Tenjiku shogi
Encyclopedia
Tenjiku shogi is a large-board variant
of shogi
(Japanese chess). The game dates back to the 15th or 16th century and was based on the earlier chu shogi
, which itself was based on dai shogi
.
Each player has a set of 78 wedge-shaped pieces of 36 types. In all, the players must remember 45 moves for these pieces. The pieces are of slightly different sizes. From largest to smallest (roughly most to least powerful) they are:
Several of the English names were chosen to correspond to rough equivalents in Western chess, rather than as translations of the Japanese names.
Each piece has its name in the form of one or two kanji
written on its face. On the reverse side of some pieces are two or three other characters, often in a different color such as red; this reverse side is turned up to indicate that the piece has been promoted during play. The pieces of the two sides do not differ in color, but instead each piece is shaped like a wedge, and faces forward, toward the opposing side. This shows who controls the piece during play.
The promotions can be summarized as series of promotion chains, as follows. Within each block below, a piece (except the kings) promotes to the piece above it. Pieces at the top of each block do not promote (and if in italics, and with an *asterisk, as stated before, these appear only upon promotion). Note that pieces may only promote once. For example, a gold general promotes to a rook, and a rook promotes to a dragon king, but a gold general promoted to a rook cannot promote a second time to a dragon king. This is clear from the equipment, for each piece only has two sides.
Despite the large size of the board and number of pieces, tenjiku shogi games are often quicker than smaller shogi variants because of the higher average power of the pieces. Good use of the fire demons can make for a short game. Unlike many shogi variants, the very first move can have a very profound effect on the outcome of the game, and indeed it is sometimes wondered whether playing first is an automatic win, barring any mistakes.
move as they do in that game.
An opposing piece is captured by displacement: That is, if a piece moves to a square occupied by an opposing piece, the opposing piece is displaced and removed from the board. A piece cannot move to a square occupied by a friendly piece, that is, by another piece controlled by the moving player. The one exception to this is the unique burn of the fire demon.
Each piece on the game moves in a characteristic pattern. Pieces move either orthogonally (that is, forward, backward, left, or right, in the direction of one of the arms of a plus sign, +), or diagonally (in the direction of one of the arms of a multiplication sign, ×). The vice general, fire demon, lion, and knight are exceptions, in that they do not move, or are not required to move, in a straight line.
Many pieces are capable of several kinds of movement, with the type of movement most often depending on the direction. The movement categories are:
The step movers are the king, drunk elephant, blind tiger, ferocious leopard, gold general, silver general, copper general, iron general, dog, and pawn. Other pieces may step in certain directions, but move differently in other directions.
Other pieces have a limited range of two squares along a straight line. The water buffalo, chariot soldier, vertical soldier, and side soldier may move one or two squares in certain directions. They can only move to the second square if the first is unoccupied. They may capture on either square, but must stop where they capture.
The ranging pieces are the great general, vice general, rook general, bishop general, free eagle, soaring eagle, horned falcon, free king, water buffalo, chariot soldier, fire demon, lion hawk, dragon king, dragon horse, rook, bishop, vertical mover, side mover, reverse chariot, vertical soldier, side soldier and lance.
However, they may only jump over other pieces of lower rank, whether friend or foe. None may jump a king or crown prince of either side. The relevant ranking is:
That is, bishop and rook generals cannot jump any other range-jumping piece.
Some descriptions of the game do not limit this ability to moves making a capture. However, most mention that these pieces have two types of move, ranging and range jumping, suggesting that the capture rule may have been mistakenly omitted.
promote as they do in that game, with the exceptions of the lion and free king, which do not promote in chu shogi.
A player's promotion zone consists of the five far ranks, at the original line of the opponent's pawns and beyond. As a promotable piece ends a move within the promotion zone—including moves entering, leaving, or moving entirely within the zone,—it has the option of "promoting" to a more powerful rank. (Pieces which take multiple steps per move may promote by crossing into the promotion zone and back out again.) Promotion is effected by turning the piece over after it moves, revealing the name of its promoted rank. Promotion is not mandatory if the unpromoted piece could move further on a later turn, and in some cases it may be beneficial to leave the piece unpromoted. Promotion is permanent and promoted pieces may not revert to their original rank.
Promoting a piece has the effect of changing how that piece moves. See above for what each piece promotes to and below for how they move.
The king, great general, vice general, free eagle, lion hawk, and fire demon do not promote, nor can already promoted pieces promote further.
If a piece which cannot retreat or move to the side advances to the far rank, so that it would otherwise have no further legal move, it is forced to promote. These pieces are the pawn, knight, iron general, and lance. Similarly, a knight reaching the penultimate rank must promote.
If a piece does not promote when it first has the opportunity, it may not promote on its subsequent turn unless it captures or is forced to promote. Thereafter it may promote normally.
Water buffalo 水牛 suigyū
Chariot soldier 車兵 shahei
Note: Since a piece promotes when its move is finished, the water buffalo does not burn surrounding pieces upon promotion to fire demon.
Side soldier 横兵 ōhei
Vertical soldier 竪兵 shuhei
Range: The side soldier can move any number of free squares orthogonally sideways.
Limited range: It can move one or two squares directly forward.
Step: It can move one square directly backward.
Range: The vertical soldier can move any number of free squares orthogonally forward.
Limited range: It can move one or two squares orthogonally sideways.
Step: It can move one square directly backward.
Knight 桂馬 keima
Iron general 鉄将 tesshō
Jump: The knight jumps at an angle intermediate between orthogonal and diagonal, amounting to one square forward plus one square diagonally forward, in a single motion. That is, it has a choice of two forward destinations. It ignores any intervening piece on the way to its destination.
Since a knight cannot move backward or to the sides, it must promote when it reaches one of the two far ranks.
Since an iron general cannot move backward or to the sides, it must promote when it reaches the far rank.
Free eagle 奔鷲 honjū
Lion hawk 獅鷹 shiō
Move according to Edo-era sources:
Based on descriptions of the lion having a triple king move, it is thought that the double cat-sword move includes jumping a piece.
The lion hawk can either move as a bishop, or "like" a lion. There is disagreement as to how like a lion it was intended to be.
According to Japanese Wikipedia, and "Modern" Western move:
Move in English-language sources
Note: If the two cat-sword moves are required to be in different directions, as one of the Edo sources appears to state, and are interpreted as a jump to the second square rather than two actual steps, this is the result.
Move according to TSA rules:
Free king 奔王 honnō
Lion 獅子 shishi
The free king moves like a queen in Italian chess.
The lion has a special movement ability commonly called a 'lion move' or 'lion power'. It is shown here in two diagrams for clarity.
Note: The restrictions when capturing a lion in chu shogi
do not apply in tenjiku shogi.
Phoenix 鳳凰 hōō
Kirin 麒麟 kirin
Step: The kirin can move one square in one of the four diagonal directions.
Jump: It can jump to the second square in one of the four orthogonal directions.
Note: Because of its unusual movement, an unpromoted kirin can only reach half the squares on the board.
Free boar 奔猪 honcho
Flying ox 飛牛 higyū
center>
Range: The flying ox can move any number of free squares along any one of the four diagonal directions, or directly forward or backward, giving it six directions of movement.
Side mover 横行 ōgyō
Vertical mover 竪行 shugyō
Range: The side mover can move any number of free squares orthogonally sideways.
Step: It can move one square directly forward or backward.
Range: The vertical mover can move any number of free squares orthogonally forward or backward.
Step: It can move one square orthogonally sideways.
Copper general 銅将 dōshō
Silver general 銀将 ginshō
Step: The copper general can move one square directly forward or backward, or one square diagonally forward, giving it four directions of movement.
Step: The silver general can move one square in the four diagonal directions, or directly forward, giving it five directions of movement.
Multi general 雜将 suishō
Flying stag 飛鹿 hiroku
center>
Range: The multi general can move any number of free squares directly forward or diagonally backward, giving it three directions of movement.
Range: The flying stag can move any number of free squares directly forward or backward.
Step: It can move one square in any direction.
Dog 犬 inu
Blind tiger 盲虎 mōko
Step: The dog can move one square directly forward, or diagonally backward, giving it three directions of movement.
Step: The blind tiger can move one square in any direction except directly forward, giving it seven directions of movement.
White horse 白駒 hokku
Whale 鯨鯢 keigei
center>
Range: The white horse can move any number of free squares orthogonally forward or backward, or diagonally forward, giving it four directions of movement.
Range: The whale can move any number of free squares orthogonally forward or backward, or diagonally backward, giving it four directions of movement.
Lance 香車 kyōsha
Reverse chariot 反車 hensha
Range: The lance can move any number of free squares directly forward, giving it only one direction of movement.
Since a lance cannot move backward or to the sides, it must promote when it reaches the far rank.
, and effectively wins the game.
Unlike Western chess, a player need not move out of check in tenjiku shogi, and indeed may even move into check. Although obviously not often a good idea, a player with more than one royal may occasionally sacrifice one of these pieces as part of a gambit
.
A player is not allowed to give perpetual check
to the sole objective piece.
A player who makes an illegal move loses immediately. (This rule may be relaxed in casual games.)
Repetition (千日手 sennichite) is not allowed.
The game reaches an impasse (持将棋 jishōgi) if all kings and crown princes have advanced into their respective promotion zones and neither player can hope to mate the other or to gain any further material.
Alternatively, a strong piece of one player may be removed in exchange for one or more of the other player’s weaker pieces.
, but modifications have been made for tenjiku shogi.
A typical example is P-8g.
The first letter represents the piece moved (see above).
Promoted pieces have a + added in front of the letter. e.g., +P for a promoted pawn. The designation of the piece is followed by a symbol indicating the type of move: - for an ordinary move or x for a capture. Next is the designation for the square on which the piece lands. This consists of a number representing the file and a lowercase letter representing the rank, with 1a being the top right corner (as seen from Black's point of view) and 16p being the bottom left corner. (This method of designating squares is based on Japanese convention, which, however, uses Japanese numerals
instead of letters. For example, the square 2c is denoted by 2三 in Japanese.)
If a lion, horned falcon, soaring eagle or Heavenly Tetrarch captures by igui, or the fire demon burns, the square of the piece being captured is used instead of the destination square, and this is preceded by the symbol !. A piece moving next to a fire demon (suicide move) is followed by a *. If a double or triple capture is made, than subsequent captures are added after the first capture.
If a move entitles the player to promote the piece, then a + is added to the end to signify that the promotion was taken, or an = to indicate that it was declined.
For example, Nx7d= indicates a knight capturing on 7d without promoting.
In cases where the above notation would be ambiguous, the designation of the start square is added after the designation for the piece in order to make clear which piece is meant.
Moves are commonly numbered as in chess.
In handicap games White plays first, so Black's move 1 is replaced by an ellipsis
.
Shogi variant
Many variants of shogi have been developed over the centuries, ranging from some of the largest chess-type games ever played to some of the smallest...
of shogi
Shogi
, also known as Japanese chess, is a two-player board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, and Chinese Xiangqi, and is the most popular of a family of chess variants native to Japan...
(Japanese chess). The game dates back to the 15th or 16th century and was based on the earlier chu shogi
Chu shogi
Chū shōgi is a board game native to Japan. It is similar to modern shogi in its rules and game play. Its name means "mid-sized shogi", from a time when there were three sizes of shogi variants in regular use. Chu shogi seems to have been developed in the early 14th century as a derivative of dai...
, which itself was based on dai shogi
Dai shogi
Dai shōgi is a board game native to Japan. It is similar to standard shogi in its rules and game play. Dai shogi is only one of several large board shogi variants. Its name means large shogi, from a time when there were three sizes of shogi games...
.
Objective
The objective of the game is to capture the opponent's king and, if present, the crown prince, which counts as a second king. Unlike standard shogi, captured pieces may not be dropped back into play by the capturing player.Game equipment
Two players, Black and White (or 先手 sente and 後手 gote), play on a board composed of squares in a grid of 16 ranks (rows) by 16 files (columns) with a total of 256 squares. The squares are undifferentiated by marking or color. A pair of dots may be placed just beyond the fifth rank on each side to mark the promotion zones and aid in the initial setup of the two camps.Each player has a set of 78 wedge-shaped pieces of 36 types. In all, the players must remember 45 moves for these pieces. The pieces are of slightly different sizes. From largest to smallest (roughly most to least powerful) they are:
- 1 King
- 1 Great general
- 1 Vice general
- 2 Rook generals
- 2 Bishop generals
- 1 Free eagle
- 1 Free king
- 2 Soaring eagles
- 2 Horned falcons
- 2 Water buffalos
- 4 Chariot soldiers
- 2 Fire demons
- 1 Lion hawk
- 1 Lion
- 2 Dragon kings
- 2 Dragon horses
- 2 Rooks
- 2 Bishops
- 1 Kirin
- 1 Phoenix
- 1 Drunken elephant
- 2 Blind tigers
- 2 Ferocious leopards
- 2 Gold generals
- 2 Silver generals
- 2 Copper generals
- 2 Vertical movers
- 2 Side movers
- 2 Reverse chariots
- 2 Vertical soldiers
- 2 Side soldiers
- 2 Lances
- 2 Knights
- 2 Iron generals
- 2 Dogs
- 16 Pawns
Several of the English names were chosen to correspond to rough equivalents in Western chess, rather than as translations of the Japanese names.
Each piece has its name in the form of one or two kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
written on its face. On the reverse side of some pieces are two or three other characters, often in a different color such as red; this reverse side is turned up to indicate that the piece has been promoted during play. The pieces of the two sides do not differ in color, but instead each piece is shaped like a wedge, and faces forward, toward the opposing side. This shows who controls the piece during play.
Table of pieces
Listed below are the pieces of the game and, if they promote, which pieces they promote to. Pieces marked with an *asterisk are only available with promotion.| Piece | Kanji Kanji Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet... |
Rōmaji | Abbrev. | Promotes to | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop | 角行 | kakugyō | B | 角 | dragon horse |
| Bishop general | 角将 | kakushō | BG | 砲 | vice general |
| Blind tiger | 盲虎 | mōko | BT | 虎 | flying stag |
| Chariot soldier | 車兵 | shahei | CS | 車 | heavenly tetrarch |
| Copper general | 銅将 | dōshō | C | 銅 | side mover |
| *Crown prince | 太子 | taishi | CP | 子 | — |
| Dog | 犬 | inu | D | 犬 | multi general |
| Dragon horse | 龍馬 | ryūme | DH | 馬 | horned falcon |
| Dragon king Dragon King The four Dragon Kings are, in Chinese mythology, the divine rulers of the four seas . Although Dragon Kings appear in their true forms as dragons, they have the ability to shapeshift into human form... |
龍王 | ryūō | DK | 龍 | soaring eagle |
| Drunk elephant | 酔象 | suizō | DE | 象 | crown prince |
| Ferocious leopard | 猛豹 | mōhyō | FL | 豹 | bishop |
| Fire demon | 火鬼 | kaki | FD | 火 | — |
| *Flying ox | 飛牛 | higyū | FO | 牛 | — |
| *Flying stag | 飛鹿 | hiroku | FS | 鹿 | — |
| *Free boar | 奔猪 | honcho | FB | 猪 | — |
| Free eagle | 奔鷲 | honjū | FE | – | — |
| Free king | 奔王 | honnō | FK | 奔 | free eagle |
| Gold general | 金将 | kinshō | G | 金 | rook |
| Great general | 大将 | taishō | GG | 大 | — |
| *Heavenly tetrarch Four Heavenly Kings In the Buddhist faith, the Four Heavenly Kings are four gods, each of whom watches over one cardinal direction of the world.The Kings are collectively named as follows:... |
四天王 | shitennō | HT | 四 | — |
| Horned falcon | 角鷹 | kakuō | HF | 鷹 | bishop general |
| Iron general | 鉄将 | tesshō | I | 鉄 | vertical soldier |
| King (Black) | 玉将 | gyokushō | K | 玉 | — |
| King (White) | 王将 | ōshō | K | 王 | — |
| Kirin Qilin The Qilin is a mythical hooved Chinese chimerical creature known throughout various East Asian cultures, and is said to appear with the imminent arrival or passing of a wise sage or an illustrious ruler. It is a good omen that brings rui . It is often depicted with what looks like fire all over... |
麒麟 | kirin | Kr | 麒 | lion |
| Knight | 桂馬 | keima | N | 桂 | side soldier |
| Lance | 香車 | kyōsha | L | 香 | white horse |
| Lion | 獅子 | shishi | Ln | 獅 | lion hawk |
| Lion hawk Griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle... |
獅鷹 | shiō, shitaka | LH | – | — |
| *Multi general | 雜将 | suishō | MG | 雜 | — |
| Pawn | 歩兵 | fuhyō | P | 歩 | gold general |
| Phoenix Fenghuang Fenghuang are mythological birds of East Asia that reign over all other birds. The males are called Feng and the females Huang. In modern times, however, such a distinction of gender is often no longer made and the Feng and Huang are blurred into a single feminine entity so that the bird can be... |
鳳凰 | hōō | Ph | 鳳 | free king |
| Reverse chariot | 反車 | hensha | RC | 反 | whale |
| Rook | 飛車 | hisha | R | 飛 | dragon king |
| Rook general | 飛将 | hishō | RG | 炮 | great general |
| Side mover | 横行 | ōgyō | SM | 横 | free boar |
| Side soldier | 横兵 | ōhei | SS | – | water buffalo |
| Silver general | 銀将 | ginshō | S | 銀 | vertical mover |
| Soaring eagle | 飛鷲 | hijū | SE | 鷲 | rook general |
| Vertical mover | 竪行 | shugyō | VM | 竪 | flying ox |
| Vertical soldier | 竪兵 | shuhei | VS | – | chariot soldier |
| Vice general | 副将 | fukushō | VG | 副 | — |
| Water buffalo | 水牛 | suigyū | WB | 水 | fire demon |
| *Whale | 鯨鯢 | keigei | W | 鯨 | — |
| *White horse | 白駒 | hokku | WH | 駒 | — |
The promotions can be summarized as series of promotion chains, as follows. Within each block below, a piece (except the kings) promotes to the piece above it. Pieces at the top of each block do not promote (and if in italics, and with an *asterisk, as stated before, these appear only upon promotion). Note that pieces may only promote once. For example, a gold general promotes to a rook, and a rook promotes to a dragon king, but a gold general promoted to a rook cannot promote a second time to a dragon king. This is clear from the equipment, for each piece only has two sides.
| Jeweled general | 玉将 | *Crown prince | 太子 | |
| King general | 王将 | ↑ Drunk elephant | ↑ 酔象 | |
| Vice general | 副将 | Great general | 大将 | |
| ↑ Bishop general | ↑ 角将 | ↑ Rook general | ↑ 飛将 | |
| ↑ Horned falcon | ↑ 角鷹 | ↑ Soaring eagle | ↑ 飛鷲 | |
| ↑ Dragon horse | ↑ 龍馬 | ↑ Dragon king | ↑ 龍王 | |
| ↑ Bishop | ↑ 角行 | ↑ Rook | ↑飛車 | |
| ↑ Ferocious leopard | ↑ 猛豹 | ↑ Gold general | ↑ 金将 | |
| ↑ Pawn | ↑ 歩兵 | |||
| Fire demon | 火鬼 | *Heavenly tetrarch | 四天王 | |
| ↑ Water buffalo | ↑ 水牛 | ↑ Chariot soldier | ↑車兵 | |
| ↑ Side soldier | ↑ 横兵 | ↑ Vertical soldier | ↑ 竪兵 | |
| ↑ Knight | ↑ 桂馬 | ↑ Iron general | ↑ 鉄将 | |
| Free eagle | 奔鷲 | Lion hawk | 獅鷹 | |
| ↑ Free king | ↑ 奔王 | ↑ Lion | ↑ 獅子 | |
| ↑ Phoenix | ↑ 鳳凰 | ↑ Kirin | ↑ 麒麟 | |
| *Free boar | 奔猪 | *Flying ox | 飛牛 | |
| ↑ Side mover | ↑ 横行 | ↑ Vertical mover | ↑ 竪行 | |
| ↑ Copper general | ↑ 銅将 | ↑ Silver general | ↑ 銀将 | |
| *Multi general | 雜将 | *Flying stag | 飛鹿 | |
| ↑ Dog | ↑ 犬 | ↑ Blind tiger | ↑ 盲虎 | |
| *White horse | 白駒 | *Whale | 鯨鯢 | |
| ↑ Lance | ↑ 香車 | ↑ Reverse chariot | ↑ 反車 | |
Setup
The initial setup of the board is as follows. See below for a description of the types of moves involved.| Color coding | |
| 駒 | Range-jumping pieces |
| 駒 | Ranging pieces (move of free eagle not clear) |
| 駒 | Multiple-capture pieces (move of lion-hawk not clear) |
| 駒 | Jumping pieces |
| 駒 | Pieces which are restricted to stepping moves |
| 駒 | Burning pieces (the fire demons) |
| 16 | | 15 | | 14 | | 13 | | 12 | | 11 | | 10 | | 9 | | 8 | | 7 | | 6 | | 5 | | 4 | | 3 | | 2 | | 1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 香 車 |
桂 馬 |
猛 豹 |
鉄 将 |
銅 将 |
銀 将 |
金 将 |
酔 象 |
王 将 |
金 将 |
銀 将 |
銅 将 |
鉄 将 |
猛 豹 |
桂 馬 |
香 車 |
一 |
| 反 車 |
車 兵 |
車 兵 |
盲 虎 |
鳳 凰 |
奔 王 |
獅 子 |
麒 麟 |
盲 虎 |
車 兵 |
車 兵 |
反 車 |
二 | ||||
| 横 兵 |
竪 兵 |
角 行 |
龍 馬 |
龍 王 |
水 牛 |
火 鬼 |
奔 鷲 |
獅 鷹 |
火 鬼 |
水 牛 |
龍 王 |
龍 馬 |
角 行 |
竪 兵 |
横 兵 |
三 |
| 横 行 |
竪 行 |
飛 車 |
角 鷹 |
飛 鷲 |
角 将 |
飛 将 |
副 将 |
大 将 |
飛 将 |
角 将 |
飛 鷲 |
角 鷹 |
飛 車 |
竪 行 |
横 行 |
四 |
| 歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
五 |
| |
犬 | 犬 | 六 | |||||||||||||
| |
七 | |||||||||||||||
| |
八 | |||||||||||||||
| |
九 | |||||||||||||||
| |
十 | |||||||||||||||
| |
犬 | 犬 | 十 一 |
|||||||||||||
| 歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
歩 兵 |
十 二 |
| 横 行 |
竪 行 |
飛 車 |
角 鷹 |
飛 鷲 |
角 将 |
飛 将 |
大 将 |
副 将 |
飛 将 |
角 将 |
飛 鷲 |
角 鷹 |
飛 車 |
竪 行 |
横 行 |
十 三 |
| 横 兵 |
竪 兵 |
角 行 |
龍 馬 |
龍 王 |
水 牛 |
火 鬼 |
獅 鷹 |
奔 鷲 |
火 鬼 |
水 牛 |
龍 王 |
龍 馬 |
角 行 |
竪 兵 |
横 兵 |
十 四 |
| 反 車 |
車 兵 |
車 兵 |
盲 虎 |
麒 麟 |
獅 子 |
奔 王 |
鳳 凰 |
盲 虎 |
車 兵 |
車 兵 |
反 車 |
十 五 |
||||
| 香 車 |
桂 馬 |
猛 豹 |
鉄 将 |
銅 将 |
銀 将 |
金 将 |
玉 将 |
酔 象 |
金 将 |
銀 将 |
銅 将 |
鉄 将 |
猛 豹 |
桂 馬 |
香 車 |
十 六 |
| style="background:#ffdead" border="1" cellspacing="0"> | ||||||||||||||||
| 16 | | 15 | | 14 | | 13 | | 12 | | 11 | | 10 | | 9 | | 8 | | 7 | | 6 | | 5 | | 4 | | 3 | | 2 | | 1 | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L | N | FL | I | C | S | G | DE | K | G | S | C | I | FL | N | L | a |
| RC | CS | CS | BT | Ph | FK | Ln | Kr | BT | CS | CS | RC | b | ||||
| SS | VS | B | DH | DK | WB | FD | FE | LH | FD | WB | DK | DH | B | VS | SS | c |
| SM | VM | R | HF | SE | BG | RG | VG | GG | RG | BG | SE | HF | R | VM | SM | d |
| p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | e |
| D | D | f | ||||||||||||||
| g | ||||||||||||||||
| h | ||||||||||||||||
| i | ||||||||||||||||
| j | ||||||||||||||||
| D | D | k | ||||||||||||||
| p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | p | l |
| SM | VM | R | HF | SE | BG | RG | GG | VG | RG | BG | SE | HF | R | VM | SM | m |
| SS | VS | B | DH | DK | WB | FD | LH | FE | FD | WB | DK | DH | B | VS | SS | n |
| RC | CS | CS | BT | Kr | Ln | FK | Ph | BT | CS | CS | RC | o | ||||
| L | N | FL | I | C | S | G | K | DE | G | S | C | I | FL | N | L | p |
| Legend | ||
| B: Bishop | BG: Bishop General | BT: Blind Tiger |
| C: Copper General | CS: Chariot Soldier | D: Dog |
| DE: Drunk Elephant | DH: Dragon Horse | DK: Dragon King |
| FD: Fire Demon | FE: Free Eagle | FK: Free King |
| FL: Fierce Leopard | G: Gold General | GG: Great General |
| HF: Horned Falcon | I: Iron General | K: King |
| Kr: Kirin | L: Lance | LH: Lion Hawk |
| Ln: Lion | N: Knight | p: Pawn |
| Ph: Phoenix | R: Rook | RC: Reverse Chariot |
| RG: Rook General | S: Silver General | SE: Soaring Eagle |
| SM: Side Mover | SS: Side Soldier | VG: Vice General |
| VM: Vertical Mover | VS: Vertical Soldier | WB: Water Buffalo |
Game play
Two players alternate making a move, with Black moving first. (The pieces are not differentiated by color; the traditional chess terms "Black" and "White" are only used to indicate who plays first, and to differentiate the sides during discussions of the game.) A move consists of moving a piece either to an empty square on the board or to a square occupied by an opposing piece, thus capturing that piece; and optionally of promoting the moving piece, if all or part of its move lies in the promotion zone. Each of these options is detailed below.Despite the large size of the board and number of pieces, tenjiku shogi games are often quicker than smaller shogi variants because of the higher average power of the pieces. Good use of the fire demons can make for a short game. Unlike many shogi variants, the very first move can have a very profound effect on the outcome of the game, and indeed it is sometimes wondered whether playing first is an automatic win, barring any mistakes.
Movement and capture
Tenjiku shogi pieces that occur in chu shogiChu shogi
Chū shōgi is a board game native to Japan. It is similar to modern shogi in its rules and game play. Its name means "mid-sized shogi", from a time when there were three sizes of shogi variants in regular use. Chu shogi seems to have been developed in the early 14th century as a derivative of dai...
move as they do in that game.
An opposing piece is captured by displacement: That is, if a piece moves to a square occupied by an opposing piece, the opposing piece is displaced and removed from the board. A piece cannot move to a square occupied by a friendly piece, that is, by another piece controlled by the moving player. The one exception to this is the unique burn of the fire demon.
Each piece on the game moves in a characteristic pattern. Pieces move either orthogonally (that is, forward, backward, left, or right, in the direction of one of the arms of a plus sign, +), or diagonally (in the direction of one of the arms of a multiplication sign, ×). The vice general, fire demon, lion, and knight are exceptions, in that they do not move, or are not required to move, in a straight line.
Many pieces are capable of several kinds of movement, with the type of movement most often depending on the direction. The movement categories are:
Step movers and limited range movers
Some pieces are limited to moving one square at a time. If a friendly piece occupies an adjacent square, the moving piece may not move in that direction; if an opposing piece is there, it may be displaced and captured.The step movers are the king, drunk elephant, blind tiger, ferocious leopard, gold general, silver general, copper general, iron general, dog, and pawn. Other pieces may step in certain directions, but move differently in other directions.
Other pieces have a limited range of two squares along a straight line. The water buffalo, chariot soldier, vertical soldier, and side soldier may move one or two squares in certain directions. They can only move to the second square if the first is unoccupied. They may capture on either square, but must stop where they capture.
Area movers
The lion, lion hawk, bishop general, and fire demon may take multiple (2 to 3) steps in a single turn. These do not have to be in a line, so these pieces can potentially reach every square within two or three steps of the starting square, not just squares along one of the diagonals or orthogonals. Such moves are also useful to get around obstructions. An area mover must stop where it captures.Jumping pieces
Some pieces can jump, or in the case of the knight can only jump: They pass over an intervening piece, whether friend or foe, with no effect on either. These are the free eagle, lion, soaring eagle, horned falcon, tetrarch, kirin, phoenix, and knight. (The lion hawk has this ability in some versions of the game.) These jumps all have a range of two squares: that is, the first square is passed over, and the piece lands (and captures) on the second. The knight jumps between the diagonals and orthogonals, and the lion (and lion hawk) may do so.Ranging pieces
Many pieces can move any number of empty squares along a straight orthogonal or diagonal line, limited only by the edge of the board. If an opposing piece intervenes, it may be captured by moving to that square and removing it from the board. A ranging piece must stop where it captures, and cannot bypass a piece that is in its way. If a friendly piece intervenes, the moving piece is limited to a distance that stops short of the intervening piece; if the friendly piece is adjacent, it cannot move in that direction at all.The ranging pieces are the great general, vice general, rook general, bishop general, free eagle, soaring eagle, horned falcon, free king, water buffalo, chariot soldier, fire demon, lion hawk, dragon king, dragon horse, rook, bishop, vertical mover, side mover, reverse chariot, vertical soldier, side soldier and lance.
Range jumping pieces
A few powerful pieces may jump over any number of pieces, friend or foe, along a diagonal or orthogonal, but only when making a capture. These are the great general, vice general, rook general, and bishop general.However, they may only jump over other pieces of lower rank, whether friend or foe. None may jump a king or crown prince of either side. The relevant ranking is:
- King, crown prince
- Great general
- Vice general
- Rook general, bishop general
That is, bishop and rook generals cannot jump any other range-jumping piece.
Some descriptions of the game do not limit this ability to moves making a capture. However, most mention that these pieces have two types of move, ranging and range jumping, suggesting that the capture rule may have been mistakenly omitted.
Multiple captures
The lion, soaring eagle, horned falcon, and in some rule variants the lion hawk, have sequential multiple-capture abilities, called "lion moves". The fire demon can "burn" multiple pieces simultaneously. These unusual moves are described below.Other
The heavenly tetrarch cannot move to an adjacent square, and has other idiosyncrasies; the fire demon 'burns' adjacent pieces. This is best described below.Repeated board positions
A player is not allowed to make a move that would return the board to a previous position, with the same player to move. This rule prevents games from entering into a repeated loop.Promotion
Tenjiku shogi pieces that occur in chu shogiChu shogi
Chū shōgi is a board game native to Japan. It is similar to modern shogi in its rules and game play. Its name means "mid-sized shogi", from a time when there were three sizes of shogi variants in regular use. Chu shogi seems to have been developed in the early 14th century as a derivative of dai...
promote as they do in that game, with the exceptions of the lion and free king, which do not promote in chu shogi.
A player's promotion zone consists of the five far ranks, at the original line of the opponent's pawns and beyond. As a promotable piece ends a move within the promotion zone—including moves entering, leaving, or moving entirely within the zone,—it has the option of "promoting" to a more powerful rank. (Pieces which take multiple steps per move may promote by crossing into the promotion zone and back out again.) Promotion is effected by turning the piece over after it moves, revealing the name of its promoted rank. Promotion is not mandatory if the unpromoted piece could move further on a later turn, and in some cases it may be beneficial to leave the piece unpromoted. Promotion is permanent and promoted pieces may not revert to their original rank.
Promoting a piece has the effect of changing how that piece moves. See above for what each piece promotes to and below for how they move.
The king, great general, vice general, free eagle, lion hawk, and fire demon do not promote, nor can already promoted pieces promote further.
If a piece which cannot retreat or move to the side advances to the far rank, so that it would otherwise have no further legal move, it is forced to promote. These pieces are the pawn, knight, iron general, and lance. Similarly, a knight reaching the penultimate rank must promote.
If a piece does not promote when it first has the opportunity, it may not promote on its subsequent turn unless it captures or is forced to promote. Thereafter it may promote normally.
Movement diagrams
In the diagrams below, the different types of moves are coded by symbol and by color: Blue for step moves, green for multiple capture, red for range moves, yellow for jumps, and orange for ranging jumps.| Notation | |
| ☆ | Jumps to this square, bypassing any intervening piece. |
| ○ | Steps a limited number of squares along a straight line. |
| ● | Steps within an area, not restricted to a straight line. Must stop upon capture. |
| ☆ | Jumps to this square, then continues as a step mover. |
| ● | Steps a limited number of squares within an area, and may capture more than once. |
| ! | igui (capture without moving). Counts for two steps. |
| ☆ | May jump directly to this square, or reach it through a multiple move. |
| │ | Ranges along a straight line, crossing any number of empty squares |
| ─ | |
| ＼ | |
| ／ | |
| ☆ | Jumps to this square, then continues as a range mover. |
| │ | Jumps along a straight line, crossing any number of squares. In TSA rules, it may only jump when making a capture, otherwise it moves as a ranging piece. According to Japanese Wikipedia, it may always jump. |
| ─ | |
| ＼ | |
| ／ | |
| ※ | Burns any adjacent enemy pieces wherever it stops (background color indicates movement). |
Individual pieces
Pieces are arranged in this section so that, if they promote, they promote into the piece above them. Piece names with a grey background are present at the start of the game; those with a blue background only appear with promotion.| Jeweled general (inferior player's king) 玉将 gyokushō | Crown prince 太子 taishi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: The king can move into check at any time. |
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Note: The crown prince can move into check at any time. |
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| King general (superior player's king) 王将 ōshō | Drunk elephant 酔象 suizō | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: The king can move into check at any time. |
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| Vice general 副将 fukushō | Great general 大将 taishō | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The vice general may make either a range-jumping move or an area move on any one turn.
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| Bishop general 角将 kakushō | Rook general 飛将 hishō | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Horned falcon 角鷹 kakuō | Soaring eagle 飛鷲 hijū | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dragon horse 龍馬 ryūme | Dragon king 龍王 ryūō | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The dragon horse moves as either a bishop or a king.
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The dragon king moves as either a rook or a king.
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| Bishop 角行 kakugyō | Rook 飛車 hisha | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Because it cannot move orthogonally, an unpromoted bishop can only reach half the squares on the board. |
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| Ferocious leopard 猛豹 mōhyō | Gold general 金将 kinshō | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Pawn 歩兵 fuhyō | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Since a pawn cannot move backward or to the sides, it must promote when it reaches the far rank. However, in practice, pawns are promoted whenever possible. |
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| Fire demon 火鬼 kaki | Heavenly tetrarch 四天王shitennō | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ＼ | │ | ／ | ||||
| ＼ | │ | ／ | ||||
| ※ | ※ | ※ | ||||
| ※ | 火 | ※ | ||||
| ※ | ※ | ※ | ||||
| ／ | │ | ＼ | ||||
| ／ | │ | ＼ |
| ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| ● | ● | ※ | ※ | ※ | ● | ● |
| ● | ● | ※ | 火 | ※ | ● | ● |
| ● | ● | ※ | ※ | ※ | ● | ● |
| ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
- Range: It can move any number of free squares in the four diagonal directions, or directly forward or backward.
-
- Note: The Shōgi Zushiki and Sho Shōgi Zushiki state that it moves like the water buffalo; that is, diagonally and to the sides.
- Area move: It can step in any direction up to three times per turn. It can change direction after its first or second step, and it need not take all three steps. However, unlike the lion, it must stop when it captures.
- Note: The Shōgi Zushiki and Sho Shōgi Zushiki state that it moves like the water buffalo; that is, diagonally and to the sides.
- It can return to the square it started from, allowing the player to "skip">a turn, but does not have the lion power of igui.
- Burn: Wherever the fire demon stops, all adjacent opposing pieces except fire demons are removed from the board, in addition to any piece on the square it lands on. That is, a fire demon can capture up to eight pieces per turn (one it displaces, and seven it burns on adjacent squares).
- Passive burn: Any piece stopping next to an opposing fire demon is removed from the board (after making its capture, if any). Such suicide moves do not count as a turn for the stationary player: The fire demon passively burns opposing pieces that land on adjacent squares without using up a turn.
Conflict between fire demons: When one fire demon lands next to another, it is the only the moving piece that is immolated. The stationary fire demon survives, as do all other adjacent pieces. (These are the TSA rules. In Colin Adam's book, the stationary fire demon survives the suicide move, but all other adjacent enemy pieces are immolated.)
| ＼ | │ | ／ | ||||
| ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ||||
| ! | ! | ! | ||||
| ○ | ☆ | ! | 四 | ! | ☆ | ○ |
| ! | ! | ! | ||||
| ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ||||
| ／ | │ | ＼ |
- Igui: It can capture a piece on any adjacent square without moving. (See "Lion">above.)
- Range: It can move any number of free squares along any one of the four diagonals or along the orthogonal file, skipping any intervening piece on the adjacent square. (It is not a range jumper and cannot jump any other piece.)
- Limited range: It can move two or three squares orthogonally sideways. Although it skips any intervening piece on the first square, it cannot jump a piece on the second square. If it captures on the second square, it must stop there.
Note: Western sources do not have the orthogonal range move.
In English this piece is usually pluralized as 'Heavenly Tetrarchs', though this could refer to all four tetrarchs (the Four Heavenly Kings
Four Heavenly Kings
In the Buddhist faith, the Four Heavenly Kings are four gods, each of whom watches over one cardinal direction of the world.The Kings are collectively named as follows:...
).
| ＼ | ／ | |||||
| ＼ | ○ | ／ | ||||
| ＼ | ○ | ／ | ||||
| ─ | ─ | ─ | 水 | ─ | ─ | ─ |
| ／ | ○ | ＼ | ||||
| ／ | ○ | ＼ | ||||
| ／ | ＼ |
- Range: The water buffalo can move any number of free squares in the four diagonal directions, or orthogonally sideways.
- Limited range: It can move one or two squares directly forward or backward.
Note: Since a piece promotes when its move is finished, the water buffalo does not burn surrounding pieces upon promotion to fire demon.
| ＼ | │ | ／ | ||||
| ＼ | │ | ／ | ||||
| ＼ | │ | ／ | ||||
| ○ | ○ | 車 | ○ | ○ | ||
| ／ | │ | ＼ | ||||
| ／ | │ | ＼ | ||||
| ／ | │ | ＼ |
- Range: The chariot soldier can move any number of free squares in the four diagonal directions, or directly forward or backward.
- Limited range: It can move one or two squares sideways.
| ○ | ||||||
| ○ | ||||||
| ─ | ─ | ─ | 横兵 | ─ | ─ | ─ |
| ○ | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| ○ | ○ | 竪兵 | ○ | ○ | ||
| ○ | ||||||
| ☆ | ☆ | |||||
| 桂 | ||||||
Since a knight cannot move backward or to the sides, it must promote when it reaches one of the two far ranks.
| ○ | ○ | ○ | ||||
| 鉄 | ||||||
- Step: The iron general can move one square forward, either orthogonally or diagonally, giving it three directions of movement.
Since an iron general cannot move backward or to the sides, it must promote when it reaches the far rank.
| ＼ | │ | ／ | ||||
| ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ||||
| ! | │ | ! | ||||
| ─ | ☆ | ─ | 奔鷲 | ─ | ☆ | ─ |
| ! | │ | ! | ||||
| ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ||||
| ／ | │ | ＼ |
- Range: The free eagle can move any number of free squares in any direction.
- Double move: It can move twice as a cat-sword (one square in any diagonal direction).
Based on descriptions of the lion having a triple king move, it is thought that the double cat-sword move includes jumping a piece.
According to Japanese Wikipedia, and "Modern" Western move:
| ＼ | ／ | |||||
| ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ||
| ☆ | ! | ! | ! | ☆ | ||
| ☆ | ! | 獅鷹 | ! | ☆ | ||
| ☆ | ! | ! | ! | ☆ | ||
| ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ||
| ／ | ＼ |
- Range: The lion hawk can move any number of free squares in the four diagonal directions.
- Lion move: It can move as a lion, with the jump, igui, and multiple-capture abilities. (See below for details.)
| ＼ | │ | ／ | ||||
| ＼ | ☆ | ／ | ||||
| ＼ | │ | ／ | ||||
| ─ | ☆ | ─ | 奔鷲 | ─ | ☆ | ─ |
| ／ | │ | ＼ | ||||
| ／ | ☆ | ＼ | ||||
| ／ | │ | ＼ |
- Range: The free eagle can move any number of free squares in any of the eight directions, orthogonal or diagonal.
- Jump: It can jump to the second square in any orthogonal direction.
Note: If the two cat-sword moves are required to be in different directions, as one of the Edo sources appears to state, and are interpreted as a jump to the second square rather than two actual steps, this is the result.
| ＼ | ／ | |||||
| ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ||
| ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ||
| ● | ● | 獅鷹 | ● | ● | ||
| ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ||
| ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ||
| ／ | ＼ |
- Range: The lion hawk can move any number of free squares in the four diagonal directions.
- Area move: It can step in any direction up to twice per turn. That is, it can change directions after its first step, and it need not take both steps. This allows it to "skip" a turn. However, it must stop when it captures, and cannot take a second piece, nor may it jump.
| ＼ | │ | ／ | ||||
| ＼ | │ | ／ | ||||
| ＼ | │ | ／ | ||||
| ─ | ─ | ─ | 奔 | ─ | ─ | ─ |
| ／ | │ | ＼ | ||||
| ／ | │ | ＼ | ||||
| ／ | │ | ＼ |
- Range: The free king can move any number of free squares in any of the eight directions, orthogonal or diagonal.
| ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ||
| ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ||
| ● | ● | 獅 | ● | ● | ||
| ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ||
| ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ||
| ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ||
| ☆ | ! | ! | ! | ☆ | ||
| ☆ | ! | 獅 | ! | ☆ | ||
| ☆ | ! | ! | ! | ☆ | ||
| ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ☆ | ||
- Double move: The lion can step in any direction, and capture, up to twice in a turn. This move is equivalent to two turns for a king.
- Unlike area movers, the lion can continue after a capture on the first step, capturing up to two pieces on each turn.
- By moving back to its starting square, it can effectively capture a piece on an adjacent square without moving. This is called 居喰い igui "stationary feeding".
- It can also do the same to an empty square, without capturing anything. This is traditionally indicated by tapping the lion and leaving it in place.
- A lion next to the promotion zone can make a similar move into and out of the zone, promoting without appearing to move.
- Jump: A lion can jump anywhere within a distance of two squares: That is, anywhere it could reach in two step moves on an empty board, though of course it cannot land on a square occupied by a friendly piece. This is equivalent to jumping in any of the eight diagonal or orthogonal directions, or making any of the jumps of a knight in Western chess, or,
Note: The restrictions when capturing a lion in chu shogi
Chu shogi
Chū shōgi is a board game native to Japan. It is similar to modern shogi in its rules and game play. Its name means "mid-sized shogi", from a time when there were three sizes of shogi variants in regular use. Chu shogi seems to have been developed in the early 14th century as a derivative of dai...
do not apply in tenjiku shogi.
| ☆ | ☆ | |||||
| ○ | ||||||
| ○ | 鳳 | ○ | ||||
| ○ | ||||||
| ☆ | ☆ | |||||
- Step: The phoenix can move one square in one of the four orthogonal directions.
- Jump: It can jump to the second square in one of the four diagonal directions.
| ☆ | ||||||
| ○ | ○ | |||||
| ☆ | 麒 | ☆ | ||||
| ○ | ○ | |||||
| ☆ | ||||||
Note: Because of its unusual movement, an unpromoted kirin can only reach half the squares on the board.
| ＼ | ／ | |||||
| ＼ | ／ | |||||
| ＼ | ／ | |||||
| ─ | ─ | ─ | 猪 | ─ | ─ | ─ |
| ／ | ＼ | |||||
| ／ | ＼ | |||||
| ／ | ＼ |
- Range: The free boar can range any number of free squares along any one of the four diagonal directions, or directly to either side, giving it six directions of movement.
| ＼ | │ | ／ | ||||
| ＼ | │ | ／ | ||||
| ＼ | │ | ／ | ||||
| 牛 | ||||||
| ／ | │ | ＼ | ||||
| ／ | │ | ＼ | ||||
| ／ | │ | ＼ |
| ○ | ||||||
| ─ | ─ | ─ | 横 | ─ | ─ | ─ |
| ○ | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| ○ | 竪 | ○ | ||||
| │ | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| │ |
| ○ | ○ | ○ | ||||
| 銅 | ||||||
| ○ | ||||||
| ○ | ○ | ○ | ||||
| 銀 | ||||||
| ○ | ○ | |||||
| │ | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| 雜 | ||||||
| ／ | ＼ | |||||
| ／ | ＼ | |||||
| ／ | ＼ |
| │ | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| ○ | │ | ○ | ||||
| ○ | 鹿 | ○ | ||||
| ○ | │ | ○ | ||||
| │ | ||||||
| │ |
| ○ | ||||||
| 犬 | ||||||
| ○ | ○ | |||||
| ○ | ○ | |||||
| ○ | 虎 | ○ | ||||
| ○ | ○ | ○ | ||||
| ＼ | │ | ／ | ||||
| ＼ | │ | ／ | ||||
| ＼ | │ | ／ | ||||
| 駒 | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| │ |
| │ | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| 鯨 | ||||||
| ／ | │ | ＼ | ||||
| ／ | │ | ＼ | ||||
| ／ | │ | ＼ |
| │ | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| 香 | ||||||
Since a lance cannot move backward or to the sides, it must promote when it reaches the far rank.
| │ | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| 反 | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| │ | ||||||
| │ |
- Range: The reverse chariot can move any number of free squares orthogonally forward or backward, giving it two directions of movement.
Check and mate
When a player makes a move, such that the opponent's only remaining king or crown prince could be captured on the following move, the move is said to give check; the king or crown prince is said to be in check. If a player's last king or crown prince is in check and no legal move by that player will get it out of check, the checking move is also mateCheckmate
Checkmate is a situation in chess in which one player's king is threatened with capture and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured...
, and effectively wins the game.
Unlike Western chess, a player need not move out of check in tenjiku shogi, and indeed may even move into check. Although obviously not often a good idea, a player with more than one royal may occasionally sacrifice one of these pieces as part of a gambit
Gambit
A gambit is a chess opening in which a player, most often White, sacrifices material, usually a pawn, with the hope of achieving a resulting advantageous position. Some well-known examples are the King's Gambit , Queen's Gambit , and Evans Gambit...
.
A player is not allowed to give perpetual check
Perpetual check
In the game of chess, perpetual check is a situation in which one player can force a draw by an unending series of checks. Such a situation typically arises when the player who is checking cannot deliver checkmate; while failing to continue the series of checks gives the opponent at least a chance...
to the sole objective piece.
Game end
A player who captures the opponent's sole remaining king or crown prince wins the game. In practice this rarely happens, as a player will typically resign when checkmated, as otherwise when loss is inevitable.A player who makes an illegal move loses immediately. (This rule may be relaxed in casual games.)
Repetition (千日手 sennichite) is not allowed.
The game reaches an impasse (持将棋 jishōgi) if all kings and crown princes have advanced into their respective promotion zones and neither player can hope to mate the other or to gain any further material.
Handicaps
Games between players of disparate strength are often played with handicaps. In a handicap game, one or more of White's pieces is removed before the start of play, and White plays the first move of the game.Alternatively, a strong piece of one player may be removed in exchange for one or more of the other player’s weaker pieces.
Game notation
The method used in English-language texts to express shogi moves was established by George Hodges in 1976. It is derived from the algebraic notation used for chessAlgebraic chess notation
Algebraic notation is a method for recording and describing the moves in a game of chess. It is now standard among all chess organizations and most books, magazines, and newspapers...
, but modifications have been made for tenjiku shogi.
A typical example is P-8g.
The first letter represents the piece moved (see above).
Promoted pieces have a + added in front of the letter. e.g., +P for a promoted pawn. The designation of the piece is followed by a symbol indicating the type of move: - for an ordinary move or x for a capture. Next is the designation for the square on which the piece lands. This consists of a number representing the file and a lowercase letter representing the rank, with 1a being the top right corner (as seen from Black's point of view) and 16p being the bottom left corner. (This method of designating squares is based on Japanese convention, which, however, uses Japanese numerals
Japanese numerals
The system of Japanese numerals is the system of number names used in the Japanese language. The Japanese numerals in writing are entirely based on the Chinese numerals and the grouping of large numbers follow the Chinese tradition of grouping by 10,000...
instead of letters. For example, the square 2c is denoted by 2三 in Japanese.)
If a lion, horned falcon, soaring eagle or Heavenly Tetrarch captures by igui, or the fire demon burns, the square of the piece being captured is used instead of the destination square, and this is preceded by the symbol !. A piece moving next to a fire demon (suicide move) is followed by a *. If a double or triple capture is made, than subsequent captures are added after the first capture.
If a move entitles the player to promote the piece, then a + is added to the end to signify that the promotion was taken, or an = to indicate that it was declined.
For example, Nx7d= indicates a knight capturing on 7d without promoting.
In cases where the above notation would be ambiguous, the designation of the start square is added after the designation for the piece in order to make clear which piece is meant.
Moves are commonly numbered as in chess.
In handicap games White plays first, so Black's move 1 is replaced by an ellipsis
Ellipsis
Ellipsis is a series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word, sentence or whole section from the original text being quoted. An ellipsis can also be used to indicate an unfinished thought or, at the end of a sentence, a trailing off into silence...
.
See also
- Shogi variantShogi variantMany variants of shogi have been developed over the centuries, ranging from some of the largest chess-type games ever played to some of the smallest...
- Wa shogiWa shogiWa shogi is a large board variant of shogi in which all of the pieces are named for animals. It is played either with or without drops.- Game equipment :...
- Chu ShogiChu shogiChū shōgi is a board game native to Japan. It is similar to modern shogi in its rules and game play. Its name means "mid-sized shogi", from a time when there were three sizes of shogi variants in regular use. Chu shogi seems to have been developed in the early 14th century as a derivative of dai...
- Heian dai shogiHeian dai shogiHeian dai shogi large chess') is an early large board variant of shogi as it was played in the Heian period. The same 12th century document which describes the Heian form of shogi also describes this variant...
- Dai shogiDai shogiDai shōgi is a board game native to Japan. It is similar to standard shogi in its rules and game play. Dai shogi is only one of several large board shogi variants. Its name means large shogi, from a time when there were three sizes of shogi games...
- Dai dai shogiDai dai shogiDaidai shōgi is a large board variant of shogi . The game dates back to the 15th century and is based on the earlier Dai shogi. Apart from its size, the major difference is in the range of the pieces and the “promotion by capture” rule. It is the smallest board variant to use this rule.-...
- Maka dai dai shogiMaka dai dai shogiMaka daidai shōgi is a large board variant of shogi . The game dates back to the 15th century and is based on dai dai shogi and the earlier dai shogi. The three Edo-era sources are not congruent in their descriptions of the pieces not found in smaller games...
- Tai ShogiTai shogiTai shogi is a large-board variant of shogi . The game dates to the 15th century and is based on earlier largeboard shogi games...
- Taikyoku shogiTaikyoku shogiTaikyoku shōgi is a large board variant of shogi . The game was created around the mid 16th century and is based on earlier large board shogi games. Before the rediscovery of taikyoku shogi in 1997, tai shogi was believed to be the largest playable chess variant ever...