X-Git-Url: http://winboard.nl/cgi-bin?a=blobdiff_plain;f=doc%2Fgnushogi.info-2;fp=doc%2Fgnushogi.info-2;h=0000000000000000000000000000000000000000;hb=48e91ef03a032a541100743df1fd083696a5d3cd;hp=12ceac9ac76fa0d5c6f5f9dcd3c2733799d05391;hpb=8ce8026a83784396ecdb1cc1530ab09c7ae0a53c;p=gnushogi.git diff --git a/doc/gnushogi.info-2 b/doc/gnushogi.info-2 deleted file mode 100644 index 12ceac9..0000000 --- a/doc/gnushogi.info-2 +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1251 +0,0 @@ -This is gnushogi.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.3 from -gnushogi.texinfo. - - This file describes how to use GNU shogi, a program which plays -Shogi (Japanese chess). - - Copyright (C) 1999 Michael C. Vanier and the Free Software -Foundation, Inc. - - Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this -manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are -preserved on all copies. - - Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of -this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that -the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a -permission notice identical to this one. - - Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this -manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified -versions, except that this permission notice may be stated in a -translation approved by the Free Software Foundation. - - -File: gnushogi.info, Node: Mating problems, Next: Shogi variants, Prev: Sample game, Up: About shogi - -Mating problems -=============== - - One good way to improve at shogi is to solve mating problems. There -are several types of these problems, but the most common is called a -"tsume-shogi" problem, or "tsume" problem for short. In a tsume -problem, all pieces that are not on the board are assumed to be in the -opponent's hand (except for your King, which is usually not shown). -Every move you make must be check until the final checkmate. Your -opponent may play any piece on the board or drop any of his pieces in -hand in order to prevent the mate. In a properly constructed tsume -problem, all of your pieces on the board and in hand must be essential -to the solution. One consequence of this is that all of your pieces in -hand must be played during the solution. There should only be one -correct solution for the given number of moves. Tsume problems use -Japanese-style move numbering; thus, a problem where you move (and give -check), your opponent moves, and you move to give checkmate is called a -three-mover. Here is a really trivial three-mover: - - - 3 2 1 ----------------+ -| | | | a ----------------+ -| | | wK | b ----------------+ -| | | | c ----------------+ -| bN | | | d ----------------+ -| | | | e ----------------+ -| | bN | | f ----------------+ - -Black in hand: S, G - - - Here, Black plays G*2b, White plays K1c, and Black plays G*1d mate. -More typical tsume problems range from 5 moves to arbitrarily high -numbers of moves, and they can be quite brain-busting. Tsume problems -may seem artificial, but in the closing stages of the game where both -players have a lot of pieces in hand, it is often necessary to give -check at every move, or else your opponent will start a counterattack -and will mate you before you mate him. A tsume problem is a worst-case -scenario for the attacker: you have to mate your opponent even though he -has every piece not on the board in hand, which means you have to -develop sharp attacking skills. Many more tsume problems can be found -on the internet; I particularly recommend Patrick Davin's "Shogi Nexus" -(*note References and links::). - - -File: gnushogi.info, Node: Shogi variants, Next: Differences between shogi and chess, Prev: Mating problems, Up: About shogi - -Shogi variants -============== - - Several historical variants of shogi exist. Most of these were -invented before modern shogi (in some cases hundreds of years before), -are much larger than modern shogi and are not played with drops. Thus, -in many ways they are really more like giant chess games than like -modern shogi. The only one of these games to have survived in Japan is -Chu (middle) shogi, which is still played a little bit. Thanks to the -efforts of George Hodges and John Fairbairn of the Shogi Association -(two British shogi enthusiasts), these games were resurrected and rules -and sets for them can still be purchased from George Hodges (*note -References and links::). I hope to eventually extend GNU shogi so that -it can play at least some of these games. There are also several -non-historical variants of shogi; I don't know much about them but you -can find information about them on the internet (*note References and -links::). - - The historical variants include: - - - 1. Tori (bird) shogi, played on a 7x7 board with 32 pieces in all; - this is the only variant that is known to have been played with - drops. - - 2. Wa shogi, played on an 11x11 board with 54 pieces. This game can - be played with or without drops but the historical evidence favors - the view that it was played without drops. However, most people - who have tried it claim it is a much better game with drops, being - even more intricate than standard shogi. - - 3. Chu (middle) shogi, played on a 12x12 board with 92 pieces. This - was (and is) by far the most popular of the variants, and has 21 - different kinds of pieces in the starting line-up alone (along - with several others that appear upon promotion). Unlike modern - shogi, there are a tremendous number of ranging pieces and the - game is definitely not played with drops. There is also an - amazing piece called the Lion which has a double king move and can - capture two pieces at once! Chu shogi has a small but fanatical - following, some of whom consider it better than modern shogi. - - 4. Dai (great) shogi, played on a 15x15 board with 130 pieces. Other - than the larger board, this game is very similar to Chu shogi. - - 5. Tenjiku (exotic) shogi, played on a 16x16 board with 176 pieces. - This game is possibly the most complex tactical game in existence. - There are many astoundingly powerful pieces, including one (the - Fire Demon) that can capture up to eight opposing pieces in a - single move! Despite the size of the game, checkmates can occur - very suddenly (and often very early on) if one player makes a - wrong move. Tenjiku also has a small but fanatical following, one - of whom (Colin Adams) has written a book on the game which is - available for download at - `http://www.colina.demon.co.uk/tenjiku.html'. - - 6. Dai-dai (great-great) shogi, played on a 17x17 board with 192 - pieces. The opening setup alone has 64 different kinds of pieces! - This game and the larger ones that follow sound pretty - outlandish, but they have actually been played; a game of Dai-dai - can supposedly be played in about 12 hours. - - 7. Maka-dai-dai (great-great-great) shogi, played on a 19x19 board - with 192 pieces. For those for whom Dai-dai shogi is just too - small :-) - - 8. Tai (grand) shogi, played on a 25x25 board with 354 pieces! Until - recently, this was thought to be the biggest chess game ever - devised, but now there is... - - 9. Kyoku tai (extremely grand?) shogi, played on a 36x36 board with - 402 pieces. The rules for this have just been unearthed in an old - Japanese book. Hopefully someone will soon organize a postal - Kyoku tai shogi championship; maybe their distant ancestors could - finish it :-) - - It is thought that the really huge games (Dai-dai and up) were - never really played to any significant extent (gee, wonder why?) - and were devised merely so that the creators could have the fun of - inventing enormous games, amazing their friends and confounding - their enemies. However, the games up to Tenjiku shogi at least - appear to be quite playable, assuming one has the time. - - - - -File: gnushogi.info, Node: Differences between shogi and chess, Prev: Shogi variants, Up: About shogi - -Differences between shogi and chess -=================================== - - Some differences between shogi and international chess have been -mentioned elsewhere in this document; I summarize them here for people -who are interested in game comparisons. I won't try to deal with the -thorny question of which game is "better" although my bias may have -already come through :-) In fact, the drop rule makes the two games so -different in character that arguing over which game is better is like -comparing apples to oranges (you'd be better off comparing chess to Chu -shogi (*note Shogi variants::). However, I believe that if you are a -chess fan you'll really like shogi as well, and shogi is also popular -with many people who don't particularly like chess. - - Here are the significant differences between chess and shogi: - - - 1. In shogi, captured pieces become the property of the capturer and - can re-enter play by being dropped onto almost any vacant square. - In chess, captured pieces are out of the game. Thus, in shogi, - piece exchanges complicate the play significantly while in chess - they simplify it. - - 2. The shogi board is 9x9; the chess board is 8x8. - - 3. Shogi has five pieces with no counterpart in chess: the gold and - silver generals, the lance, the promoted rook and the promoted - bishop. Chess has one piece with no counterpart in shogi: the - queen. The knight's move in shogi is much more restrictive than - in chess. Pieces in shogi generally have a much smaller range of - movement than in chess (unless they are in hand). - - 4. In shogi, all pieces except the gold general and the king can - promote, but only to one kind of piece. Promotion is easier in - shogi because the promotion zone is closer to the starting - position of the pieces (especially pawns). In chess, only the - pawn can promote, but it can promote to any other piece except the - king. - - 5. In shogi, pawns capture the same way they move. There is no - initial two-space pawn move and hence no _en-passant_ captures. - In chess, pawns capture diagonally which means that opposing pawns - can block each other. - - 6. In shogi, you only have one rook and one bishop. Note that the - bishop is not restricted to only one "color" square (squares in - shogi aren't colored, but never mind) because promoted bishops can - also move one square orthogonally. - - 7. There is no special castling move in shogi. The term "castle" is - used in shogi to denote a defensive formation consisting of - (usually) three generals which protect the king. There are many - such castles (about 40 or so have names). *Note Sample game::. - - 8. Draws are much rarer in shogi than in chess. Perpetual check is - not allowed. Stalemate is a virtual impossibility, and is a loss - for the stalematee. - - 9. Since pieces are never out of play in shogi, chess-type endgames - involving only a few pieces do not occur. - - 10. Shogi games are generally longer than chess games (about 60-70 - moves is typical). - - 11. Shogi has a well-developed handicap system which is in general use; - chess does not. - - - - The effects of all these differences on play include (in my opinion): - - - 1. Piece/pawn structures in chess are more rigid than in shogi. Pawns - block each other and pawns, once advanced, cannot ever retreat. In - shogi, you can repair the hole caused by a pawn advance by - exchanging the pawn and dropping it back where you want it. Thus - shogi is more fluid than chess and less "structural". - - 2. Counterattack is MUCH more common in shogi than in chess. Games - typically end in mutual mating attacks, where each player is - trying to checkmate the other player before being checkmated - himself. This makes tempo incredibly important and also makes - sacrificial play quite common. - - 3. Attacks involving only ranging pieces are more a feature of chess - than of shogi. A shogi attack typically uses a ranging piece or - pieces to support an attack by short-range pieces (especially - generals). It is very rare to mate a king with a non-adjacent - ranging piece in shogi since the player whose king is threatened - can almost always interpose by dropping a piece. - - - - -File: gnushogi.info, Node: gnushogi, Next: xshogi, Prev: About shogi, Up: Top - -gnushogi -******** - - This section describes how to run the "gnushogi" program. - - - SYNOPSIS - - - gnushogi [ [[-]a] [-b bookfile] [-B binbookfile] [-C] [-h langfile] -[-L langfile] [-r length] [-R] [-s pathname] [-l pathname] [-S -binbooksize] [-t] [-c size] [-T size] [-v] [-x] [-X] arg1 arg2 ] - - - DESCRIPTION - - - GNU shogi (gnushogi) plays a game of japanese chess (shogi) against -the user or it plays against itself. - - At startup gnushogi reads the binbook file if it is present. It then -looks for a book file. If it is present it adds its contents to the -binbook data. If the binbook file is writable a new combined binbook -file is written. - - Gnushogi is a modified version of the gnuchess program. It has a -simple alphanumeric board display, or it can be used with the xshogi -program under X windows. The program gets its opening moves from the -file gnushogi.bbk which is located in a directory specified in the -Makefile. To invoke the program type: - - -`gnushogi -C' - simple curses based version - -`gnushogi -X (or just gnushogi)' - xshogi compatible version - -`gnushogi -R' - raw test display version - - - TIME CONTROLS - - - If one argument is given, it is the search time per move in -[minutes:]seconds. So gnushogi 30 will generate one move every 30 -seconds, while gnushogi 5:00 will generate one move every 5 minutes. - - If two or more arguments are given, they will be used to set -tournament time controls with the first argument of each pair being the -number of moves and the second being the total clock time in -minutes[:seconds]. Thus, entering gnushogi 60 5 will set the clocks -for 5 minutes (300 seconds) for the first 60 moves, and gnushogi 30 -3:30 will allow 3 minutes and 30 seconds for 30 moves. - - gnushogi 30 5 1 :30 will allow 5 minutes for the first 30 moves and -30 seconds for each move after that. Up to 4 pairs of controls may be -specified. - - If no argument is given the program will prompt the user for level of -play. - - For use with xshogi see the documentation on that program. *Note -xshogi::. - - - BOOK - - - The book gnushogi.tbk consists of a sequence of openings. An opening -begins with a line starting with a # (the rest of the line is a -comment). Following this is a series of moves in algebraic notation -alternating between black and white separated by whitespace. A move -may have a ? after it indicating this move should never be made in -this position. Moves are stored as position:move so transpositions -between openings can take place. - - - HASHFILE - - - The hashfile if created should be on the order of 4 megabytes; you -can create such a hashfile by typing "gnushogi -c 22" (see below). This -file contains positions and moves learned from previous games. If a -hashfile is used the computer makes use of the experience it gained in -past games. Tests run so far show that it plays no worse with the -hashfile than without, but it is not clear yet whether it provides a -real advantage. - - - LEGAL MOVES - - - Note: Piece letters are determined by the language file. What is -specified here is the default (English). - - Once gnushogi is invoked, the program will display the board and -prompt the user for a move. To enter a move, use the notation 7g7f -where the first letter-number pair indicates the origin square and the -second letter-number pair indicates the destination square. An -alternative is to use the notation P7f where the first letter indicates -the piece type (P,L,N,S,G,B,R,K). To promote append a + the type of -the new piece to the move, as in 2d2c+ or P2c+. Note that you must use -capital letters for the pieces by default. - - - COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS - - -`-a' - Do not search on opponent's time. - -`a' - Do search on opponent's time. - -`-b BOOKFILE' - Use bookfile for opening book. - -`-B BINBOOKFILE' - Use binbookfile for binary opening book. - -`-c SIZE' - Create a new HASHFILE. File size is 2^size entries of - approximately 65+? bytes. - -`-C' - Use curses-based display mode. - -`-h' - Do not use hashfile. - -`h' - Do use hashfile. - -`-l PATHNAME' - Pathname of the loadfile used with get or xget. - -`-L LANG' - Use language lang from the file gnushogi.lang. If -L is not - specified it uses the first language in the file. - -`-P PLYLEVELS' - Number of plys to include in the binbookfile. For generating a - binbookfile. - -`-r LENGTH' - Rehash _length_ times in searching entries for position in - transposition table. - -`-R' - Use raw text display mode. This can be used for dumb terminals or - for systems that don't have curses. - -`-s PATHNAME' - Pathname of the save file to use with the save command. - -`-S SIZE' - Size of binbookfile for memory based books. For creating a - binbookfile. - -`-t' - Show statistics for HASHFILE. - -`-T SIZE' - Set the transposition table size to 2^size entries. - -`-v' - Show version and patchlevel. - -`-x VALUE' - Use value as the evaluation window xwndw. - -`-X' - Use xshogi display mode (the default). - - - COMMANDS - - - In addition to legal moves, the following commands can be entered at -the gnushogi prompt. Note: command names are determined by the language -file and may vary with the implementation. The default language is -English. - -`alg' - allow algebraic input (not implemented). - -`Awindow' - change Alpha window (default score + 90). - -`Bwindow' - change Beta window (default score - 90). - -`beep' - toggles beeping after each move (default: on). - -`bd' - updates the current board position on the display. - -`book' - turns off use of the opening library. - -`both' - causes the computer to play both sides of a shogi game. - -`black' - causes the computer to play as White, if the computer was to move - first. - -`bsave' - saves a game to disk as a book textfile. The program will prompt - the user for a file name. - -`gamein' - toggles game mode time control. Assumes the time specified for - time control is the time for a complete game. Input with the - level command should be the game time and the expected number of - moves in a game. go command must be given. - -`coords' - show coordinates on the display (visual only). - -`contempt' - allows the value of _contempt_ to be modified. - -`debug' - asks for a piece as color piece, as wb or bn, and shows its - calculated value on each square. - -`debuglevel' - sets level of debugging output if compiled with debug options. - -`depth' - allows the user to change the search depth of the program. The - maximum depth is 29 ply. Normally the depth is set to 29 and the - computer terminates its search based on elapsed time rather than - depth. If depth is set to (say) 4 ply, the program will search - until all moves have been examined to a depth of 4 ply (with - extensions up to 11 additional ply for sequences of checks and - captures). If you set a maximum time per move and also use the - depth command, the search will stop at the specified time or the - specified depth, whichever comes first. - -`easy' - toggles easy mode (thinking on opponents time) on and off. The - default is easy mode ON. If easy mode is disabled, the keyboard - is polled for input every so often and when input is seen the - search is terminated. It may also be terminated with a sigint. - -`edit' - allows the user to set up a board position. - - # clear the board. - - - c toggle piece color. - - - . command will exit setup mode. - - - p3b place a pawn on 3b - - - p3b+ place a promoted pawn on 3b - - - p* place a pawn in hand (among the captured pieces) - - - Pieces are entered by typing a letter (p,l,n,s,g,b,r,k) for the - piece followed by the coordinate. Here, letter case is ignored. - - The usual warning about the language file applies. - -`exit' - exits gnushogi. - -`first' - tells the computer to move first. Computer begins searching for a - move. (same as "go"). - -`force' - allows the user to enter moves for both sides. To get the program - to play after a sequence of moves has been entered use the "black" - or "white" commands. - -`get' - retrieves a game from disk. The program will prompt the user for - a file name. - -`go' - tells the computer to move first. Computer begins searching for a - move. (same as "first"). - -`hash' - use/don't use hashfile. - -`hashdepth' - allows the user to change the minimum depth for using the hashfile - and the number of moves from the beginning of the game to use it. - -`help' - displays a short description of the commands and the current - status of options. - -`hint' - causes the program to supply the user with its predicted move. - -`level' - allows the user to set time controls such as 60 moves in 5 minutes - etc. In tournament mode, the program will vary the time it takes - for each move depending on the situation. If easy mode is - disabled (using the "easy" command), the program will often - respond with its move immediately, saving time on its clock for - use later on. - -`list' - writes the game moves and some statistics on search depth, nodes, - and time to the file "shogi.lst". - -`material' - toggle material flag - draws on no pawns and both sides < rook. - -`new' - starts a new game. - -`p' - evaluates the board and shows the point score for each piece. The - total score for a position is the sum of these individual piece - scores. - -`post' - causes the program to display the principal variation and the score - during the search. A score of 100 is equivalent to a 1 pawn - advantage for the computer. - -`quit' - exits the game. - -`random' - causes the program to randomize its move selection slightly. - -`rcptr' - set recapture mode. - -`remove' - backout the last level for both sides. Equal to 2 undo's. - -`reverse' - causes the board display to be reversed. That is, the Black's - pieces will now appear at the top of the board. - -`rv' - reverse board display. - -`save' - saves a game to disk. The program will prompt the user for a file - name. - -`switch' - causes the program to switch places with the opponent and begin - searching. - -`test' - performs some speed tests for MoveList and CaptureList generation, - and ScorePosition position scoring for the current board. - -`time' - set computer's time remaining, intended for synchronizing clocks - among multiple players. - -`tsume' - toggle tsume mode. In tsume mode, not all possible moves will be - generated. If a king is in check, only moves that get the king out - of check are generated. If the king is not in check, only moves - that give check to the opponent's king are generated. - -`undo' - undoes the last move whether it was the computer's or the human's. - You may also type "remove". This is equivalent to two "undo"'s - (e.g. retract one move for each side). - -`white' - causes the computer to play as Black; if the computer is to move - first the go command must be given. - -`xget' - read an xshogi position file. - -`xsave' - save as an xshogi position file. - -`xwndw' - change X window. The window around alpha/beta used to determine - whether the position should be scored or just estimated. Note: - this has _nothing_ to do with xshogi or X windows; the terms are - completely separate. - - - -File: gnushogi.info, Node: xshogi, Next: References and links, Prev: gnushogi, Up: Top - -xshogi -****** - - This section describes how to run the "xshogi" program. - - - SYNOPSIS - - - xshogi [ options ] - - - DESCRIPTION - - - xshogi provides an X11/Xt/Athena Widgets user interface for gnushogi. -With xshogi you can play gnushogi, set up arbitrary positions, force -variations, or watch xshogi manage a game between two shogi programs. -Furthermore, it can be used as an interface between two players on -different displays. - - xshogi can also be used as a shogi board to play out games. It will -read through a game file or allow a player to play through a variation -manually (force mode). This is useful for keeping track of email postal -games or browsing games off the net. - - After starting xshogi, you can make moves by pressing mouse button 1 -while the cursor is over a square with your piece on it and dragging the -mouse to another square. If the move is illegal, gnushogi will not -allow it. xshogi will then retract the move. - - - COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS - - - The following command line options also correspond to X resources -that you can set in your .Xdefaults file. - - -`[standard Xt options]' - xshogi accepts standard Xt options like -display, -geometry, and - -iconic. - -`-tc or -timeControl minutes[:seconds]' - Amount of time for a set of moves determined by movesPerSession. - If this number of moves is played within the time control period, - xshogi resets the time clocks. Default: 5 minutes. - -`-mps or -movesPerSession moves' - Number of moves in a time control period. Default: 40 moves. - -`-st or -searchTime minutes[:seconds]' - Tell gnushogi to spend at most the given amount of time searching - for each of its moves. Without this option, gnushogi chooses its - search time based on the number of moves and amount of time - remaining until the next time control. Setting this option also - sets -clockMode to False. - -`-sd or -searchDepth number' - Tell gnushogi to look ahead at most the given number of moves when - searching for a move to make. Without this option, gnushogi - chooses its search depth based on the number of moves and amount - of time remaining until the next time control. Setting this - option also sets -clockMode to False. - -`-clock or -clockMode (True | False)' - Determines whether or not to use the clock. If clockMode is - False, the clock does not run, but the side that is to play next - is still highlighted. - -`-td or -timeDelay seconds' - Time delay between moves during "Load Game". This doesn't have to - be a round number. Try -td 0.4. Default: 1 second. - -`-nsp or -noShogiProgram (True | False)' - If this option is True, xshogi acts as a passive shogi board; it - does not try to start a shogi program, not even to check whether - moves made in Force mode are legal. It also sets -clockMode to - False. Default: False. - -`-fsp or -firstShogiProgram program' - Name of first shogi program. In matches between two machines, this - program plays white. Default: "gnushogi". - -`-ssp or -secondShogiProgram program' - Name of second shogi program, if needed. In matches between two - machines, this program plays black; otherwise it is not started. - Default: "gnushogi". - -`-fh or -firstHost host' - Name of host the first shogi program plays on. Default: - "localhost". - -`-sh or -secondHost host' - Name of host the second shogi program plays on. Default: - "localhost". - -`-rsh or -remoteShell shell_name' - Some systems do not use rsh as the remote shell. This option - allows a user to name the remote shell command. This should be - done in the resource file. - -`-mm or -matchMode (False | Init | Position | Opening)' - Automatically run a game between firstShogiProgram and - secondShogiProgram. If matchMode is set to Init, xshogi will - start the game with the initial shogi position. If matchMode is - set to Position, xshogi will start the game with the position - specified by the loadPositionFile resource. If matchMode is set - to Opening, xshogi will play out the opening moves specified by - the -loadGameFile resource. If the -saveGameFile resource is set, - a move record for the match will be saved in the specified file. - Default: "False". - -`-lgf or -loadGameFile file' - Name of file to read a game record from. Game files are found in - the directory named by the SHOGIDIR environment variable. If this - variable is not set, the current directory is used unless the file - name starts with a /. - -`-lpf or -loadPositionFile file' - Name of file to read a game position from. Position files are - found in the directory named by the SHOGIDIR environment variable. - If this variable is not set, the current directory is used unless - the file name starts with a /. - -`-sgf or -saveGameFile file' - Name of file to save a game record to. Game files are saved in the - directory named by the SHOGIDIR environment variable. If this - variable is not set, the current directory is used unless the file - name starts with a /. - -`-spf or -savePositionFile file' - Name of file to save a game position to. Position files are saved - in the directory named by the SHOGIDIR environment variable. If - this variable is not set, the current directory is used unless the - file name starts with a /. - -`-coords or -showCoords (True | False)' - If this option is True, xshogi displays algebraic coordinates - along the board's left and bottom edges. The default is False. - The coordFont resource specifies what font to use. - -`-mono or -monoMode (True | False)' - Determines whether xshogi displays its pieces and squares with two - colors or four. You shouldn't have to specify monochrome. xshogi - will determine if this is necessary. - -`-pc or -pieceColor color' - Color specification for pieces suitable for XParseColor(). - Default: #FFFFD7. - -`-sc or -squareColor color' - Same for squares. Default: #EBDFB0. - -`-wps or -westernPieceSet (True | False)' - Choose the Western style piece set. - -`-npb or -normalPawnBitmap file' - -`-nnb or -normalKnightBitmap file' - -`-nbb or -normalBishopBitmap file' - -`-nrb or -normalRookBitmap file' - -`-nkb or -normalKingBitmap file' - Names of the bitmap files for the bitmap piece icons. - -`-rpb or -reversePawnBitmap file' - -`-rnb or -reverseKnightBitmap file' - -`-rbb or -reverseBishopBitmap file' - -`-rrb or -reverseRookBitmap file' - -`-rkb or -reverseKingBitmap file' - Names of the bitmap files for the outline piece icons. - -`-debug or -debugMode (True | False)' - Turns on debugging printout. - - - OTHER X RESOURCES - - -`initString' - The actual string that is sent to initialize the shogi program can - be set from .Xdefaults. It can't be set from the command line - because of syntax problems. The default value is - "new\nbeep\nrandom\neasy\n". The "new" and "beep" commands are - required. You can remove the "random" command if you like; - including it causes gnushogi to randomize its move selection - slightly so that it doesn't play the same moves in every game. - Even without "random", gnushogi randomizes its choice of moves - from its opening book. You can also remove "easy" if you like; - including it toggles easy mode off, causing gnushogi to think on - your time. That is, if "easy" is included in the initString, GNU - Shogi thinks on your time; if not, it does not. (Yes, this does - seem backwards, doesn't it.) You can also try adding other - commands to the initString; see the gnushogi documentation (*note - gnushogi::) for details. - -`blackString and whiteString' - These resources control what is sent when the Machine Black and - Machine White buttons are selected. This is mostly for - compatibility with obsolete versions of gnushogi. - - Alternate bitmaps for piece icons can be specified either by - choosing one of the built-in sets or with the file name resources - described above. There are three built-in sets of piece bitmaps - available, large (the default), medium, or small. It is easiest - to select the set you prefer in the .Xdefaults file: - - XShogi*boardSize: Medium - - The font used for button labels and comments can be changed in the - .Xdefaults file. You may want to choose a smaller font if you are - using the small pieces: - - XShogi*font: helvetica_oblique12 - - The font used for coordinates (when the showCoords option is True) - can be set similarly: - - XShogi*coordFont: helvetica_10 - - If you are using a grayscale monitor, try setting the colors to: - - XShogi*pieceColor: gray100 - XShogi*squareColor: gray60 - - COMMAND BUTTONS AND KEYS - - -`Quit' - Quits xshogi. Q or q is a keyboard equivalent. - -`Reset' - Resets xshogi to the beginning of a shogi game. It also deselects - any game or position files. - -`Flip View' - inverts the view of the shogi board. - -`Hint' - displays a move hint from gnushogi. - -`Load Game' - plays a game from a record file. If no file is specified a popup - dialog asks for a filename. Game files are found in the directory - named by the SHOGIDIR environment variable. If this variable is - not declared then the current directory is used unless the file - name starts with a /. G or g is a keyboard equivalent. The game - file parser will accept almost any file that contains moves in - algebraic notation. If the first line begins with `#', it is - assumed to be a title and is displayed. Text enclosed in - parentheses or square brackets is assumed to be commentary and is - displayed in a pop-up window. Any other text in the file is - ignored. - -`Load Position' - sets up a position from a position file. If no file is specified a - popup dialog asks for a filename. Position files are found in the - directory named by the SHOGIDIR environment variable. If this - variable is not declared then the current directory is used unless - the file name starts with a /. Position files must be in the - format that the Save Position command writes. - -`Save Game' - saves a game to a record file. If no file is specified a popup - dialog asks for a filename. If the filename exists, the user is - asked whether the current game record is be appended to this file - or if the file should be replaced. Game files are saved in the - directory named by the SHOGIDIR environment variable. If this - variable is not declared then the current directory is used unless - the file name starts with a /. Game files are human-readable, and - can also be read back by the Load Game command. Furthermore, they - are accepted as gnushogi text bookfiles. - -`Save Position' - saves a position to a position file. If no file is specified a - popup dialog asks for a filename. Position files are saved in the - directory named by the SHOGIDIR environment variable. If this - variable is not declared then the current directory is used unless - the file name starts with a /. Position files are human-readable, - and can also be read back by the Load Position command. - -`Machine White' - forces gnushogi to play white. - -`Machine Black' - forces gnushogi to play black. - -`Force Moves' - forces a series of moves. That is, gnushogi stops playing and - xshogi allows you to make moves for both white and black. - -`Two Machines' - plays a game between two computer programs. - -`Forward' - moves forward through a series of remembered moves. F or f is a - keyboard equivalent. - -`Backward' - moves backward through a series of remembered moves. As a side - effect, puts xshogi into Force Moves mode. B or b is a keyboard - equivalent. - -`Pause' - pauses the clocks or (in Load Game mode) pauses the game being - loaded. Press Pause again to continue. P or p is a keyboard - equivalent. - -`Edit Position' - lets you set up an arbitrary board position. Use mouse button 1 - to drag pieces to new squares, or to delete a piece by dragging it - off the board or dragging an empty square on top of it. To drop a - new piece on a square, press mouse button 2 or 3 over the square. - This brings up a menu of black pieces (button 2) or white pieces - (button 3). Additional menu choices let you empty the square or - clear the board. You can set the side to play next by clicking on - the Black or White indicator at the top of the screen. - -`Challenge' - allows you to make a two display game between two human players. - Enter the display you want to connect to. If you are allowed to - connect, a new board is displayed at the remote display. - Challenge mode can only be stopped by pressing "quit". - -`Select Level' - allows you to reset the clocks for both players. Enter the number - of moves and the number of minutes in which the moves should be - done. - -`Move NOW' - force computer to stop thinking and to make the current best move. - -`Iconify I, i, C or c' - iconifies xshogi. - - - LIMITATIONS - - - If you press the Pause button during GNU Shogi's turn, xshogi -will stop the clocks, but gnushogi will still make a move. - - After a mate or draw when playing against gnushogi, if you back up -with the Backward button, the clocks are reset (because gnushogi -has exited and must be restarted). - - The game parser recognizes only algebraic notation. - - - AUTHORS - - - Original authors of XBoard: Chris Sears and Dan Sears. - - Enhancements for XBoard (Version 2.0): Tim Mann. - - Conversion to XShogi (Version 1.1): Matthias Mutz. - - Current maintainer: Mike Vanier. - - - COPYRIGHT INFORMATION - - - XShogi borrows its piece bitmaps from CRANES Shogi. - - Copyright 1991 by Digital Equipment Corporation, Maynard, -Massachusetts. Enhancements Copyright 1992 Free Software Foundation, -Inc. Enhancements Copyright 1993 Matthias Mutz. Further enhancements -copyright 1999 by Michael Vanier and the Free Software Foundation, Inc. - - The following terms apply to Digital Equipment Corporation's -copyright interest in XBoard: - - All Rights Reserved - - Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its -documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted, -provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that -both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in -supporting documentation, and that the name of Digital not be used in -advertising or publicity pertaining to distribution of the software -without specific, written prior permission. - - DIGITAL DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE, -INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS, IN NO -EVENT SHALL DIGITAL BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR -CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF -USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR -OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR -PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE. - - The following terms apply to the enhanced version of XShogi -distributed by the Free Software Foundation: - - This file is part of XSHOGI. - - XSHOGI is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT -ANY WARRANTY. No author or distributor accepts responsibility to anyone -for the consequences of using it or for whether it serves any particular -purpose or works at all, unless he says so in writing. Refer to the -XSHOGI General Public License for full details. - - Everyone is granted permission to copy, modify and redistribute -XSHOGI, but only under the conditions described in the XSHOGI General -Public License. A copy of this license is supposed to have been given -to you along with XSHOGI so you can know your rights and -responsibilities. It should be in a file named COPYING. Among other -things, the copyright notice and this notice must be preserved on all -copies. - - -File: gnushogi.info, Node: References and links, Next: Acknowledgements, Prev: xshogi, Up: Top - -References and links -******************** - - There are very few English-language books for people learning shogi. -The two I recommend are: - - - 1. `Shogi for Beginners, 2nd. Edition', by John Fairbairn. This is a - superb beginner's book in every way, covering all phases of the - game. It was out of print for a long time, but has now been - reprinted and is available either from Kiseido - (`http://www.labnet.or.jp/~kiseido') or from George Hodges (see - below). - - 2. `The Art of Shogi', by Tony Hoskings. This is one step up from the - Fairbairn book. It covers a lot of ground, and is especially - noteworthy for its detailed treatment of opening lines. You can - order this book from Amazon.com's UK branch - (`http://www.amazon.co.uk'). - - - - Another book you may find is `Shogi: Japan's Game of Strategy' by -Trevor Leggett. This book is very elementary and is somewhat outdated, -having been published first in 1966. However, it does feature a paper -shogi board and punch-out pieces, so if you want a really cheap shogi -set you might pick this book up. It is still in print. - - Two books that are no longer in print but are definitely worth -getting if you find them are `Guide to Shogi Openings' and `Better -Moves for Better Shogi', both by Aono Teriuchi. They are published in a -bilingual edition (English/Japanese) and are the only books on shogi in -English written by a Japanese professional shogi player. John Fairbairn -did the translation from Japanese to English. - - Shogi sets are available from: - - - George F. Hodges - P.O. Box 77 - Bromley, Kent - United Kingdom BR1 2WT - - - George also sells equipment for all the historical shogi variants -(*note Shogi variants::) (except for Kyoku tai shogi) and also sells -back issues of the magazine "Shogi" which he published for 70 issues in -the late 70's to late 80's. This magazine is STRONGLY recommended; it -contains more information about shogi in English than you will ever -find anywhere else. - - Here are some useful URLs: - - -Pieter Stouten's shogi page: `http://www.shogi.net' - This is the main shogi-related site on the internet, with links to - almost all the other sites. - -Roger Hare's shogi page: `http://www.ed.ac.uk/~rjhare/shogi' - This has lots of information, including full rules to most of the - shogi variants. - -Patrick Davin's Shogi Nexus: `http://www.vega.or.jp/~patrick/shogi/' - There's lots of cool stuff on this site; my favorite is the - extensive collection of Tsume-shogi (mating) problems, both for - beginners and more advanced players. - -Steve Evans' shogi page: `http://www.netspace.net.au/~trout/index.html' - Steve has written a program that plays almost all of the shogi - variants, unfortunately it only runs on Windows :-( - -Hans Bodlaender's chess variant pages: `http://www.cs.ruu.nl/~hansb/d.chessvar' - This page has an almost unimaginable variety of rules for different - chess variants, including many shogi variants (historical and - non-historical). - - - -File: gnushogi.info, Node: Acknowledgements, Next: Bugs, Prev: References and links, Up: Top - -Acknowledgements -**************** - - I would like to thank the following people: - - - * Matthias Mutz, who originally developed GNU shogi as a spin-off of - GNU chess and who very kindly let me take over the maintenance of - this very interesting project. - - * Richard Stallman and the Free Software Foundation, for creating an - organization where anyone can contribute software for the common - good of all, for making GNU/Linux possible, and especially for - writing emacs and gcc, without which my working life would be - intolerable. - - * Georges Hodges, for starting the Shogi Association in England, - without which I would probably never have heard of shogi, for - supplying shogi equipment, for publishing the excellent magazine - "Shogi" (now sadly defunct), for personally answering all my silly - questions by mail, and for being the ambassador of shogi to the - West. - - * Pieter Stouten, for having the most comprehensive shogi site on the - World Wide Web (`http://www.shogi.net'), and for maintaining the - shogi-l mailing list. Go to Pieter's web site for more - information on subscribing to the list. Also thanks to everyone - who contributes and has contributed to that list. - - * Matt Casters, for testing GNU shogi. Matt and I will be working - together on improving the solution engine in future versions of - this program. - - - - -File: gnushogi.info, Node: Bugs, Next: Index, Prev: Acknowledgements, Up: Top - -Bugs -**** - - The motto of GNU shogi is "100% bug-free or you don't pay!" :-) In -the extremely unlikely case (*ahem*) that you do find a bug, please -send me (Mike Vanier) an email at . Also, feel -free to send me comments, complaints, out-and-out raves, suggestions, -plane tickets to Hawaii, and/or large suitcases filled with unmarked, -untraceable hundred-dollar bills. - - -File: gnushogi.info, Node: Index, Prev: Bugs, Up: Top - -Index -***** - -* Menu: - -* Acknowledgements: Acknowledgements. -* Books: References and links. -* Chu Shogi: Shogi variants. -* Dai Shogi: Shogi variants. -* Dai-dai Shogi: Shogi variants. -* Draws: Draws. -* Drops: Drops. -* gnushogi: gnushogi. -* GPL: License. -* Handicaps: Handicaps. -* Introduction: Introduction. -* Kyoku Tai Shogi: Shogi variants. -* License: License. -* Mailing lists: References and links. -* Maka-dai-dai Shogi: Shogi variants. -* Opening setup: The opening setup. -* Piece moves: The moves of the pieces. -* Piece promotion: Promotion of pieces. -* References: References and links. -* Rules: The rules of shogi. -* Sample game: Sample game. -* Shogi variants: Shogi variants. -* Shogi vs. Chess: Differences between shogi and chess. -* Tai Shogi: Shogi variants. -* Tenjiku Shogi: Shogi variants. -* Tori Shogi: Shogi variants. -* Variants: Shogi variants. -* Wa Shogi: Shogi variants. -* Web sites: References and links. -* Winning the game: Winning the game. -* xshogi: xshogi. - -