🚀 go-pugleaf

> 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

*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***

I haven't played shogi since I was a child in Japan, so I might be wrong, but
I think Mr. Ramming has left out a few rules.

* Movement out of 7, 8, and 9th ranks allow you to promote.

* Promotion is voluntary (but see next rule).

* You can't have a piece that can't move.  I.e. you can't have a pawn or lance
  on the ninth rank, or a knight on 8th or 9th rank.  If you have an unpromoted
  pawn on the 8th rank and move it to the 9th, you must promote it.

* You cannot "warp in" a pawn on a column that already has an unpromoted pawn
  that you own.

* You cannot mate by "warping in" a pawn (other pieces are OK).

* Knights move only forward.

* Pawns promote to "gold".

Why would you ever want a piece that can't move?  Well, if your king is on
the 9th rank and is under check from a rook or a bishop, and you have a pawn or
a knight, you might want to "warp in" a pawn on the 9th rank or knight on 8th
rank to get out of check....but you can't do it.

                                         Takashi Iwasawa