From: "Randal J. Andrews" IX NETCOM COM> Date: 21 oct 1995 Subject: Variants and Hodges >Schmittberger also once wrote a hilarious piece of prose about a new >super-large Shogi variant. If I recall correctly, every square in this >super large variant represented an entire game of Tai Shogi (25x25 squares >with 354(?) pieces). He also came up with the weirdest pieces. >Unfortunately, I have no idea where this was published. If anybody could >give me a hint as to how I might lay my hands on this article, please let >me know. > This piece was published in shogi magazine, but I'm sorry I can't give the specific issue. The variant was a game of Maka-Dai-Dai shogi played on every point of a go board. In order to put a stone on any point of the go board, you had to win the game of Maka-Dai-Dai shogi on that point! Drops were allowed, and a piece captured could be used on any of the 361 games. BTW, it is estimated that a single game of MDD shogi will take 900 moves per side. It takes two hours just to set up the pieces for that game! On another point, I recently obtained the back issues of Shogi magazine and I could not find any adulatory references to George Hodges. There are quite a few articles on Chu Shogi in these pages, which probably form the basis of the $50 book on Chu Shogi. Personally, I don't have any interest in these variants. If anyone wanted to do any translating, I would find articles on plain, old shogi much more valuable.