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From: qts@houxa.UUCP (J.RAMMING)
Newsgroups: net.games.chess
Subject: Shogi/Japanese Chess Variant
Message-ID: <951@houxa.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 14-Feb-86 11:35:45 EST
Article-I.D.: houxa.951
Posted: Fri Feb 14 11:35:45 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Feb-86 04:29:18 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 124

I recently discovered a Japanese chess variation, called
"Shogi", which I believe some of you might find interesting.
What follows here is a description of the game.

The major differences between 'our' chess and Shogi are as
follows:

1) Shogi is played on a 9x9 board
2) Pieces have slightly different capabilities.
3) All pieces, with the exception of the 'king' and a 
   'gold' (explanation to follow) are allowed to promote.
   Promotion is fixed (that is, each piece turns into
   another certain kind of piece.  Under-promotion is
   not allowed).
4) Promotion occurs when pieces reach the 7th, 8th, or 9th
   rows, not just the last.
5) A player, in his turn, has the option of moving a piece
   or, if he has captured any of the opponent's pieces, can
   'warp in' one of these captured pieces AS HIS OWN, on
   any unoccupied square.  If placed in the 7th, 8th, or
   9th rows the piece does not promote until it is moved
   once, and then only if it is not moved to the first
   six rows.

The initial board configuration is as follows:

L N S G K G S N L
. R . . . . . B .
P P P P P P P P P
. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
p p p p p p p p p
. b . . . . . r .
l n s g k g s n l

where:

L is a 'lance'.  Lances move straight forward only, any number of
  squares.  They promote to 'Golds'.  

N is a knight.  Knights move as do traditional knights, and as with
  traditional knights they are allowed to 'jump over' other pieces.
  No other piece has this capability.  Lances promote to Golds.

S is a 'silver'.  Silvers have no counterpart in traditional chess,
  and move as follows:  they can move one square to the three squares
  in front of them, or to the two rear diagonals but NOT directly
  back, to the left, or to the right.  As follows:

       X X X
       . S . 
       X . X

  where the X's indicate possible moves.  Silvers promote to
  golds.

G is a 'gold'.  Using the notation above, golds have the possible
  moves

       X X X
       X G X
       . X .

  Golds do not promote:  that is, they remain golds.  Golds
  and silvers can be thought of as have slightly restricted
  variations of a king's movement.

K is a king, and moves as does a normal king.

R is a rook, and moves as does a normal rook.  Upon promotion,
  it turns into a 'super-rook':  it is still able to move as
  does a rook, but if required, it can instead move to any
  adjacent square.  (Think of a super-rook's movement as being
  that of a rook or that of a king.)  

B is a bishop, and moves as does a normal bishop.  Upon promotion,
  it turns into a 'super-bishop':  it is still able to move as
  does a bishop, but if required, it can instead move to any
  adjacent square.  (Once again, it has either a king's movement
  or an ordinary bishop's).

P is a pawn.  Pawns move one square at a time, directly forward
  only.  They do not capture to the diagonals, and are not
  allows the 'en-passant' moves or the initial double-jump.

All pieces capture on squares they can move to.

The physical implementation of the board requires that all
pieces be the same color since an opponent's piece can become
your own, and vice versa.  Instead of color-differentiation,
Shogi uses orientation-differentiation.  Pieces are yours
if they 'point' towards the opponent, and the opponent's if
they 'point' towards you.  They generally have the following
shape:


        -----
       / --- \
      / ----- \
     / ------- \
    / --------- \
    -------------

Furthermore, they are flat, such that they can be turned over
when promoted.  (Each side has a character indicating the piece's
value; note that although most pieces promote to golds, the promotion-
side character on a lance is different from that on the promotion-side
of a silver, even though they both become golds.  This is because
Captured pieces, when warped back onto the board, revert to their
original status even though they may have been promoted while under
the opponent's control.  One needs a way to differentiate between
promoted knights, silvers, pawns, etc. since this has a serious effect
one one's strategy.) 

That's it!  If anyone is interested either in play-by-email, or
in person if you live in New Jersey near Holmdel/Eatontown/Rumson,
please contact me.  I will also answer any questions you may
have about the game.

J. Christopher Ramming
HOME:  (201) 542-2079
WORK:  (201) 949-9531
UUCP:  decvax!bellcore!houxa!qts