+++ /dev/null
-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.
-
-\1f
-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::).
-
-\1f
-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.
-
-
-
-\1f
-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.
-
-
-
-\1f
-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.
-
-
-\1f
-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.
-
-\1f
-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).
-
-
-\1f
-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.
-
-
-
-\1f
-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 <mvanier@cs.caltech.edu>. 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.
-
-\1f
-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.
-
-
projects / gnushogi.git / blobdiff