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10 <h1>Shogi (Japanese Chess)</h1>
12 <p>Shogi (literally meaning 'Generals Game') is highly popular in
13 Japan, and is the World's third major Chess variant, after
14 Xiangqi and FIDE. Draws hardly occur, because there rule that
15 captured pieces can be dropped back on the board ensures the game
16 can go on until a decision is reached. Historically, it are these
17 piece drops that have won the game its popularity; the dropless
18 version, Sho Shogi (= small Shogi) was overwhelmed in popularity
19 by the also dropless Chu Shogi (= middle Shogi).</p>
21 <table cellpadding="20">
23 <td><img src="Shogi.png"></td>
26 <h3>Initial setup</h3>
31 d1, d8, f1, f8: Gold General<br>
32 c1, c8, g1, g8: Silver General<br>
33 b1, b8, h1, h8: (Shogi) Knight<br>
34 a1, a8, i1, i8: Lance<br>
35 a3-i3, a7-i7: Pawns</p>
40 <h3>Moves at a Glance</h3>
42 <p>Click on a piece below to see its moves</p>
48 <td class="n" id="sq1x9"></td>
50 <td class="n" id="sq2x9"></td>
52 <td class="n" id="sq3x9"></td>
54 <td class="n" id="sq4x9"></td>
56 <td class="n" id="sq5x9"></td>
58 <td class="n" id="sq6x9"></td>
60 <td class="n" id="sq7x9"></td>
62 <td class="n" id="sq8x9"></td>
64 <td class="n" id="sq9x9"></td>
68 <td class="n" id="sq0x8"></td>
70 <td class="n" id="sq1x8"></td>
72 <td class="n" id="sq2x8"></td>
74 <td class="n" id="sq3x8"></td>
76 <td class="n" id="sq4x8"></td>
78 <td class="n" id="sq5x8"></td>
80 <td class="n" id="sq6x8"></td>
82 <td class="n" id="sq7x8"></td>
84 <td class="n" id="sq8x8"></td>
86 <td class="n" id="sq9x8"></td>
90 <td class="n" id="sq0x7"></td>
92 <td class="n" id="sq1x7"></td>
94 <td class="n" id="sq2x7"></td>
96 <td class="n" id="sq3x7" onmousedown="down_click(3,7)"
97 onmouseup="up_click()"><img src="sym/WhiteGold.png"></td>
99 <td class="n" id="sq4x7" onmousedown="down_click(4,7)"
100 onmouseup="up_click()"><img src="sym/WhiteAdvisor.png"></td>
102 <td class="n" id="sq5x7"></td>
104 <td class="n" id="sq6x7"></td>
106 <td class="n" id="sq7x7"></td>
108 <td class="n" id="sq8x7"></td>
110 <td class="n" id="sq9x7"></td>
114 <td class="n" id="sq0x6"></td>
116 <td class="n" id="sq1x6"></td>
118 <td class="n" id="sq2x6"></td>
120 <td class="n" id="sq3x6"></td>
122 <td class="n" id="sq4x6"></td>
124 <td class="n" id="sq5x6"></td>
126 <td class="n" id="sq6x6" onmousedown="down_click(6,6)"
127 onmouseup="up_click()"><img src="sym/WhiteKing.png"></td>
129 <td class="n" id="sq7x6" onmousedown="down_click(7,0)"
130 onmouseup="up_click()"></td>
132 <td class="n" id="sq8x6"></td>
134 <td class="n" id="sq9x6"></td>
138 <td class="n" id="sq0x5"></td>
140 <td class="n" id="sq1x5"></td>
142 <td class="n" id="sq2x5"></td>
144 <td class="n" id="sq3x5"></td>
146 <td class="n" id="sq4x5"></td>
148 <td class="n" id="sq5x5"></td>
150 <td class="n" id="sq6x5" onmousedown="down_click(6,5)"
151 onmouseup="up_click()"><img src=
152 "sym/WhiteCrownedRook.png"></td>
154 <td class="n" id="sq7x5" onmousedown="down_click(7,5)"
155 onmouseup="up_click()"><img src="sym/WhiteRook.png"></td>
157 <td class="n" id="sq8x5"></td>
159 <td class="n" id="sq9x5"></td>
163 <td class="n" id="sq0x4"></td>
165 <td class="n" id="sq1x4"></td>
167 <td class="n" id="sq2x4"></td>
169 <td class="n" id="sq3x4"></td>
171 <td class="n" id="sq4x4"></td>
173 <td class="n" id="sq5x4"></td>
175 <td class="n" id="sq6x4" onmousedown="down_click(6,4)"
176 onmouseup="up_click()"><img src=
177 "sym/WhiteCrownedBishop.png"></td>
179 <td class="n" id="sq7x4" onmousedown="down_click(7,4)"
180 onmouseup="up_click()"><img src="sym/WhiteBishop.png"></td>
182 <td class="n" id="sq8x4"></td>
184 <td class="n" id="sq9x4"></td>
188 <td class="n" id="sq0x3"></td>
190 <td class="n" id="sq1x3"></td>
192 <td class="n" id="sq2x3"></td>
194 <td class="n" id="sq3x3"></td>
196 <td class="n" id="sq4x3"></td>
198 <td class="n" id="sq5x3"></td>
200 <td class="n" id="sq6x3"></td>
202 <td class="n" id="sq7x3"></td>
204 <td class="n" id="sq8x3"></td>
206 <td class="n" id="sq9x3"></td>
210 <td class="n" id="sq0x2"></td>
212 <td class="n" id="sq1x2"></td>
214 <td class="n" id="sq2x2"></td>
216 <td class="n" id="sq3x2" onmousedown="down_click(3,2)"
217 onmouseup="up_click()"><img src="sym/WhiteKnight.png"></td>
219 <td class="n" id="sq4x2" onmousedown="down_click(4,2)"
220 onmouseup="up_click()"><img src="sym/WhiteLance.png"></td>
222 <td class="n" id="sq5x2"></td>
224 <td class="n" id="sq6x2" onmousedown="down_click(6,2)"
225 onmouseup="up_click()"><img src="sym/WhitePawn.png"></td>
227 <td class="n" id="sq7x2"></td>
229 <td class="n" id="sq8x2"></td>
231 <td class="n" id="sq9x2"></td>
235 <td class="n" id="sq0x1"></td>
237 <td class="n" id="sq1x1"></td>
239 <td class="n" id="sq2x1"></td>
241 <td class="n" id="sq3x1"></td>
243 <td class="n" id="sq4x1"></td>
245 <td class="n" id="sq5x1"></td>
247 <td class="n" id="sq6x1"></td>
249 <td class="n" id="sq7x1"></td>
251 <td class="n" id="sq8x1"></td>
253 <td class="n" id="sq9x1"></td>
257 <td class="n" id="sq0x0"></td>
259 <td class="n" id="sq1x0"></td>
261 <td class="n" id="sq2x0"></td>
263 <td class="n" id="sq3x0"></td>
265 <td class="n" id="sq4x0"></td>
267 <td class="n" id="sq5x0"></td>
269 <td class="n" id="sq6x0"></td>
271 <td class="n" id="sq7x0"></td>
273 <td class="n" id="sq8x0"></td>
275 <td class="n" id="sq9x0"></td>
279 <p id="piece" height="20">:<br>
284 <table cellpadding="5" border="1">
292 <td>Moves (<a href="Betza.html">Betza notation</a>)</td>
318 <td>Promotes to Dragon</td>
330 <td>Promotes to Horse</td>
354 <td>promotes to Gold</td>
366 <td>promotes to Gold</td>
378 <td>promotes to Gold</td>
390 <td>promotes to Gold</td>
394 <td colspan="5">Promoted pieces (not initially present)</td>
422 <h3>Pawn peculiarities</h3>
425 <li>Pawns move <b>and capture</b> straight ahead.</li>
427 <li>It is forbidded to have more than one Pawn in the same
430 <li>It is forbidden to checkmate the opponent with a Pawn
434 <h3>General rules</h3>
437 <li>The game is won by capturing the opponent's King.</li>
439 <li>Pieces captured change color, and are kept in hand by the
440 side who captured them. In stead of a normal move, such pieces
441 can be dropped at any later time.</li>
443 <li>Pieces cannot be moved or dropped to a location where all
444 their moves would go off board.</li>
446 <li>Pieces promote at the end of a move into, in or out of the
449 <li>The promotion zone consists of the last three ranks.</li>
451 <li>Pieces obtained by promotion revert to their original form
454 <li>Perpetual checking is forbidden, and would be ruled a loss
455 on the 4-fold repeat.</li>
458 <h3>XBoard interface issues</h3>
460 <p>You can drop pieces by dragging them onto the board from the
461 holdings displayed beside the board.</p>
463 <p>Of course there will always be people that prefer an oriental
464 look, with pentagonal kanji tiles. XBoard comes with a set of
465 kanji pieces in the 'themes/shogi' sub-directory of its data
466 directory (e.g. /usr/local/share/games/xboard). You can select
467 that as -pieceImageDirectory (-pid for short) from the command
468 line, or from the View -> Board dialog. You would also have to
469 tick 'Flip black pieces Shogi style' there (or use the option
470 <b>-flipBlack true</b>) to make sure the pieces won't go upside
471 down when you flip the view.</p>
473 <h3>Differences with FIDE</h3>
475 <p>In stead of Queens you have Silver and Gold Generals, and
476 Lances. The Knight only has the two forward-most moves of a FIDE
477 Knight. Pawns capture straight ahead. Captured pieces can later
478 be dropped to augment the army of their capturer. There is no
479 castling, Pawn double-push or e.p. capture. Other pieces than
480 Pawns also promote. The promotion zone is three ranks deep in
483 <h3>Strategy issues</h3>
485 <p>Because pieces are dropped back, there will not be a
486 traditional end-game. Trading material does not constitute
487 progress towards winning, even when you are ahead.</p>
489 <p>Because Gold Generals obtained through promotion revert to
490 their original form on capture, they are really different piece
491 types from the primordial Golds that move the same. In notation
492 they are therefore not indicated as 'G', but as the ID of the
493 original piece prefixed with a '+'. Especially the promoted Pawn
494 (aka Tokin) is more valuable: it is much better to lose a Gold
495 that gives the opponent a Pawn in hand, than to lose a Gold that
496 gives him a Gold in hand.</p>
498 <p>Most pieces are quite slow, or not manoeuvrable at all, and
499 their practical value is very dependent on how far they are from
502 <p>Pieces in hand are in general worth more than on the board, as
503 they are much more mobile. And you can drop them in the promotion
504 for an easy promotion on the next turn. But pieces in hand cannot
505 capture anything, and don't guard your promotion zone.</p>
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