Ten Shogi Variants By George Hodges Moves and rules of the major ancient Shogi variants Tori , Wa, Heian-Dai, Dai, Tenjiku, Dai-Dai, Maka-Dai-Dai, Tai and Tai-Kyoku Shogi together with the modern four-handed game of Yonin Shogi The Japanese Phoenix as depicted on the roof of the Ginkaku-ji (Silver Temple) Composed using QuarkXPress in Kyoto © March 2002 Contents Tori Shogi Page 3 Wa Shogi Page 12 Heian Dai Shogi Page 16 Dai Shogi Page 17 Tenjiku Shogi Page 25 Dai-Dai Shogi Page 34 Maka-Dai-Dai Shogi Page 44 Tai Shogi Page 57 Tai-Kyoku Shogi Page 73 Yonin Shogi Page 110 Appendix Page 118 2 TORI SHOGI INTRODUCTION TORI SHOGI (Bird Shogi) is the smallest form of the Japanese family of chess games and was said to have been invented by Ohashi Soei (1756-1809) at the end of the 18th century, He was a very famous master of Shogi and was awarded the topmost honour in the Shogi world, that of 9th Lifetime Meijin (Grand Champion). His Tori Shogi (Bird Chess), so called because all of the pieces have the names of birds, is broadly based upon normal Shogi but is played on a board with only seven squares each way and a total of 32 pieces. Historical game scores for Shogi variants are extremely rare but we are, however, fortunate in having no fewer than eight ancient professional games of Tori Shogi, all played as long ago as 1830. Several top players of the day gathered at the house of Toyota Shirohi in August of that year and these game scores come from that meeting. A complete handicap system was established for Tori Shogi and several of these ancient games do demonstrate handicap play. Here is the initial set-up of the game:- Each player starts with 16 pieces, consisting of one Phoenix, one Falcon, two Cranes, two Pheasants, one left-Quail, one right-Quail and eight Swallows. Below are the pieces, together with their moves, the English and Japanese names and their notation symbols as used in game-scores. Only two pieces promote (see rules section) and their promotional ranks and moves are also given here 3 Promotes Does not to promote Eagle PHOENIX OTORI Ph FALCON TAKA Fa Promoted Falcon Does not promote CRANE TSURU Cr EAGLE WASHI* Eg Does not Promotes to promote Goose PHEASANT KIJI Pt SWALLOW TSUBAME Sw Promoted Does not Swallow promote Left Quail QUAIL UZURA Q GOOSE KARI Go Does not promote *The character does not appear in the Japanese lexicon: its ON reading must be Right Quail Cho but no KUN reading exists. In Chinese QUAIL UZURA Q it refers to aquiline birds in general (including buzzards, vultures et cetera). The normal Japanese for Eagle is Washi but this has its own character. Perhaps ON readings were used in all cases (cf. normal 9 x 9 Shogis Kyo, Kei et cetera). 4 RULES OF PLAY 1) THE OBJECT OF THE GAME is to capture the opponents Phoenix. 2) THE MOVES OF THE PIECES are shown in the diagrams above. Dots indicate the squares to which the piece may move. Arrows indicate that the piece may move any number of unobstructed squares in the directions shown. Crosses indicate that the piece may JUMP directly to any of the so-marked squares. N.B. The Eagle CANNOT jump directly to the second square in the rear diagonal directions should ANY piece occupy the first such square. 3) QUAILS. There are two types of Quail: they are distinguished from each other by & which are the Japanese characters for left and right respectively. These symbols are to be found on the reverse side of the pieces and indicate on which side of the board they are placed in the initial set-up. 4) DROPS. Captured pieces are enlisted in the forces of the player making the capture and may be dropped (i.e. re-entered) on any vacant square instead of moving a piece already on the board. Pieces drop in the unpromoted state and you cannot capture as you drop. There are three special rules concerning Swallow drops: a Swallow cannot be dropped on the last rank (furthest from the player); a Swallow cannot be dropped on any file where there are already two Swallows belonging to the same side and a Swallow cannot be dropped in front of the Phoenix go give instant checkmate. 5) PROMOTION. The furthest two ranks from a player constitute his Promotion Zone. When a Falcon or Swallow makes any move wholly or partly within this zone, promotion is COMPULSORY. To do this the piece is turned over showing its promoted rank. Promotion is permanent as long as the piece remains on the board. 6) REPETITION OF MOVES. Should the same position occur three times by repetition of moves, the player starting the sequence MUST vary his move. By same position is meant: position of pieces on the board, same pieces in hand and same turn to play. NOTATION SYSTEM A notation system has been devised for all types of Shogi in which each square is given a designation by reference first to the file number and then to the rank number. For example 6f is the square on the 6th file and at the f rank. Each piece is also given a designation, for example, Sw for Swallow (see moves of the pieces). Moves are scored thus: - means to; x means captures; + means promotes or promoted and * means drops. Playing through the game scores below will make the system clear. HANDICAP SYSTEM The complete handicap system for Tori Shogi is as follows:- 1) Black/White/Black 2) Black 3) Black/Quail In the case of Quail handicaps it was not 4) Quail specified which Quail should be removed. 5) Quail/Falcon We must assume, therefore, that it was at the choice of the player giving the handicap. 6) Falcon 7) Falcon/Quail and Falcon 8) Quail and Falcon 5 Hereunder are the only known historical games of Tori Shogi. Formerly games were scored with Black playing down the board and the games have, therefore, been transcribed in that way. Game 1: 23rd August 1830 Black: Kimura Sadakichi White: Kita Keiji 1. Swx5e, Swx3c; 2. Fax3c, Sw-3d; 3. Fa-2b, Fax5e; 4. Sw-5d, Fax5d; 5. Cr3a-4b, Sw-4d; 6. Sw*5c, Fa-4e; 7. Swx4d, Fax4d; 8. Ph-5b, Sw*4c; 9. Crx4c, Fa-3c; 10. Fa-3a, Sw*4d; 11. Cr-3b, Fax3b+; 12. Fax3b, Cr*4c; 13. Fax4c, Swx4c; 14. Sw*4e, Fa*2b; 15. Sw*3e, Fax2a+; 16. Sw*2f, +Fax2c; 17. Swx2g+, Sw-3c; 18. Pt*5e, Cr-6f; 19. Cr*3f, Ph-5f; 20. Fa*4g, Phx5e; 21. Fax3g+, Ph-4d; 22. Sw-4f+, Ph-3d; 23. Cr*4e, Ph-2d; 24. Crx2e, mate. Game 2: 23rd August 1830 Black: Kimura Sadakichi White: Kita Keiji 1. Cr-2b, Swx5d; 2. Swx5d, Swx3c; 3. Crx3c, Cr-6f; 4. Fa-3b, Ph-3f; 5. Sw*4d, Ph-2f; 6. Swx4e, Fax4e; 7. Cr-4d, Fa-3f; 8. Sw*3d, Swx3d; 9. Sw*3e, Fa-4f; 10. Ph-5b, Sw*4e; 11. Cr-5e, Crx5e; 12. Swx5e, Fax5e; 13. Cr*5f, Fa-5d; 14. Cr-5e, Cr*5c; 15. Ph-4a, Sw*3c; 16. Crx5d, Crx5d; 17. Fa-4b, Sw*5c; 18. Fa*6f, Sw*2b; 19. Ph-3a, Swx2a+; 20. Phx2a, Cr*3b; 21. Fax3b, Swx3b+; 22. Cr*2b, Fa*4a; 23. Cr-4b, Fa-5b+; 24. Cr4b-3a, Crx4c; 25. Fax7g+, Sw-3c; 26. +Fax6g, +Sw-3d; 27. +Fax4e, +Fa-4a; 28. +Fax4c, +Fax4c; 29. Sw*3b, Fa*4a; 30. Crx3c, +Fax6a; 31. Cr*4b, Fa-5b+; 32. Q*4c, +Fax4c; 33. Crx4c, +Fax4c; 34. Sw*4b, +Fa-5b; 35. Pt*4c, +Fa-4a; 36. Crx3d, Sw-5b+; 37. Fa*4e, Cr*4f; 38. Fa-5f+, Q*5g; 39. +Fax6e, +Sw-5d; 40. Sw*4e, Crx3e; 41. Crx3e, Phx3e; 42. +Fa-4g, Q-5e; 43. +Fa-5g, Cr*4f; 44. Swx4f+, Crx4f; 45. Sw*3d, Ph-4d; 46. +Fax7e, Sw*3c; 47. Cr*5c, Phx3d; 48. Swx3c, Ph-3e; 49. Sw*4e, Sw*2b; 50. Phx2b, Pt*2d; 51. Swx2d, Sw*2c; 52. Ph-2a, Sw*3b; 53. Cr*3d, Ph-2f; 54. Ptx3b, +Swx3b; 55. Swx4f+, +Swx3d; 56. +Sw-4d, Ph-1f; 57. Pt*1d, Swx1d; 58. Sw*1e, Phx1e; 59. Sw*1d, Phx2d; 60. Cr*1c, Ph-3e; 61. Cr-3b, +Fax6c; 62. Cr-6d, +Fa-4e; 63. Cr-4c, Pt*3f; 64. +Fa-6e, Q-5b; 65. Crx5b, +Fax4d; 66. +Fa-4c, +Swx5b; 67. Q*2f, Phx2f; 68. +Fax4d Cr*3e; 69. +Fa-5e, Q*4a; 70. Sw*3b, Sw*4f; 71. Ph-3a, Cr*4d; 72. +Fa-5f, Pt*5c; 73. Crx5c, Crx5c; 74. +Fax5c, Cr*4d; 75. +Fa-6c, Pt*2b; 76. Crx2b, Swx2b+; 77. Sw*1f, Sw*6d; 78. +Fax6d, Cr*5c; 79. +Fa-6e, +Sw-2d; 80. Swx1g+, Crx4b; 81. Ph-2b, Sw*1f; 82. Sw-1e, Qx3b; 83. Pt*3g, Phx3g; 84. Swx1f+, Cr4dx3c; 85. Ph-1c, Sw*1d; 86. +Swx1d, Pt*2b; 87. Ph-1b, Qx1d; 88. Ph-2a, Pt-1c; 89. +Sw-1e, Ph-2f; 90. +Swx1c, Sw*2b; 91. Ph-1b, Cr3e-3d; 92. +Fa-5f, Sw-2a+; 93. Phx2a, Cr3d-4c; 94. Sw*3a, +Sw-5d; 95. +Fa-3d, Cr4cx3d; 96. Sw*2b, Crx2b; 97. Phx2b, Fa*3c; 98. Ph-1b, Cr-2c; 99. Ph-2a, Fa-2b+ mate. Game 3: 23rd August 1830 FALCON HANDICAP Black: Miyamoto Rinnosuke White: Kimura Sadakichi 1. ..., Cr-6f; 2. Cr-6b, Ph-3f; 3. Cr-2b, Cr-4f; 4.