From 6dbf8690bd5477bb18c68b1ae784569bc6552d09 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Yann Dirson Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2014 22:01:33 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] Doc: more on shogi variants in general, and Mini Shogi in particular. --- doc/gnushogi.texi | 43 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++----- 1 files changed, 38 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-) diff --git a/doc/gnushogi.texi b/doc/gnushogi.texi index ddf6033..39e9bd8 100644 --- a/doc/gnushogi.texi +++ b/doc/gnushogi.texi @@ -129,16 +129,19 @@ GNU shogi is a program that plays shogi, the Japanese version of chess, against a human (or computer) opponent. This file describes how to use GNU shogi and also gives background information about the game of shogi. -This file describes GNU Shogi version 1.3.2. It was written by Mike -Vanier @email{mvanier@@cs.caltech.edu}, maintainer of GNU shogi at -that time. +This file mostly describes GNU Shogi version 1.3.2. It was written by +Mike Vanier @email{mvanier@@cs.caltech.edu}, maintainer of GNU shogi +at that time. GNU Shogi is currently maintained by Yann Dirson @email{ydirson@@free.fr}. GNU Shogi is actually one program, 'gnushogi', the text-based program -which also contains the game-playing engine. +which also contains the game-playing engine. By default it will play +Standard Shogi, but can be built to play Mini Shogi (with GNU Shogi +1.4.x, you will need to do that explicitely using `./configure +--enable-minishogi'', but 1.5 will make this more straightforward). The GNU Shogi distribution also contains the 'xshogi' program, an X-Window graphical interface to gnushogi. XShogi was forked off GNU @@ -1057,7 +1060,7 @@ 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 -@uref{http://www.colina.demon.co.uk/tenjiku.html}. +@uref{http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120717085827/http://www.colina.demon.co.uk/tenjiku.html}. @item Dai-dai (great-great) shogi, played on a 17x17 board with 192 pieces. @@ -1090,6 +1093,32 @@ playable, assuming one has the time. @end enumerate +Many modern variants have also been devised, usually on small boards, +and often by western people. Those include: + +@enumerate + +@item +Mini Shogi, played on a 5x5 board with 12 pieces. Its rules are +nearly identical to Standard Shogi, and GNU Shogi has some support for +it. + +@item +Judkins Shogi, similar to Mini Shogi on a 6x6 board. + +@item +Cannon Shogi, played on a 9x9 board, adds pieces inspired by the +Cannon found in Xiang Qi (chinese chess) + +@item +Sannin Shogi, a 3-player variant on an hexagonal board, with specific +rules governing alliance between two players + +@item +Kyoto Shogi, Micro Shogi, and several others are much more different. + +@end enumerate + @c @c Differences between shogi and chess. @c @@ -2093,6 +2122,10 @@ unfortunately it only runs on Windows :-( This page has an almost unimaginable variety of rules for different chess variants, including many shogi variants (historical and non-historical). +@item Wikipedia's shogi variant pages: @uref{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Shogi_variants} +Those pages contain a large number of variant rules, both ancient and +modern. + @end table @c ----------------- -- 1.7.0.4