From: Pieter Stouten <STOUTEN <at> EMBL <dot> BITNET>
Date: 14 may 1990
Subject: Very comprehensive Shogi rules and some added thoughts

The information given below has appeared in slightly different form on
the Chess Discussion List. I think it contains relevant notions for
recent converts to Shogi. Because not all of the (already 21) subscribers
to SHOGI-L will have subscribed to CHESS-L, I take the liberty to post
it here too. Comments are from me (P.S.) and Chris Sterritt (C.S.).
A separate posting will contain an article by John Kenney, which already
appeared on CHESS-L too. It deals with some interesting differences
between Chess and Shogi.
 
        Pieter Stouten
        bitnet: stouten@embl
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
>>   Could you elucidate the game of Shogi a bit more? Do I take you
>>to mean that the same playing pieces are used as in chess, with revised
>>rules? Would you happen to have machine readable rules?
>>   Thanks.
>>Glen Matthews
>>MUSIC Product Group, McGill University
>>550 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 3C5
>>Phone: (514) 398-4477)  BITNET: CCGM@MCGILLM
>
>Adapted from the Manual "Shogi-The Strategy game with a surprise Twist"
>
>Object-Capture opposing king via Checkmate.
 
Checkmate is not so relevant, although it effectively signals the end of
the game. Capturing the King is the essence, which implies that there is
no special rule with respect to stalemate (which is extremely unlikely to
happen in Shogi anyway). And why should there be ? (P.S.)
 
In my opinion, this is an interesting difference between the thinking of
Shogi players versus chess players: In Shogi, the object is to capture
the king, and if a player moves his king into check accidently, his
opponent can capture the king and win the game!  Usually, though, the
king *is* checkmated in the chess sense, and stalemate just means that
the player has no move which *doesn't* allow his king to be taken on the
next move.  So the player that caused the 'stalemate' wins. (C.S.)
 
>Board-9x9 Squares. Horizontal rows-ranks. Vertical rows-files. Last three
> ranks-promotion
>zones.
>Pieces-
>   King-One square any direction (K)
>   Rook-Chess Rook (R)
>   Bishop-Chess Bishop (B)
>   Gold General-1 sq. Horizontally/Vertically/Diagonally forward(Not diagonally
> backward) (G)
>   Silver General-1 sq. Diagonally/1-sq. Forward (S)
>   Lance-Vertically Forward (L)
>   Knight-2-sq forward AND 1-sq. Horizontally (Chess Knight but only Forward)
> (N)
>   Pawn-1-sq. forward
>Capture-Where a piece lands (no diagonal pawn capture)
>Drops-Counts as a turn
>  1. No captures
>  2. No double pawns of the same color.
>  3. A pawn may not be dropped to cause checkmate.
>  4. No dropping onto a square where a piece may not move.
 
2. No double pawns of the same color ON THE SAME FILE. (P.S.)
 
I'm not sure that the original poster's rules (forgive my memory) explained
that when you capture an opponent's piece, it becomes one of yours, that
you hold 'in your hand', and that is what you drop. (C.S.)
 
>Promotion
>  1. Promoted on moves which the starting or ending square is in the promotion
> zone.
 
"or" in "starting or ending square" is an inclusive or: "and/or". (P.S.)
 
>  2. P, L, N, S->Gold
>  3. B->Promoted bishop: bishop that can also go 1 orthognally
>  4. R->Promoted Rook: Rook that can also go 1 diagnally
>Other Rules
>  1. If a position occurs 4 times the game is a draw.
>  2. If repetitions due to check by one of the players three times that player
> is required not
>      to cause the situation again under penalty of loss.
>  3. Impasse: if both kings reach the far promotion zone and cannot be checked,
> both players
>       count up their points as follows.
>       R, B-> 5 points  All else-> 1 point not counting kings.
>       If both have at least 24 the game is a draw.
>       If one has less he loses.
>
>Carwil James
>ID:AB980 <at> Cleveland <dot> FreeNet <dot> Edu
>   //
>\\// Only Amiga Makes It Possible