside of Japan. Part
626 of this is because the Kanji characters on the pieces scare away some
627 people, but mostly it's due, I think, to lack of exposure to the game
628 and to the difficulty of finding opponents. I hope that GNU shogi will
629 help introduce shogi to a wider audience.
633 * The rules of shogi::
637 * Differences between shogi and chess::
642 @c -------------------------------------------------------
644 @c The rules of shogi.
646 @c -------------------------------------------------------
648 @node The rules of shogi, Sample game, About shogi, About shogi
649 @section The rules of shogi
652 Shogi is a two-person abstract strategy board game with full information
653 (i.e. all pieces and moves are visible to both players at all times).
654 It is in the chess family, being descended from the same ancestral game
655 as international chess: the Indian game of Chaturanga. The two players
656 are referred to as ``Black'' and ``White'', with Black moving first
657 (unlike in international chess, where White moves first), and with
658 movement alternating between the two players. Note that ``Black'' and
659 ``White'' are just names; the pieces are not colored. Instead, they are
660 flat, wedge-shaped pieces which point towards the opponent. The
661 identity of a given piece is indicated by two Japanese Kanji characters
662 on each piece. In fact, only the top character is needed to identify
663 the piece and thus only the top character is used in shogi diagrams. I
664 will use alphabetical equivalents in the diagrams here; to see what the
665 Kanji characters look like, start up xshogi (@pxref{xshogi}) and compare
666 the starting setup there with the starting setup in this file
667 (@pxref{The opening setup}).
669 The object of the game is to capture the opponent's King. The board is
670 a grid of 9x9 uncolored squares, and pieces are placed on the squares.
671 Each player begins with 20 pieces, described in the next section.
672 Capture is by displacement, as in international chess.
676 * The moves of the pieces::
677 * The opening setup::
678 * Promotion of pieces::
683 * Notes for chess players::
687 @c The moves of the pieces.
689 @node The moves of the pieces, The opening setup, The rules of shogi, The rules of shogi
690 @subsection The moves of the pieces
693 Each player at the beginning of a shogi game has a total of 20 pieces of
694 eight different types. The moves of the shogi pieces can be divided
695 into three classes: ``stepping'' pieces, that only move one square at a
696 time; ``ranging'' pieces that move any number of unobstructed squares in
697 a line, and ``jumping'' pieces that can jump over obstructing pieces to
698 reach their destination squares. Most pieces can also promote to
699 different (usually stronger) pieces under certain circumstances (see the
700 next section). All pieces capture the same way that they move (even
701 pawns). The piece moves and promotions are as follows; each piece name
702 is followed by the standard piece abbreviation:
707 The king (K). The king can move one square in any horizontal, vertical,
708 or diagonal direction, just like the king in international chess. The
709 king does not promote.
712 The rook (R). The rook can move any number of squares in a horizontal
713 or vertical direction. The rook is the same as the rook in
714 international chess (except that it can promote). A rook promotes to a
715 ``dragon king'' or ``dragon'' for short (often just referred to as a
716 ``promoted rook''), which can move as a rook or can move one square in
717 any diagonal direction.
720 The bishop (B). The bishop can move any number of squares in a diagonal
721 direction. The bishop is the same as the bishop in international chess
722 (except that it can promote). A bishop promotes to a ``dragon horse''
723 or ``horse'' for short (often just referred to as a ``promoted
724 bishop''), which can move as a bishop or can move one square in any
725 horizontal or vertical direction. Note: the horse should not be
726 confused with a knight (see below), as they are two completely different
730 The gold general (G). A gold general can move one square in any
731 horizontal or vertical direction, or one square in a forward diagonal
732 direction. Gold generals do not promote.
735 The silver general (S). A silver general can move one square in any
736 diagonal direction, or one square straight forward. A silver general
737 promotes to a gold general.
740 The knight (N). A knight can move one square straight forward followed
741 by one square to either forward diagonal, jumping over intervening
742 pieces if any. In other words, a knight moves like its international
743 chess counterpart, but forward only. A knight promotes to a gold
744 general. The knight is the only jumping piece, as in chess.
747 The lance (L). A lance can move any number of squares straight forward.
748 A lance promotes to a gold general.
751 The pawn (P). A pawn can move one square straight forward. The pawn
752 captures the same way that it moves, in contrast to international chess.
753 There is also no initial two-space move for pawns and no
754 @emph{en-passant} capture. A pawn promotes to a gold general; a
755 promoted pawn is usually known as a ``Tokin''.
760 @c The opening setup.
762 @node The opening setup, Promotion of pieces, The moves of the pieces, The rules of shogi
763 @subsection The opening setup
764 @cindex Opening setup
766 The opening setup for shogi is as follows:
771 +---------------------------------------------+ @*
772 | wL | wN | wS | wG | wK | wG | wS | wN | wL | a @*
773 +---------------------------------------------+ @*
774 | | wR | | | | | | wB | | b @*
775 +---------------------------------------------+ @*
776 | wP | wP | wP | wP | wP | wP | wP | wP | wP | c @*
777 +---------------------------------------------+ @*
778 | | | | | | | | | | d @*
779 +---------------------------------------------+ @*
780 | | | | | | | | | | e @*
781 +---------------------------------------------+ @*
782 | | | | | | | | | | f @*
783 +---------------------------------------------+ @*
784 | bP | bP | bP | bP | bP | bP | bP | bP | bP | g @*
785 +---------------------------------------------+ @*
786 | | bB | | | | | | bR | | h @*
787 +---------------------------------------------+ @*
788 | bL | bN | bS | bG | bK | bG | bS | bN | bL | i @*
789 +---------------------------------------------+
792 @c The following TeX macros are taken with permission from
793 @c "TeX for the Beginner" by Wynter Snow.
796 \def\startline{\par\nobreak\noindent}
798 {\obeylines\obeyspaces%
799 \gdef\beginVerbatim{\bigbreak%
802 \obeylines\obeyspaces%
805 \gdef\endVerbatim{\endgroup\bigbreak}
810 +--------------------------------------------+
811 | wL | wN | wS | wG | wK | wG | wS | wN | wL | a
812 +--------------------------------------------+
813 | | wR | | | | | | wB | | b
814 +--------------------------------------------+
815 | wP | wP | wP | wP | wP | wP | wP | wP | wP | c
816 +--------------------------------------------+
817 | | | | | | | | | | d
818 +--------------------------------------------+
819 | | | | | | | | | | e
820 +--------------------------------------------+
821 | | | | | | | | | | f
822 +--------------------------------------------+
823 | bP | bP | bP | bP | bP | bP | bP | bP | bP | g
824 +--------------------------------------------+
825 | | bB | | | | | | bR | | h
826 +--------------------------------------------+
827 | bL | bN | bS | bG | bK | bG | bS | bN | bL | i
828 +--------------------------------------------+
835 Here, ``b'' stands for ``black'' and ``w'' stands for ``white'', so
836 that, for instance, ``bL'' means ``black lance''. The numbers above the
837 files and the letters to the right of the ranks represent the most
838 common notation system used for shogi by westerners (the Japanese also
839 use Arabic numerals for the files but use Japanese numerals for the
843 @c Promotion of pieces.
845 @node Promotion of pieces, Drops, The opening setup, The rules of shogi
846 @subsection Promotion of pieces
847 @cindex Piece promotion
849 In sharp contrast to international chess, where only pawns can promote
850 to higher-ranked pieces, most of the pieces in shogi can promote. The
851 promoted ranks are discussed in the section on piece moves (@pxref{The
852 moves of the pieces}) but are repeated here for reference:
857 promotes to gold general (called a `tokin' in this case only).
860 promotes to gold general.
863 promotes to gold general.
866 promotes to gold general.
872 promotes to ``dragon horse'' or just ``horse'' for short. The horse can
873 move as a bishop or can move one square in any orthogonal direction.
876 promotes to ``dragon king'' or just ``dragon'' for short. The dragon
877 can move as a rook or can move one square in any diagonal direction.
886 The three ranks furthest away from each player constitute his/her
887 ``promotion zone''. A player may, but is not required to, promote a
888 piece after making a move in which the piece begins and/or ends in the
889 promotion zone. Thus you can promote a piece when moving the piece into
890 the promotion zone, out of the promotion zone, or entirely within the
891 promotion zone. Promotion is mandatory in these cases:
897 @item You must promote a pawn or a lance after moving it to the last rank.
899 @item You must promote a knight after moving it to either of the last
906 These forced promotions ensure that a piece cannot be moved to a square
907 from which it would have no further move.
909 Pieces ``dropped'' onto the board (@pxref{Drops}) always drop in the
910 unpromoted state, even if they drop into the promotion zone.
916 @node Drops, Winning the game, Promotion of pieces, The rules of shogi
920 When a player captures a piece, that piece is not removed from play.
921 Instead, it becomes the property of the capturer and can re-enter play
922 by being placed on (almost) any vacant square during the player's move.
923 This is known as a ``drop'' and counts as a full move (in other words,
924 you can either move a piece on the board or drop a piece onto the board
925 during your move, but not both). All pieces drop in the unpromoted
926 state. Pieces may be legally dropped in their promotion zone, but they
927 do not promote on that turn.
929 There are several restrictions on drops:
933 @item A pawn may not be dropped onto a file if there is already an
934 unpromoted pawn belonging to the same player on that file. It is legal
935 to drop a pawn on a file which contains a @emph{promoted} pawn belonging
936 to the same player, however.
938 @item A pawn may not be dropped to give immediate checkmate on the
939 move. A pawn is, however, permitted to be moved on the board to give
940 immediate checkmate. This is a curious rule, and if anyone knows the
941 reason for it I would appreciate it if they would contact me and explain
944 @item A pawn or piece may not be dropped onto a square from which they
945 would have no legal move. This means that pawns and lances may not be
946 dropped onto the last rank, and the knight may not be dropped onto the
947 last or second-to-last rank.
951 It is entirely permissible (and often advisable) to drop a piece or pawn
952 between one's King and an attacking ranging piece. For this reason,
953 the final checkmating move is nearly always an attack on the King from
954 an adjacent square (except for an attack by a Knight).
956 Captured pieces are said to be pieces ``in hand''.
958 The drop is the primary distinguishing feature of Japanese chess, shared
959 with no other popular chess-type game. It gives shogi a very aggressive
960 quality, and dramatically increases the number of possible moves once a
961 few pieces have been captured. Another interesting feature of shogi is
962 that exchanges complicate play rather than simplifying it (as in
963 international chess), because of the drop rule.
968 @node Winning the game, Draws, Drops, The rules of shogi
969 @subsection Winning the game
970 @cindex Winning the game
972 A game of shogi is won by capturing the opponent's king. In general,
973 this is done by checkmating the king: attacking the king in such a way
974 that the king cannot be defended no matter what the defending player
975 moves. Note, though, that there is no rule that requires a player to
976 defend a king which is being attacked. However, if he does not defend
977 his king, the opponent is entirely free to capture it on the next move,
978 thus winning the game. As in international chess, in practice most
979 games end by resignation when one player realizes that he cannot escape
985 @node Draws, Handicaps, Winning the game, The rules of shogi
989 There are very few draws in shogi; only about 1-2% of professional games
990 end in a draw. One reason for this is that material can never be
991 depleted as in chess, because captured pieces are constantly re-entering
992 play as a consequence of the drop rule. In fact, most of the ways a
993 game can be drawn in chess are not allowed in shogi:
999 @item Draws cannot be offered.
1001 @item There is no fifty-move rule.
1003 @item A stalemate counts as a win for the stalemater. Stated otherwise:
1004 if you can't move, you lose.
1006 @item Perpetual check is illegal (see below).
1012 There are only two legal ways in which a draw can occur:
1018 @item A position (including the pieces in hand) occurs 4 times with the same
1019 player to move (called ``Sennichite''). However, if this is caused by
1020 consecutive checks (direct attacks on the King, threatening to capture
1021 it on the next move) by one side, the player giving these checks loses
1022 the game. In other words, perpetual check results in a loss for the
1023 attacker who recreates the same position the 4th time.
1025 @item Both players have moved their King into the the promotion zone (or they
1026 cannot be prevented from doing so) and the Kings cannot be checkmated.
1027 A King who has entered the promotion zone is known as an ``entering
1028 King''; due to the forward orientation of most shogi pieces, it is very
1029 hard to mate such a King. In that case the players may decide to count
1030 their pieces as follows: the King does not count, the Rook and Bishop
1031 count as 5 points, and all other pieces as one point. Promotion is
1032 disregarded. If both players have at least 24 points the game is a draw
1033 (called ``Jishogi''). If a player has less, he loses the game.
1035 Of course, a player can refuse to count pieces when he still has mating
1036 chances or chances to gain material which would affect the outcome of
1037 the counting. There is no strict rule about what to do if this is not
1038 the case, but nonetheless a player refuses to count up (e.g. because he
1039 does not have enough points for a draw). It has been generally accepted
1040 that in such a case the game ends and the pieces are counted after one
1041 player has managed to get all his pieces protected in the promotion
1050 @node Handicaps, Notes for chess players, Draws, The rules of shogi
1051 @subsection Handicaps
1054 Unlike international chess, shogi has a well-established handicap system
1055 which is used when players of different strengths play against each
1056 other. Handicaps range from small to huge, which makes it possible for
1057 weak players to play against even very strong players and have an even
1060 Shogi players are ranked as follows: the weakest rank is around 15
1061 ``kyu'', which represents a beginner. 14 kyu is higher than 15 kyu, 13
1062 kyu is higher still, and so on until you get to 1 kyu. The next highest
1063 rank is 1 ``dan'', followed by 2 dan, 3 dan and so forth. The highest
1064 amateur rank is 6 dan; professionals go up to 9 dan. However,
1065 professional ranks are not the same as amateur ranks; a professional 1
1066 dan is @emph{much} stronger than an amateur 1 dan. This system is
1067 similar to that used by go players (and also other Japanese sports such
1070 A handicap consists of the stronger player playing White and removing
1071 one or more pieces from his side of the board at the start of the game.
1072 These pieces are permanently removed from play; they are not in hand.
1074 The following is a list of the accepted handicaps, from weakest to
1075 strongest. The degree of the handicap, represented by the position in
1076 the list, represents the difference in rank between the two players for
1077 which the handicap is appropriate. These rules are taken from the books
1078 ``Shogi for Beginners'' by John Fairbairn and ``The Art of Shogi'' by
1079 Tony Hoskings (@pxref{References and links}) and, I believe, represent
1080 current Japanese practice.
1087 The stronger player removes his left lance (on 1a).
1090 The players play a two-game match; in the first game the stronger player
1091 removes his left lance (on 1a), while in the second game he removes his
1095 The stronger player removes his bishop.
1098 The stronger player removes his rook.
1101 The stronger player removes his rook and left lance.
1104 The players play a two-game match; in the first game the stronger player
1105 removes his rook and left lance (on 1a), while in the second game he
1106 removes his rook and bishop.
1109 The stronger player removes his rook and bishop. This is usually called
1110 a ``two-piece'' handicap.
1113 The stronger player removes his rook, bishop, and both lances. This is
1114 called a ``four-piece'' handicap.
1117 The stronger player removes his rook, bishop, both lances, and both
1118 knights. This is called a ``six-piece'' handicap.
1121 The stronger player removes his rook, bishop, both lances, both knights,
1122 and both silvers. This is called an ``eight-piece'' handicap.
1128 Another advantage of playing handicap games is that the handicaps alter
1129 the optimal strategy for both players. For instance, handicaps all have
1130 their own opening lines which may bear little or no resemblance to those
1131 used in non-handicap shogi. This means that when learning handicap
1132 shogi, you are essentially learning completely new games which use the
1135 The reader may wonder how on earth a player giving an eight-piece
1136 handicap, say, could possibly hope to win. Don't forget, though, that
1137 in shogi the opponent's pieces can be captured and then become part of
1138 one's own army. Thus, if the opponent plays badly enough, the number of
1139 pieces will soon even out.
1142 @c Notes for chess players.
1144 @node Notes for chess players, , Handicaps, The rules of shogi
1145 @subsection Notes for chess players
1147 Here are a few miscellaneous things that may confuse chess players.
1148 Some of these have been mentioned elsewhere, but they bear repeating.
1153 @item There is no queen.
1155 @item Pawns capture the same way they move. There is no initial
1156 two-space pawn move and no @emph{en-passant} move.
1158 @item There is no special castling move. There @emph{are} a large
1159 number of possible defensive formations referred to as ``castles''
1160 (@pxref{Sample game}) but there is no need for special moves to create
1163 @item A given piece can only promote to @emph{one} other kind of piece.
1173 @node Sample game, Mating problems, The rules of shogi, About shogi
1174 @section Sample game
1177 @c This will have to be spruced up for the TeX version...
1179 This game was annotated by Pieter Stouten (@pxref{References and
1180 links}). I have made some minor corrections. Note that captures are
1181 denoted by the ``x'' symbol e.g. Rx3f and drops are denoted by the ``*''
1182 symbol e.g. R*3f. Check is indicated by a ``+'' after the move,
1183 e.g. R3f+. I recommend you use gnushogi/xshogi to play along with this
1184 game. In xshogi simply hit the ``Force Moves'' button after starting
1185 up, while in gnushogi enter the word ``force'' at the prompt. This will
1186 allow you to enter moves for both sides.
1188 Note also that the move numbering system used here is the chess-type
1189 system where one move means one move by each player. The Japanese count
1190 one move made by each player as two moves.
1192 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1194 Below you will find (the English translation of) an annotated game which
1195 was published in the Dutch Shogi magazine ``81'' and in the Dutch
1196 beginners booklet. It has proven to be a very useful game to explain
1197 some basic principles of Shogi. Also, it is a rather straightforward
1198 game compared to professional games where in most cases very diffuse
1199 middle game fights take place.
1201 Pieter Stouten, 14th May 1990.
1203 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1205 Black: Michael Trent (1-dan). White: David Murphy (2-dan).
1207 1. P2f P3d 2. P2e B3c @*
1208 [ This move is necessary, as otherwise white can exchange pawns: 3. P2d
1209 Px2d 4. Rx2d. He would thus get a pawn in hand and open up his rook
1213 [ White closes the bishop diagonal again. He plans to play ranging rook
1214 (the rook goes to 5b, 4b, 3 or 2b; a defensive strategy) and in that
1215 case he'd better avoid an exchange of bishops. One of the reasons is
1216 that he will have problems developing his pieces without leaving holes
1219 4. S4h R3b 5. P3f S4b 6. K6h K6b @*
1220 [ In general the rook plays an important role in the attacks. It is
1221 wise to move the king away from the area where the initial fights will
1222 be and both players act according to the Shogi proverb ``keep the rook
1225 7. K7h K7b 8. P5f P5d 9. G4i-5h G4a-5b @*
1226 [ Both players use their second gold general to build their castle. ]
1229 [ In itself this move is not bad. However, it will become clear that
1230 black plans a quick attack and in that case it is wiser to omit this
1233 10... S5c 11. P1f P1d @*
1234 [ The advance of the edge pawns must be timed very well. The remark at
1235 black's tenth move applies here too: this move is good if black wants to
1236 play a slow game, because it eliminates a future B1e. ]
1238 12. P4f K8b 13. N3g S7b @*
1239 [ Black develops his knight in order to start an attack over the second,
1240 third and fourth files. White strengthens his king's position and
1241 awaits the attack. He aims at a counterattack as soon as black has
1242 broken through into the white camp. Probably white's breakthrough will
1243 take place later, but he has good compensation in the form of a stronger
1244 castle. This theme occurs very often in static rook versus ranging rook
1248 [ Black starts his attack and white puts up a very passive defence. His
1249 rook has a hard task now to penetrate the black position. Moreover, he
1250 blocks his own bishop. It seems much better to start a counterattack
1251 with 14... P3e, later to be followed by B2b, B5a or Bx4d in order to use
1252 his rook more actively. ]
1254 15. Px4d Sx4d 16. P*4e S5c @*
1255 [ 16... Sx4e is more active. A silver general is normally more valuable
1256 than a knight, but white gets two pawns in hand and black none, while
1257 the knight might come in handy for white too. ]
1259 17. Bx3c+ Nx3c 18. P2d Px2d @*
1260 [ Black threatens to break through and white has to consider taking the
1261 pawn on 2d or starting a counterattack with Nx4e. If he chooses the
1262 latter, black can play Px2c+ followed by +P3c. The disadvantage is the
1263 black ``tokin'' (=promoted pawn) that white will get in his camp; the
1264 advantage is that it will cost black two more moves to promote his rook.
1265 Because white did not trust that the result after engaging in a
1266 ``semeai'' (=mutual attack) with 18...Nx4e would give a positive result,
1267 he captured the pawn on 2d. Making the right decision in moments like
1268 this often makes the difference between a win and a loss: miss one
1269 attacking chance and you will be forced to defend the whole game until
1270 the unavoidable defeat; on the other hand, an unsound attack can destroy
1271 all ``aji'' (=potential, meaning possibilities, threats) without getting
1272 anything in return. ]
1274 19. Rx2d Nx4e 20. Nx4e Rx4e 21. R2a+ P*4g @*
1275 [ Now it becomes clear why black's 10. S6h was not good. Had this move
1276 been omitted, then white would not have had the time to play 13... S7b
1277 and after R2a+ the gold on 6a would hang. Thus black would have kept
1278 ``sente'' (=initiative). Instead of 21... P*4g, B*6d is a very good
1279 move, because after 22. P*2h black does not have a pawn in hand anymore
1280 and he is being threatened with the annoying 22... N*4f 23. G5g N3h+
1281 24. S4g +N4h also. Black can also counter 21... B*6d with 22. N*3g.
1282 White would then reply with 22... R4b 23. B*3c P*4g 24. Bx4b+ Sx4b. The
1283 white rook has played its role and instead of spending moves on saving
1284 it white starts to scatter black's defences by successive pawn drops on
1285 the fourth file: 25. Gx4g P*4f 26. G5g N*6e 27. G5h P4g+ 28. Gx4g P*4f.
1286 This analysis was provided by Kato Hifumi, 9-dan professional (the
1287 highest regular grade). Destroying the coherence of the enemy pieces
1288 (their shape) by dropping pawns is one of the most important Shogi
1289 techniques. With the actual move 21... P*4g white missed a good
1292 22. Sx4g P*4f 23. B*3g Px4g+ 24. +Rx6a +Px3g @*
1293 [ 23. B*3g seems pointless, but a closer look reveals that it is
1294 actually quite mean. On move 24 white cannot capture black's ``Ryu''
1295 (=dragon =promoted rook) with his silver: 24... Sx6a 25. N*7d K7b
1296 26. G*8b mate. By attacking the front of the white castle and
1297 threatening to mate him there, black has the chance to break down the
1298 white defences from the side. ]
1301 [ Here 25... B*4d would be much better, because it is defensive and
1302 attacking at the same time. After e.g. 26. G*4c Bx9i+ 27. Gx5c black
1303 threatens 28. +Rx7b Kx7b 29. S*6a K8b 30. S*7a Kx7a 31. G*7b mate.
1304 White is one move quicker, however. He has the following beautiful
1305 ``tsume'' (mating sequence where every move is check): 27... N*8f 28. Px8f
1306 S*8g 29. Kx8g B*9h 30. K7h Bx8i+ 31. K8g +B8i-8h 32. K9f L*9e mate.
1307 This illustrates the sharpness of Shogi: one move can make the
1308 difference between winning and losing. ]
1311 [ This move eliminates white's last chances. 26... R4b 27. +Rx4b Sx4b
1312 28. R*4a seems annoying, but after 28... B*3c 29. S7g B*3b white wins
1313 the rook and with his ``tokin'' on 3g there still is some hope. ]
1316 [ White cannot defend anymore, so he starts a desperate attack. Black
1317 does not lose the right track, however. ]
1319 28. Nx5c+ +Px5h 29. +Nx6b +Px6h 30. Gx6h N*8f 31. Px8f B*6i 32. Gx6i
1320 R4h+ 33. N*6h +Rx6h 34. Gx6h S*8g 35. Kx8g N*9e 36. K7h Resigns @*
1321 [ White resigns here, because after 36... B*8g 27. K7g his attack has
1331 @node Mating problems, Shogi variants, Sample game, About shogi
1332 @section Mating problems
1334 One good way to improve at shogi is to solve mating problems. There are
1335 several types of these problems, but the most common is called a
1336 ``tsume-shogi'' problem, or ``tsume'' problem for short. In a tsume
1337 problem, all pieces that are not on the board are assumed to be in the
1338 opponent's hand (except for your King, which is usually not shown).
1339 Every move you make must be check until the final checkmate. Your
1340 opponent may play any piece on the board or drop any of his pieces in
1341 hand in order to prevent the mate. In a properly constructed tsume
1342 problem, all of your pieces on the board and in hand must be essential
1343 to the solution. One consequence of this is that all of your pieces in
1344 hand must be played during the solution. There should only be one
1345 correct solution for the given number of moves. Tsume problems use
1346 Japanese-style move numbering; thus, a problem where you move (and give
1347 check), your opponent moves, and you move to give checkmate is called a
1348 three-mover. Here is a really trivial three-mover:
1355 ----------------+ @*
1357 ----------------+ @*
1359 ----------------+ @*
1361 ----------------+ @*
1363 ----------------+ @*
1365 ----------------+ @*
1367 ----------------+ @*
1377 \def\startline{\par\nobreak\noindent}
1379 {\obeylines\obeyspaces%
1380 \gdef\beginVerbatim{\bigbreak%
1383 \obeylines\obeyspaces%
1386 \gdef\endVerbatim{\endgroup\bigbreak}
1411 Here, Black plays G*2b, White plays K1c, and Black plays G*1d mate.
1412 More typical tsume problems range from 5 moves to arbitrarily high
1413 numbers of moves, and they can be quite brain-busting. Tsume problems
1414 may seem artificial, but in the closing stages of the game where both
1415 players have a lot of pieces in hand, it is often necessary to give
1416 check at every move, or else your opponent will start a counterattack
1417 and will mate you before you mate him. A tsume problem is a worst-case
1418 scenario for the attacker: you have to mate your opponent even though he
1419 has every piece not on the board in hand, which means you have to
1420 develop sharp attacking skills. Many more tsume problems can be found
1421 on the internet; I particularly recommend Patrick Davin's ``Shogi
1422 Nexus'' (@pxref{References and links}).
1430 @node Shogi variants, Differences between shogi and chess, Mating problems, About shogi
1431 @section Shogi variants
1432 @cindex Shogi variants
1438 @cindex Tenjiku Shogi
1439 @cindex Dai-dai Shogi
1440 @cindex Maka-dai-dai Shogi
1442 @cindex Kyoku Tai Shogi
1444 Several historical variants of shogi exist. Most of these were invented
1445 before modern shogi (in some cases hundreds of years before), are much
1446 larger than modern shogi and are not played with drops. Thus, in many
1447 ways they are really more like giant chess games than like modern shogi.
1448 The only one of these games to have survived in Japan is Chu (middle)
1449 shogi, which is still played a little bit. Thanks to the efforts of
1450 George Hodges and John Fairbairn of the Shogi Association (two British
1451 shogi enthusiasts), these games were resurrected and rules and sets for
1452 them can still be purchased from George Hodges (@pxref{References and
1453 links}). I hope to eventually extend GNU shogi so that it can play at
1454 least some of these games. There are also several non-historical
1455 variants of shogi; I don't know much about them but you can find
1456 information about them on the internet (@pxref{References and links}).
1458 The historical variants include:
1465 Tori (bird) shogi, played on a 7x7 board with 32 pieces in all; this is
1466 the only variant that is known to have been played with drops.
1469 Wa shogi, played on an 11x11 board with 54 pieces. This game can be
1470 played with or without drops but the historical evidence favors the view
1471 that it was played without drops. However, most people who have tried
1472 it claim it is a much better game with drops, being even more intricate
1473 than standard shogi.
1476 Chu (middle) shogi, played on a 12x12 board with 92 pieces. This was
1477 (and is) by far the most popular of the variants, and has 21 different
1478 kinds of pieces in the starting line-up alone (along with several others
1479 that appear upon promotion). Unlike modern shogi, there are a
1480 tremendous number of ranging pieces and the game is definitely not
1481 played with drops. There is also an amazing piece called the Lion which
1482 has a double king move and can capture two pieces at once! Chu shogi
1483 has a small but fanatical following, some of whom consider it better
1487 Dai (great) shogi, played on a 15x15 board with 130 pieces. Other than
1488 the larger board, this game is very similar to Chu shogi.
1491 Tenjiku (exotic) shogi, played on a 16x16 board with 176 pieces. This
1492 game is possibly the most complex tactical game in existence. There are
1493 many astoundingly powerful pieces, including one (the Fire Demon) that
1494 can capture up to eight opposing pieces in a single move! Despite the
1495 size of the game, checkmates can occur very suddenly (and often very
1496 early on) if one player makes a wrong move. Tenjiku also has a small
1497 but fanatical following, one of whom (Colin Adams) has written a book on
1498 the game which is available for download at
1499 @uref{http://www.colina.demon.co.uk/tenjiku.html}.
1502 Dai-dai (great-great) shogi, played on a 17x17 board with 192 pieces.
1503 The opening setup alone has 64 different kinds of pieces! This game and
1504 the larger ones that follow sound pretty outlandish, but they have
1505 actually been played; a game of Dai-dai can supposedly be played in
1509 Maka-dai-dai (great-great-great) shogi, played on a 19x19 board with 192
1510 pieces. For those for whom Dai-dai shogi is just too small :-)
1513 Tai (grand) shogi, played on a 25x25 board with 354 pieces! Until
1514 recently, this was thought to be the biggest chess game ever devised,
1518 Kyoku tai (extremely grand?) shogi, played on a 36x36 board with 402
1519 pieces. The rules for this have just been unearthed in an old Japanese
1520 book. Hopefully someone will soon organize a postal Kyoku tai shogi
1521 championship; maybe their distant ancestors could finish it :-)
1523 It is thought that the really huge games (Dai-dai and up) were never
1524 really played to any significant extent (gee, wonder why?) and were
1525 devised merely so that the creators could have the fun of inventing
1526 enormous games, amazing their friends and confounding their enemies.
1527 However, the games up to Tenjiku shogi at least appear to be quite
1528 playable, assuming one has the time.
1535 @c Differences between shogi and chess.
1538 @node Differences between shogi and chess, , Shogi variants, About shogi
1539 @section Differences between shogi and chess
1540 @cindex Shogi vs. Chess
1542 Some differences between shogi and international chess have been
1543 mentioned elsewhere in this document; I summarize them here for people
1544 who are interested in game comparisons. I won't try to deal with the
1545 thorny question of which game is ``better'' although my bias may have
1546 already come through :-) In fact, the drop rule makes the two games so
1547 different in character that arguing over which game is better is like
1548 comparing apples to oranges (you'd be better off comparing chess to Chu
1549 shogi (@pxref{Shogi variants}). However, I believe that if you are a
1550 chess fan you'll really like shogi as well, and shogi is also popular
1551 with many people who don't particularly like chess.
1553 Here are the significant differences between chess and shogi:
1560 In shogi, captured pieces become the property of the capturer and can
1561 re-enter play by being dropped onto almost any vacant square. In chess,
1562 captured pieces are out of the game. Thus, in shogi, piece exchanges
1563 complicate the play significantly while in chess they simplify it.
1566 The shogi board is 9x9; the chess board is 8x8.
1569 Shogi has five pieces with no counterpart in chess: the gold and silver
1570 generals, the lance, the promoted rook and the promoted bishop. Chess
1571 has one piece with no counterpart in shogi: the queen. The knight's
1572 move in shogi is much more restrictive than in chess. Pieces in shogi
1573 generally have a much smaller range of movement than in chess (unless
1577 In shogi, all pieces except the gold general and the king can promote,
1578 but only to one kind of piece. Promotion is easier in shogi because the
1579 promotion zone is closer to the starting position of the pieces
1580 (especially pawns). In chess, only the pawn can promote, but it can
1581 promote to any other piece except the king.
1584 In shogi, pawns capture the same way they move. There is no initial
1585 two-space pawn move and hence no @emph{en-passant} captures. In chess,
1586 pawns capture diagonally which means that opposing pawns can block each
1590 In shogi, you only have one rook and one bishop. Note that the bishop
1591 is not restricted to only one ``color'' square (squares in shogi aren't
1592 colored, but never mind) because promoted bishops can also move one
1593 square orthogonally.
1596 There is no special castling move in shogi. The term ``castle'' is
1597 used in shogi to denote a defensive formation consisting of (usually)
1598 three generals which protect the king. There are many such castles
1599 (about 40 or so have names). @xref{Sample game}.
1602 Draws are much rarer in shogi than in chess. Perpetual check is not
1603 allowed. Stalemate is a virtual impossibility, and is a loss for the
1607 Since pieces are never out of play in shogi, chess-type endgames
1608 involving only a few pieces do not occur.
1611 Shogi games are generally longer than chess games (about 60-70 moves is
1615 Shogi has a well-developed handicap system which is in general use;
1622 The effects of all these differences on play include (in my opinion):
1629 Piece/pawn structures in chess are more rigid than in shogi. Pawns
1630 block each other and pawns, once advanced, cannot ever retreat. In
1631 shogi, you can repair the hole caused by a pawn advance by exchanging
1632 the pawn and dropping it back where you want it. Thus shogi is more
1633 fluid than chess and less ``structural''.
1636 Counterattack is MUCH more common in shogi than in chess. Games
1637 typically end in mutual mating attacks, where each player is trying to
1638 checkmate the other player before being checkmated himself. This makes
1639 tempo incredibly important and also makes sacrificial play quite common.
1642 Attacks involving only ranging pieces are more a feature of chess than
1643 of shogi. A shogi attack typically uses a ranging piece or pieces to
1644 support an attack by short-range pieces (especially generals). It is
1645 very rare to mate a king with a non-adjacent ranging piece in shogi
1646 since the player whose king is threatened can almost always interpose by
1654 @c --------------------
1656 @c --------------------
1658 @node gnushogi, xshogi, About shogi, Top
1662 This section describes how to run the ``gnushogi'' program.
1670 gnushogi [ [[-]a] [-b bookfile] [-B binbookfile] [-C] [-h langfile]
1671 [-L langfile] [-r length] [-R] [-s pathname] [-l pathname] [-S binbooksize]
1672 [-t] [-c size] [-T size] [-v] [-x] [-X] arg1 arg2 ]
1680 GNU shogi (gnushogi) plays a game of japanese chess (shogi) against the
1681 user or it plays against itself.
1683 At startup gnushogi reads the binbook file if it is present. It then
1684 looks for a book file. If it is present it adds its contents to the
1685 binbook data. If the binbook file is writable a new combined binbook
1688 Gnushogi is a modified version of the gnuchess program. It has a simple
1689 alphanumeric board display, or it can be used with the xshogi program
1690 under X windows. The program gets its opening moves from the file
1691 gnushogi.bbk which is located in a directory specified in the Makefile.
1692 To invoke the program type:
1699 simple curses based version
1701 @item gnushogi -X (or just gnushogi)
1702 xshogi compatible version
1705 raw test display version
1714 If one argument is given, it is the search time per move in
1715 [minutes:]seconds. So gnushogi 30 will generate one move every 30
1716 seconds, while gnushogi 5:00 will generate one move every 5 minutes.
1718 If two or more arguments are given, they will be used to set tournament
1719 time controls with the first argument of each pair being the number of
1720 moves and the second being the total clock time in minutes[:seconds].
1721 Thus, entering gnushogi 60 5 will set the clocks for 5 minutes (300
1722 seconds) for the first 60 moves, and gnushogi 30 3:30 will allow 3
1723 minutes and 30 seconds for 30 moves.
1725 gnushogi 30 5 1 :30 will allow 5 minutes for the first 30 moves and 30
1726 seconds for each move after that. Up to 4 pairs of controls may be
1729 If no argument is given the program will prompt the user for level of
1732 For use with xshogi see the documentation on that program.
1743 The book gnushogi.tbk consists of a sequence of openings. An opening
1744 begins with a line starting with a # (the rest of the line is a comment).
1745 Following this is a series of moves in algebraic notation alternating
1746 between black and white separated by whitespace. A move may have a ?
1747 after it indicating this move should never be made in this position. Moves
1748 are stored as position:move so transpositions between openings can take
1757 The hashfile if created should be on the order of 4 megabytes; you can
1758 create such a hashfile by typing ``gnushogi -c 22'' (see below). This
1759 file contains positions and moves learned from previous games. If a
1760 hashfile is used the computer makes use of the experience it gained in
1761 past games. Tests run so far show that it plays no worse with the
1762 hashfile than without, but it is not clear yet whether it provides a
1771 Note: Piece letters are determined by the language file. What is
1772 specified here is the default (English).
1774 Once gnushogi is invoked, the program will display the board and prompt
1775 the user for a move. To enter a move, use the notation 7g7f where the
1776 first letter-number pair indicates the origin square and the second
1777 letter-number pair indicates the destination square. An alternative is
1778 to use the notation P7f where the first letter indicates the piece type
1779 (P,L,N,S,G,B,R,K). To promote append a + the type of the new piece to
1780 the move, as in 2d2c+ or P2c+. Note that you must use capital letters
1781 for the pieces by default.
1785 COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS
1792 Do not search on opponent's time.
1795 Do search on opponent's time.
1797 @item -b @var{bookfile}
1798 Use bookfile for opening book.
1800 @item -B @var{binbookfile}
1801 Use binbookfile for binary opening book.
1804 Create a new HASHFILE. File size is 2^size entries of approximately 65+?
1808 Use curses-based display mode.
1811 Do not use hashfile.
1816 @item -l @var{pathname}
1817 Pathname of the loadfile used with get or xget.
1820 Use language lang from the file gnushogi.lang. If -L is not specified
1821 it uses the first language in the file.
1823 @item -P @var{plylevels}
1824 Number of plys to include in the binbookfile. For generating a
1827 @item -r @var{length}
1828 Rehash @emph{length} times in searching entries for position in
1829 transposition table.
1832 Use raw text display mode. This can be used for dumb terminals or for
1833 systems that don't have curses.
1835 @item -s @var{pathname}
1836 Pathname of the save file to use with the save command.
1839 Size of binbookfile for memory based books. For creating a binbookfile.
1842 Show statistics for HASHFILE.
1845 Set the transposition table size to 2^size entries.
1848 Show version and patchlevel.
1850 @item -x @var{value}
1851 Use value as the evaluation window xwndw.
1854 Use xshogi display mode (the default).
1864 In addition to legal moves, the following commands can be entered at the
1865 gnushogi prompt. Note: command names are determined by the language
1866 file and may vary with the implementation. The default language is
1872 allow algebraic input (not implemented).
1875 change Alpha window (default score + 90).
1878 change Beta window (default score - 90).
1881 toggles beeping after each move (default: on).
1884 updates the current board position on the display.
1887 turns off use of the opening library.
1890 causes the computer to play both sides of a shogi game.
1893 causes the computer to play as White, if the computer was to move
1897 saves a game to disk as a book textfile. The program will prompt the
1898 user for a file name.
1901 toggles game mode time control. Assumes the time specified for time
1902 control is the time for a complete game. Input with the level command
1903 should be the game time and the expected number of moves in a game. go
1904 command must be given.
1907 show coordinates on the display (visual only).
1910 allows the value of @emph{contempt} to be modified.
1913 asks for a piece as color piece, as wb or bn, and shows its calculated
1914 value on each square.
1917 sets level of debugging output if compiled with debug options.
1920 allows the user to change the search depth of the program. The maximum
1921 depth is 29 ply. Normally the depth is set to 29 and the computer
1922 terminates its search based on elapsed time rather than depth. If depth
1923 is set to (say) 4 ply, the program will search until all moves have been
1924 examined to a depth of 4 ply (with extensions up to 11 additional ply
1925 for sequences of checks and captures). If you set a maximum time per
1926 move and also use the depth command, the search will stop at the
1927 specified time or the specified depth, whichever comes first.
1930 toggles easy mode (thinking on opponents time) on and off. The default
1931 is easy mode ON. If easy mode is disabled, the keyboard is polled for
1932 input every so often and when input is seen the search is terminated. It
1933 may also be terminated with a sigint.
1936 allows the user to set up a board position.
1946 command will exit setup mode.
1952 place a promoted pawn on 3b
1955 place a pawn in hand (among the captured pieces)
1959 Pieces are entered by typing a letter (p,l,n,s,g,b,r,k) for
1960 the piece followed by the coordinate. Here, letter case is ignored.
1962 The usual warning about the language file applies.
1968 tells the computer to move first. Computer begins searching for a move.
1972 allows the user to enter moves for both sides. To get the program to
1973 play after a sequence of moves has been entered use the ``black'' or
1977 retrieves a game from disk. The program will prompt the user for a file
1981 tells the computer to move first. Computer begins searching for a move.
1982 (same as ``first'').
1985 use/don't use hashfile.
1988 allows the user to change the minimum depth for using the hashfile and
1989 the number of moves from the beginning of the game to use it.
1992 displays a short description of the commands and the current status of
1996 causes the program to supply the user with its predicted move.
1999 allows the user to set time controls such as 60 moves in 5 minutes etc.
2000 In tournament mode, the program will vary the time it takes for each
2001 move depending on the situation. If easy mode is disabled (using the
2002 ``easy'' command), the program will often respond with its move
2003 immediately, saving time on its clock for use later on.
2006 writes the game moves and some statistics on search depth, nodes, and
2007 time to the file ``shogi.lst''.
2010 toggle material flag - draws on no pawns and both sides < rook.
2016 evaluates the board and shows the point score for each piece. The total
2017 score for a position is the sum of these individual piece scores.
2020 causes the program to display the principal variation and the score
2021 during the search. A score of 100 is equivalent to a 1 pawn advantage
2028 causes the program to randomize its move selection slightly.
2034 backout the last level for both sides. Equal to 2 undo's.
2037 causes the board display to be reversed. That is, the Black's pieces will
2038 now appear at the top of the board.
2041 reverse board display.
2044 saves a game to disk. The program will prompt the user for a file name.
2047 causes the program to switch places with the opponent and begin
2051 performs some speed tests for MoveList and CaptureList generation, and
2052 ScorePosition position scoring for the current board.
2055 set computer's time remaining, intended for synchronizing clocks among
2059 toggle tsume mode. In tsume mode, not all possible moves will be
2060 generated. If a king is in check, only moves that get the king out of
2061 check are generated. If the king is not in check, only moves that give
2062 check to the opponent's king are generated.
2065 undoes the last move whether it was the computer's or the human's. You
2066 may also type ``remove''. This is equivalent to two ``undo'''s
2067 (e.g. retract one move for each side).
2070 causes the computer to play as Black; if the computer is to move
2071 first the go command must be given.
2074 read an xshogi position file.
2077 save as an xshogi position file.
2080 change X window. The window around alpha/beta used to determine whether
2081 the position should be scored or just estimated. Note: this has
2082 @emph{nothing} to do with xshogi or X windows; the terms are completely
2090 @c --------------------
2092 @c --------------------
2094 @node xshogi, References and links, gnushogi, Top
2098 This section describes how to run the ``xshogi'' program.
2114 xshogi provides an X11/Xt/Athena Widgets user interface for gnushogi.
2115 With xshogi you can play gnushogi, set up arbitrary positions, force
2116 variations, or watch xshogi manage a game between two shogi programs.
2117 Furthermore, it can be used as an interface between two players on
2120 xshogi can also be used as a shogi board to play out games. It will
2121 read through a game file or allow a player to play through a variation
2122 manually (force mode). This is useful for keeping track of email postal
2123 games or browsing games off the net.
2125 After starting xshogi, you can make moves by pressing mouse button 1
2126 while the cursor is over a square with your piece on it and dragging the
2127 mouse to another square. If the move is illegal, gnushogi will not
2128 allow it. xshogi will then retract the move.
2132 COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS
2136 The following command line options also correspond to X resources that
2137 you can set in your .Xdefaults file.
2143 @item [standard Xt options]
2144 xshogi accepts standard Xt options like -display, -geometry, and
2147 @item -tc or -timeControl minutes[:seconds]
2148 Amount of time for a set of moves determined by movesPerSession. If
2149 this number of moves is played within the time control period, xshogi
2150 resets the time clocks. Default: 5 minutes.
2152 @item -mps or -movesPerSession moves
2153 Number of moves in a time control period. Default: 40 moves.
2155 @item -st or -searchTime minutes[:seconds]
2156 Tell gnushogi to spend at most the given amount of time searching for
2157 each of its moves. Without this option, gnushogi chooses its search
2158 time based on the number of moves and amount of time remaining until the
2159 next time control. Setting this option also sets -clockMode to False.
2161 @item -sd or -searchDepth number
2162 Tell gnushogi to look ahead at most the given number of moves when
2163 searching for a move to make. Without this option, gnushogi chooses
2164 its search depth based on the number of moves and amount of time
2165 remaining until the next time control. Setting this option also sets
2166 -clockMode to False.
2168 @item -clock or -clockMode (True | False)
2169 Determines whether or not to use the clock. If clockMode is False, the
2170 clock does not run, but the side that is to play next is still
2173 @item -td or -timeDelay seconds
2174 Time delay between moves during ``Load Game''. This doesn't have to be
2175 a round number. Try -td 0.4. Default: 1 second.
2177 @item -nsp or -noShogiProgram (True | False)
2178 If this option is True, xshogi acts as a passive shogi board; it does
2179 not try to start a shogi program, not even to check whether moves made
2180 in Force mode are legal. It also sets -clockMode to False. Default:
2183 @item -fsp or -firstShogiProgram program
2184 Name of first shogi program. In matches between two machines, this
2185 program plays white. Default: ``gnushogi''.
2187 @item -ssp or -secondShogiProgram program
2188 Name of second shogi program, if needed. In matches between two
2189 machines, this program plays black; otherwise it is not started.
2190 Default: ``gnushogi''.
2192 @item -fh or -firstHost host
2193 Name of host the first shogi program plays on. Default: ``localhost''.
2195 @item -sh or -secondHost host
2196 Name of host the second shogi program plays on. Default: ``localhost''.
2198 @item -rsh or -remoteShell shell_name
2199 Some systems do not use rsh as the remote shell. This option allows a
2200 user to name the remote shell command. This should be done in the
2203 @item -mm or -matchMode (False | Init | Position | Opening)
2204 Automatically run a game between firstShogiProgram and
2205 secondShogiProgram. If matchMode is set to Init, xshogi will start the
2206 game with the initial shogi position. If matchMode is set to Position,
2207 xshogi will start the game with the position specified by the
2208 loadPositionFile resource. If matchMode is set to Opening, xshogi will
2209 play out the opening moves specified by the -loadGameFile resource. If
2210 the -saveGameFile resource is set, a move record for the match will be
2211 saved in the specified file. Default: ``False''.
2213 @item -lgf or -loadGameFile file
2214 Name of file to read a game record from. Game files are found in the
2215 directory named by the SHOGIDIR environment variable. If this variable
2216 is not set, the current directory is used unless the file name starts
2219 @item -lpf or -loadPositionFile file
2220 Name of file to read a game position from. Position files are found in
2221 the directory named by the SHOGIDIR environment variable. If this
2222 variable is not set, the current directory is used unless the file name
2225 @item -sgf or -saveGameFile file
2226 Name of file to save a game record to. Game files are saved in the
2227 directory named by the SHOGIDIR environment variable. If this variable
2228 is not set, the current directory is used unless the file name starts
2231 @item -spf or -savePositionFile file
2232 Name of file to save a game position to. Position files are saved in
2233 the directory named by the SHOGIDIR environment variable. If this
2234 variable is not set, the current directory is used unless the file name
2237 @item -coords or -showCoords (True | False)
2238 If this option is True, xshogi displays algebraic coordinates along the
2239 board's left and bottom edges. The default is False. The coordFont
2240 resource specifies what font to use.
2242 @item -mono or -monoMode (True | False)
2243 Determines whether xshogi displays its pieces and squares with two
2244 colors or four. You shouldn't have to specify monochrome. xshogi will
2245 determine if this is necessary.
2247 @item -pc or -pieceColor color
2248 Color specification for pieces suitable for XParseColor().
2251 @item -sc or -squareColor color
2252 Same for squares. Default: #EBDFB0.
2254 @item -wps or -westernPieceSet (True | False)
2255 Choose the Western style piece set.
2257 @item -npb or -normalPawnBitmap file
2258 @item -nnb or -normalKnightBitmap file
2259 @item -nbb or -normalBishopBitmap file
2260 @item -nrb or -normalRookBitmap file
2261 @item -nkb or -normalKingBitmap file
2262 Names of the bitmap files for the bitmap piece icons.
2264 @item -rpb or -reversePawnBitmap file
2265 @item -rnb or -reverseKnightBitmap file
2266 @item -rbb or -reverseBishopBitmap file
2267 @item -rrb or -reverseRookBitmap file
2268 @item -rkb or -reverseKingBitmap file
2269 Names of the bitmap files for the outline piece icons.
2271 @item -debug or -debugMode (True | False)
2272 Turns on debugging printout.
2287 The actual string that is sent to initialize the shogi program can be
2288 set from .Xdefaults. It can't be set from the command line because of
2289 syntax problems. The default value is ``new\nbeep\nrandom\neasy\n''.
2290 The ``new'' and ``beep'' commands are required. You can remove the
2291 ``random'' command if you like; including it causes gnushogi to
2292 randomize its move selection slightly so that it doesn't play the same
2293 moves in every game. Even without ``random'', gnushogi randomizes its
2294 choice of moves from its opening book. You can also remove ``easy'' if
2295 you like; including it toggles easy mode off, causing gnushogi to think
2296 on your time. That is, if ``easy'' is included in the initString, GNU
2297 Shogi thinks on your time; if not, it does not. (Yes, this does seem
2298 backwards, doesn't it.) You can also try adding other commands to the
2299 initString; see the gnushogi documentation (@pxref{gnushogi}) for
2302 @item blackString and whiteString
2303 These resources control what is sent when the Machine Black and Machine
2304 White buttons are selected. This is mostly for compatibility with
2305 obsolete versions of gnushogi.
2307 Alternate bitmaps for piece icons can be specified either by choosing
2308 one of the built-in sets or with the file name resources described
2309 above. There are three built-in sets of piece bitmaps available, large
2310 (the default), medium, or small. It is easiest to select the set you
2311 prefer in the .Xdefaults file:
2313 XShogi*boardSize: Medium
2315 The font used for button labels and comments can be changed in the
2316 .Xdefaults file. You may want to choose a smaller font if you are using
2319 XShogi*font: helvetica_oblique12
2321 The font used for coordinates (when the showCoords option is True) can
2324 XShogi*coordFont: helvetica_10
2326 If you are using a grayscale monitor, try setting the colors to:
2328 XShogi*pieceColor: gray100 @*
2329 XShogi*squareColor: gray60 @*
2335 COMMAND BUTTONS AND KEYS
2342 Quits xshogi. Q or q is a keyboard equivalent.
2345 Resets xshogi to the beginning of a shogi game. It also deselects any
2346 game or position files.
2349 inverts the view of the shogi board.
2352 displays a move hint from gnushogi.
2355 plays a game from a record file. If no file is specified a popup dialog
2356 asks for a filename. Game files are found in the directory named by the
2357 SHOGIDIR environment variable. If this variable is not declared then
2358 the current directory is used unless the file name starts with a /. G
2359 or g is a keyboard equivalent. The game file parser will accept almost
2360 any file that contains moves in algebraic notation. If the first line
2361 begins with `#', it is assumed to be a title and is displayed. Text
2362 enclosed in parentheses or square brackets is assumed to be commentary
2363 and is displayed in a pop-up window. Any other text in the file is
2367 sets up a position from a position file. If no file is specified a
2368 popup dialog asks for a filename. Position files are found in the
2369 directory named by the SHOGIDIR environment variable. If this variable
2370 is not declared then the current directory is used unless the file name
2371 starts with a /. Position files must be in the format that the Save
2372 Position command writes.
2375 saves a game to a record file. If no file is specified a popup dialog
2376 asks for a filename. If the filename exists, the user is asked whether
2377 the current game record is be appended to this file or if the file
2378 should be replaced. Game files are saved in the directory named by the
2379 SHOGIDIR environment variable. If this variable is not declared then
2380 the current directory is used unless the file name starts with a /.
2381 Game files are human-readable, and can also be read back by the Load
2382 Game command. Furthermore, they are accepted as gnushogi text bookfiles.
2385 saves a position to a position file. If no file is specified a popup
2386 dialog asks for a filename. Position files are saved in the directory
2387 named by the SHOGIDIR environment variable. If this variable is not
2388 declared then the current directory is used unless the file name starts
2389 with a /. Position files are human-readable, and can also be read back
2390 by the Load Position command.
2393 forces gnushogi to play white.
2396 forces gnushogi to play black.
2399 forces a series of moves. That is, gnushogi stops playing and xshogi
2400 allows you to make moves for both white and black.
2403 plays a game between two computer programs.
2406 moves forward through a series of remembered moves. F or f is a
2407 keyboard equivalent.
2410 moves backward through a series of remembered moves. As a side effect,
2411 puts xshogi into Force Moves mode. B or b is a keyboard equivalent.
2414 pauses the clocks or (in Load Game mode) pauses the game being loaded.
2415 Press Pause again to continue. P or p is a keyboard equivalent.
2418 lets you set up an arbitrary board position. Use mouse button 1 to drag
2419 pieces to new squares, or to delete a piece by dragging it off the board
2420 or dragging an empty square on top of it. To drop a new piece on a
2421 square, press mouse button 2 or 3 over the square. This brings up a
2422 menu of black pieces (button 2) or white pieces (button 3). Additional
2423 menu choices let you empty the square or clear the board. You can set
2424 the side to play next by clicking on the Black or White indicator at the
2428 allows you to make a two display game between two human players. Enter
2429 the display you want to connect to. If you are allowed to connect, a
2430 new board is displayed at the remote display. Challenge mode can only
2431 be stopped by pressing ``quit''.
2434 allows you to reset the clocks for both players. Enter the number of
2435 moves and the number of minutes in which the moves should be done.
2438 force computer to stop thinking and to make the current best move.
2440 @item Iconify I, i, C or c
2451 If you press the Pause button during GNU Shogi's turn,
2452 xshogi will stop the clocks, but gnushogi will still make a
2455 After a mate or draw when playing against gnushogi, if you
2456 back up with the Backward button, the clocks are reset
2457 (because gnushogi has exited and must be restarted).
2459 The game parser recognizes only algebraic notation.
2467 Original authors of XBoard: Chris Sears and Dan Sears.
2469 Enhancements for XBoard (Version 2.0): Tim Mann.
2471 Conversion to XShogi (Version 1.1): Matthias Mutz.
2473 Current maintainer: Mike Vanier.
2477 COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
2481 XShogi borrows its piece bitmaps from CRANES Shogi.
2483 Copyright 1991 by Digital Equipment Corporation, Maynard, Massachusetts.
2484 Enhancements Copyright 1992 Free Software Foundation, Inc. Enhancements
2485 Copyright 1993 Matthias Mutz. Further enhancements copyright 1999 by
2486 Michael Vanier and the Free Software Foundation, Inc.
2488 The following terms apply to Digital Equipment Corporation's copyright
2493 Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its
2494 documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted,
2495 provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that
2496 both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in
2497 supporting documentation, and that the name of Digital not be used in
2498 advertising or publicity pertaining to distribution of the software
2499 without specific, written prior permission.
2501 DIGITAL DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE, INCLUDING
2502 ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS, IN NO EVENT SHALL
2503 DIGITAL BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR
2504 ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS,
2505 WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION,
2506 ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS
2509 The following terms apply to the enhanced version of XShogi distributed
2510 by the Free Software Foundation:
2512 This file is part of XSHOGI.
2514 XSHOGI is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
2515 ANY WARRANTY. No author or distributor accepts responsibility to anyone
2516 for the consequences of using it or for whether it serves any particular
2517 purpose or works at all, unless he says so in writing. Refer to the
2518 XSHOGI General Public License for full details.
2520 Everyone is granted permission to copy, modify and redistribute XSHOGI,
2521 but only under the conditions described in the XSHOGI General Public
2522 License. A copy of this license is supposed to have been given to you
2523 along with XSHOGI so you can know your rights and responsibilities. It
2524 should be in a file named COPYING. Among other things, the copyright
2525 notice and this notice must be preserved on all copies.
2528 @c ---------------------
2529 @c References and links.
2530 @c ---------------------
2532 @node References and links, Acknowledgements, xshogi, Top
2533 @chapter References and links
2536 @cindex Mailing lists
2540 There are very few English-language books for people learning shogi.
2541 The two I recommend are:
2548 @cite{Shogi for Beginners, 2nd. Edition}, by John Fairbairn. This is a
2549 superb beginner's book in every way, covering all phases of the game.
2550 It was out of print for a long time, but has now been reprinted and is
2551 available either from Kiseido (@uref{http://www.labnet.or.jp/~kiseido})
2552 or from George Hodges (see below).
2555 @cite{The Art of Shogi}, by Tony Hoskings. This is one step up from the
2556 Fairbairn book. It covers a lot of ground, and is especially noteworthy
2557 for its detailed treatment of opening lines. You can order this book
2558 from Amazon.com's UK branch (@uref{http://www.amazon.co.uk}).
2564 Another book you may find is @cite{Shogi: Japan's Game of Strategy} by
2565 Trevor Leggett. This book is very elementary and is somewhat outdated,
2566 having been published first in 1966. However, it does feature a paper
2567 shogi board and punch-out pieces, so if you want a really cheap shogi
2568 set you might pick this book up. It is still in print.
2570 Two books that are no longer in print but are definitely worth getting
2571 if you find them are @cite{Guide to Shogi Openings} and @cite{Better
2572 Moves for Better Shogi}, both by Aono Teriuchi. They are published in a
2573 bilingual edition (English/Japanese) and are the only books on shogi in
2574 English written by a Japanese professional shogi player. John Fairbairn
2575 did the translation from Japanese to English.
2577 Shogi sets are available from:
2585 United Kingdom BR1 2WT
2590 George also sells equipment for all the historical shogi variants
2591 (@pxref{Shogi variants}) (except for Kyoku tai shogi) and also sells
2592 back issues of the magazine ``Shogi'' which he published for 70 issues
2593 in the late 70's to late 80's. This magazine is STRONGLY recommended;
2594 it contains more information about shogi in English than you will ever
2597 Here are some useful URLs:
2603 @item Pieter Stouten's shogi page: @uref{http://www.shogi.net}
2604 This is the main shogi-related site on the internet, with links to
2605 almost all the other sites.
2607 @item Roger Hare's shogi page: @uref{http://www.ed.ac.uk/~rjhare/shogi}
2608 This has lots of information, including full rules to most of the shogi
2611 @item Patrick Davin's Shogi Nexus: @uref{http://www.vega.or.jp/~patrick/shogi/}
2612 There's lots of cool stuff on this site; my favorite is the extensive
2613 collection of Tsume-shogi (mating) problems, both for beginners and
2614 more advanced players.
2616 @item Steve Evans' shogi page: @uref{http://www.netspace.net.au/~trout/index.html}
2617 Steve has written a program that plays almost all of the shogi variants,
2618 unfortunately it only runs on Windows :-(
2620 @item Hans Bodlaender's chess variant pages: @uref{http://www.cs.ruu.nl/~hansb/d.chessvar}
2621 This page has an almost unimaginable variety of rules for different
2622 chess variants, including many shogi variants (historical and non-historical).
2628 @c -----------------
2629 @c Acknowledgements.
2630 @c -----------------
2632 @node Acknowledgements, Bugs, References and links, Top
2633 @chapter Acknowledgements
2634 @cindex Acknowledgements
2636 I would like to thank the following people:
2643 Matthias Mutz, who originally developed GNU shogi as a spin-off of GNU
2644 chess and who very kindly let me take over the maintenance of this very
2645 interesting project.
2648 Richard Stallman and the Free Software Foundation, for creating an
2649 organization where anyone can contribute software for the common good of
2650 all, for making GNU/Linux possible, and especially for writing emacs and
2651 gcc, without which my working life would be intolerable.
2654 Georges Hodges, for starting the Shogi Association in England, without
2655 which I would probably never have heard of shogi, for supplying shogi
2656 equipment, for publishing the excellent magazine ``Shogi'' (now sadly
2657 defunct), for personally answering all my silly questions by mail, and
2658 for being the ambassador of shogi to the West.
2661 Pieter Stouten, for having the most comprehensive shogi site on the
2662 World Wide Web (@uref{http://www.shogi.net}), and for
2663 maintaining the shogi-l mailing list. Go to Pieter's web site for more
2664 information on subscribing to the list. Also thanks to everyone who
2665 contributes and has contributed to that list.
2668 Matt Casters, for testing GNU shogi. Matt and I will be working
2669 together on improving the solution engine in future versions of this
2680 @node Bugs, Index, Acknowledgements, Top
2683 The motto of GNU shogi is ``100% bug-free or you don't pay!'' :-) In the
2684 extremely unlikely case (*ahem*) that you do find a bug, please send me
2685 (Mike Vanier) an email at @email{mvanier@@cs.caltech.edu}. Also, feel
2686 free to send me comments, complaints, out-and-out raves, suggestions,
2687 plane tickets to Hawaii, and/or large suitcases filled with unmarked,
2688 untraceable hundred-dollar bills.
2701 @node Index, , Bugs, Top