From: ivan <ivan <at> TREASURY <dot> GOVT <dot> NZ>
Date: 17 may 1993
Subject: Re: tsume help

Hello All,
 
I am only a beginner, but I have read a bit, and shape is very important.
The impression I get is that it is one of the first things to work on.
Shape in shogi is a function of how well the pieces work together. An
example of bad shape in the opening: P-2f P-8d; P-2e P-8e; S-7h
 
The silver has been moved forward to protect the Pawn on 8g, but it is bad
shape because
  it is currently immobile
  it does not protect the bishop, and in fact removes the protection of the
rook
 
The correct move is G-7h, a move that looks very similar at first glance,
but the gold move is good shape, and the silver move is bad shape.
 
Another example of bad shape is leaving the king and rook too close to
each other. This tends to result in the King getting mixed up with the
fighting, which is a Bad Thing!
 
A silver on the fourth or fifth rank of an odd numbered column tends to
be good shape (according to my reading - I don't understand why the even
numbered columns are no good).
 
Proverbs:
The wall-silver is bad shape (the following is an example of a wall
silver I think. Does anyone have a proper definition of a wall-silver?)
 
    3    2    1
 -+----+----+----+
  |    | wN | wL | a
 -+----+----+----+
  |    | wS |    | b
 -+----+----+----+
  |    | wP | wP | c
 -+----+----+----+
  | wP |    |    | d
 -+----+----+----+
 
A silver in front of its pawns is bad shape.
 
The book 'Better Moves for Better Shogi' starts with the example I gave at
the top, and the entire first chapter is (from memory) devoted to the
subject of good vs bad shape.
 
Ivan Tuckwell