Intresting Passtimes - Shogi

So, I thought today I'd share with you all one of my favorite games (although admittedly I dont get to play it much and am not real flash at it yet)

One of the greatest board games ever made, Shogi.

After all, whats better then chess?

Japanese chess!

Heres a little fun fact for you people who think that the western version couldnt be beat just because, International chess as you know is not english but is in fact from India.

So despite the fact that Shogi is still more or less Chess, what makes the game so different?

Well for starters, its far more complex then regular chess, theres a rating given to games (Game-tree complexity) based on how many possible moves there are at any given time from start to finish, and other factors and whatnot.

Chess has a rating of 123, whereas Shogi has a rating of 226.

So there are more moves and more things to consider at any given time in Shogi.

Defense is more important then it is in chess, and players will spend the opening of the game setting up different 'castles' or defense formations, before going on the offensive, dont let that fool you however, the game is far more agressive and offensive then chess.

the Yagura Castle formation, one of the more popular ones,
takes around 12 moves to setup if I remember correctly

Aside from having some different pieces with different movement, and a bigger board, and a few more pieces (20 as opposed to chess's 16) the biggest change in Shogi is the ability to 'drop' pieces.

Or 'Deepstrike that ****' if you're a terrible person like me

picture this but way cooler

Any enemy piece you capture, you can drop back onto the board as your own piece instead of moving that turn, the only two limitations being that you cant drop a pawn into a spot that will give you an immdiate checkmate on your opponent (however you can do so with any other piece) and the other being you cant drop a pawn into a row that you already have a pawn in.

That particular rule is quite intresting, if you do drop a pawn into a row that you already have a pawn in, you immdiatly lose the game, no exceptions, and when you do lose this way, it is considered ettiquiet to say to the fouler, the phrase 'Nifu' which translated more or less means 'your an idiot, you lose'

What a game.

Even more intresting, is that reading this you would consider this an amatuer mistake, but even professionals lose this way on a regular basis, with even championship games going down like that.

Habu Yoshiharu
 one of the best shogi players of all time

Its really this ability to drop pieces that really opens things up, and most beginners dont really take advantage of it, but really good players will be utilizing it alot.

Since you can capture pieces back and forth, material advantage is alot less important in Shogi as it is in Chess, so you can be more daring and take certain risks you wouldnt in Chess, making for a much more fun heated game, dont get it wrong though, its still just as important to be wise and patient in Shogi, perhaps even more so.

So, how are the pieces different, well lets go into it in a little more detail, you have fuhyo or pawns which are the same as in chess, except they cannot take pieces diagonally, they can only ever move forward no matter what, and they dont get to move forward twice on their first turn like they can in chess.

Then you have 2 Keima or Knights/Horses as you know them which are similar to chess, but they can only jump forward 2 squares and 1 to the side, meaning they only ever have 2 possible moves, and they can never move backwards



Then you also have 2 Kyosha or Lance's, which can only ever move straight forward, but may do so as many spaces as they like.



Next you have 2 Ginsho's or Silver Generals which can move 1 space diagonally in any directions, or forwards.



After that is 2 Kinsho's or Gold Generals which can move 1 space in any direction except diagonally backwards (golds are the ****)



After that you have 2 different 'power pieces' as I call them.

The first is a Hisha, otherwise known to everyone as a rook, or castle, and it works exactly the same as it does in regular chess, and is easily the most dangerous piece in the game, and you only ever get one (unless you capture your opponents one and turn it against him)

The second piece is the Kakugyo, or bishop, and again works exactly the same as it does in regular chess, and again you only ever get one.

Both the Rook and Bishop are very important and work better in different situations, but the rook is usually better offensivly and some defense setups use the bishop as part of their formation, so its usually better on defense.



or you could just teach your cat to play for you.



And finally you have the Osho/Gyokusho (depending on what side you are) which is the king, and works just like the King in chess.

Another Important difference in Shogi is Promoting.

In Chess your pawns can Promote if they reach the other side of the board, and have a choice of pieces to choose to become.

In shogi, Pretty much every piece in the game can promote by simply getting into the last three rows of the board (from your perspective), or put simply, your opponents starting zone.

Just about everything will promote into a gold general, except for the two power pieces, who will gain the ability to choose to either move as per they normally would or move 1 space in any direction just as a king would, this is alot better then it probably sounds.



This will help simplify things











I could keep going on about the rules, but if you really want to know more, you'll probably learn it better here -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shogi-

Good old wikipedia, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjNyLB6jWrw



Alternativly, if you happen to be lucky (or unlucky) enough to know me, you can always come play a game with me and I'll teach you everything you need to know, I love playing shogi, and I'd love to play with you!

If you think you can handle this shit



Its great to have a fun passtime that is not only a game but also really engages your brain.