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. A few of these variants are still regularly played, though none are nearly as popular as shogi itself.

The drop rule, often considered the most notable feature of shogi, is absent from most shogi variants, which therefore play more like other forms of chess, with the board becoming less crowded as pieces are exchanged.

Predecessors of modern shogi

Some form of chess had almost certainly reached Japan by the 9th century, if not earlier, but the earliest surviving Japanese description of the rules of chess dates from the early 12th century, during the Heian period. Unfortunately, this description does not give enough information to play the game, but this has not stopped people from trying to reconstruct this early form of shogi, which is usually referred to as Heian shogi (平安将棋). Piece movements were as in modern shogi, but there was no rook or bishop. The board appears to have been 9×8 or 8×8. The setup is unknown, but can reasonably be assumed to have been the same as in modern shogi (minus the rook and bishop, and minus a gold general in the 8×8 case), but possibly the pawns started on the second rank rather than the third. It can safely be assumed that the game was played without drops.

By the 16th century the game had taken a form closer to the modern game: it was played on a 9×9 board with the same setup as in modern shogi except that an extra piece (a drunken elephant) stood in front of the king. This form of the game is known as sho shogi (小将棋), which means "little shogi". (While 9×9 may not seem 'little', it was smaller than the other shogi variants prevalent at the time.) The drunken elephant was eliminated by the Emperor Go-Nara (reign 1526-1557), and it is assumed that the drop rule was introduced at about the same time, giving rise to shogi as we know it today.

Large-board variants

There are a number of shogi variants played on boards larger than 9×9. These variants are all quite old, and were probably all played without drops. Michael C. Vanier says, "It is thought that the really huge games (dai-dai and up) were never really played to any significant extent [...] and were devised merely so that the creators could have the fun of inventing enormous games, amazing their friends and confounding their enemies. However, the games up to Tenjiku shogi at least appear to be quite playable, assuming one has the time."[1]

The same 12th-century document which describes the Heian form of shogi also describes a variant played on a 13×13 board, which is now called Heian dai shogi (平安大将棋). As with the smaller Heian shogi, the rules for this game have not been completely preserved.

The most popular large-board variant is chu shogi (中将棋), played on a 12×12 board. The name means middle shogi, and the game is sometimes so called in English. Chu shogi has existed since at least the 14th century; there are earlier references, but it is not clear that they refer to the game as we now know it. Chu shogi is best known for a very powerful piece called the lion, which moves like a king but twice per turn. The game was still commonly played in Japan in the early 20th century, but has now largely died out. It has, however, gained some adherents in the West. The main reference work in English is the Middle Shogi Manual by George Hodges.

Other large medieval shogi variants were wa shogi (11×11, possibly played with drops), dai shogi (大将棋, "great shogi", 15×15), tenjiku shogi (天竺将棋, literally "Indian shogi", but probably meant in the sense of "exotic shogi", 16×16), dai-dai shōgi (大大将棋, "great great shogi", 17×17), maka dai-dai shōgi (摩訶大大将棋, "ultra great great shogi", 19×19) and tai shogi (泰将棋, "grand shogi", 25×25). These variants date back at least to the 17th century. Tai shogi was thought to be the world's largest chess variant, but recently records of an even larger variant, taikyoku shogi (大局将棋, "ultimate shogi", 36×36), was discovered. However, there is no evidence that any of them were commonly played apart from wa shogi and dai shogi. Furthermore, the sources for the rules of the larger variants tend to disagree with each other on many particular issues, such that only wa shogi, chu shogi, dai shogi, and tenjiku shogi can be said to have one single canonical set of rules (and some lacunae in the latter two need to be reconstructed analogously to chu shogi).

The most recent large board variant is kō shōgi (廣将棋 or 廣象棋 "wide (elephant) chess", 19×19), which is played on a go board and incorporates elements of Chinese chess. Ko shogi is unusual for the interdependence of its pieces and the complex rules of promotion.

Of the historical large-board variants, only wa (11×11), chu (12×12), tenjiku (16×16), and maka dai-dai shogi (19×19) have gained a limited following today. There is a society for chu shogi in Japan, as well as some efforts to revive maka dai-dai, though both efforts have changed the rules slightly from the historical ones. Tenjiku shogi gained some Western following around the turn of the millennium, but due to a misinterpretation of the rules it was then abandoned as being an immediate win for the first player. This is not the case under the corrected rules.

Modern variants

These are some of the new and old shogi variants which have been invented. Time will show which if any of the many recently invented variants stand the test of usage and competition from other games, and stay in use.

Small variants

NameBoard sizePieces eachWhen inventedInvented byNotes
Bushi shogi[2]1×212000?Georg DunkelThe pieces are cubes, and move only by being rotated and set another face up.
Gufuu shogi[3]2×322000?Georg DunkelThe players have a king each, and two shared pieces.
Nana shogi[4]3×331998/2001Georg DunkelThe pieces are cubes, and each piece's power and moves varies according to which of its four sides is up. There are two minor variations to piece movement rules.
9 grid shogi[5] 3×3 various 2016 Teruichi Aono Uses 40 different piece combinations and start positions. The first and last rank are the promotion zones. All other rules are the same as the traditional shogi. Designed to teach shogi. Its name in Japanese is ９マス将棋 kyū-masu shōgi.
Dōbutsu shōgi3×44recentlyMadoka KitaoChildren's game. [6] Also sold as "Let's Catch the Lion!"
Shogi44×452013Oca StudiosShogi designed for children, released under public domain; print and play version available[7]
Micro shogi4×55modern, before 1982Ōyama Yasuharu?Pieces alternate between promoted and demoted state after each capturing move.
Minishogi5×56c. 1970Shigenobu KusumotoHe may have rediscovered it instead of inventing it. Comparatively popular.
Goro goro shogi5×68 Each player's promotion zone consists of the two farthest ranks from the player. There are also no long-range pieces such as rooks and bishops, although there is a variant where each player has a knight and a lance.[8]
Kyoto shogi5×55c. 1976Tamiya Katsuya
Judkins shogi6×67before April 1998Paul Judkins of Norwich, England
Whale shogi6×6121981R. Wayne Schmittberger of USAAll pieces named after cetaceans.
Tori shogi7×716late 18th centuryToyota GenryuAll pieces named after birds. Uses the drop rule. One of the more popular shogi variants.
Yari shogi7×9141981Christian Freeling, Netherlands
EuroShogi8×8162000+Vladimír PribylinecPieces are two colored cubes with chess symbols. A rotation of the man promotes the unit or changes its colour.
Heian shogi8×8 or 9×816 or 18c. 1120 or before;
Heian period		 An early form of shogi.

Standard-size variants

NameBoard SizePieces eachWhen inventedInvented byNotes
Sho shogi9×921Kamakura period Ancestor of modern shogi.
Cannon shogi9×920February 1998Peter MichaelsenShogi plus xiangqi-type cannons.
Hasami shogi9×99 or 18 Like ludus latrunculorum. Not much like shogi.
Hand shogi9×919 piecesearly 1997John William Brown, Lewisville, ArizonaStarts with 10 pieces each side in hand.
Annan shogi9×920 A Korean variation of standard shogi where pieces gain the powers of the pieces behind them. Popular in Japan.
Unashogi9×9201994Edward JackmanStarts with all pieces in hand.
Masonic shogi9×9201987George R. Dekle, Sr. Ranks indented like brickwork, adapted moves; otherwise like shogi.
Hexshogi85 cells201986George R. Dekle, Sr. Hexagonal cells, adapted moves; otherwise like shogi.
Trishogi9×10201987George R. Dekle, Sr. Triangular cells, adapted moves; otherwise same as shogi.

Large variants

NameBoard sizePieces eachPiece typesDifferent movesWhen inventedFirst mentionedInvented byNotes
Okisaki shogi10×1022911c. 1996c. 1996Masayuki Nakayachi
Wa shogi11×1127172217th century; Edo period1694
Shōgi Zushiki		 All pieces are named after animals. Occasionally played.
Chu shogi12×12462128early 14th century?; Muromachi period1350
Yūgaku ōrai		 Smaller version of dai shogi with fewer pieces (eliminating the least powerful ones) and different start setup. The most popular of the large variants.
Heian dai shogi13×13341314Heian period1230
Nichūreki
Nutty shogi13×1350253820152015H. G. Muller Smaller version of tenjiku shogi with fewer pieces and different start setup[9]
Cashew shogi13×1354353720152015H. G. Muller Smaller version of dai-dai shogi with fewer pieces and different start setup[10]
Macadamia shogi13×1348263720152015H. G. Muller Smaller version of maka-dai-dai shogi with fewer pieces and different start setup[11]
Dai shogi15×15652936c. 1230; Kamakura period1300
Futsū Shōdōshū
Tenjiku shogi16×1676364315th or 16th century; Muromachi period1694
Shōgi Zushiki		 Enlarged version of chu shogi with more pieces (adding even more powerful ones) and different start setup. One of the relatively more popular large variants.
Dai-dai shōgi17×1796646815th century; Muromachi period1443
Shōgi Rokushu no Zushiki
Maka-dai-dai shōgi19×1996507615th century; Muromachi period1443
Shōgi Rokushu no Zushiki		 Occasionally played, though with altered rules.
Kō shōgi19×19903453late 17th century; Edo period1694
Shōgi Zushiki		Ogyū Sorai (attributed) Based partly on xiangqi and projectile weapons.
Hishigata shogi19×1939 c. 2005c. 2005Sean Humby Maka-dai-dai shogi with fewer pieces and different start setup[12]
Tai shogi25×251779310115th century; Muromachi period1443
Shōgi Rokushu no Zushiki
Taikyoku shogi36×36402208300Edo period1694
Shōgi Zushiki

Multiplayer variants

NameBoard sizePieces eachWhen inventedInvented byNotes
Sannin shogi7×7×7 hexagonal18c. 1930Tanigasaki Jisukefor three players
Yonin shogi9×991993Ota Mitsuyasufor four players

Three-dimensional variants

NameBoard sizePieces eachWhen inventedInvented byNotes
Space Shogi9×9×9201987George R. Dekle, Sr.Orthodox shogi in a 3D gamespace

References

  1. ↑ See http://www.cs.caltech.edu/~mvanier/hacking/gnushogi/gnushogi_17.html
  2. ↑
  3. ↑
  4. ↑
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ Dōbutsu shōgi Dōbutsu shōgi official site, rules, in Japanese
  7. ↑ Shogi4
  8. ↑ Shogitter. "ゴロゴロ将棋+桂香". Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  9. ↑ Nutty Shogi
  10. ↑ Cashew Shogi
  11. ↑ Macadamia Shogi
  12. ↑ Hishigata shogi

External links

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