From: Patrick Davin <patrick <at> LYRA <dot> VEGA <dot> OR <dot> JP>
Date: 29 jan 1999
Subject: Taikyoku Shogi rules

Regarding the Taikyoku Shogi info posted on Shogi Nexus:
<http://www.vega.or.jp/~patrick/shogi/taikyoku/>

I have not sorted everything out, but here's a start.

First, the move symbols.  Following the note on p210,
-- A 5 and a circle mean that the piece can move up to 5 squares in
   that direction, but is not allowed to jump over stuff.
-- An X means the piece can jump to a square.
-- A 3 and an X means that the piece can jump to the third square
   in that direction
-- A solid arrow means the piece can go any number of squares,
   but not jump.
-- The dotted arrows indicate the same funny business that you
   may be familiar with from Tenjiku Shogi.  (More below)

Moving right along to p235.  (Scanned but not posted yet.
These big old jpegs pushed me right over my 10meg limit)

1) Pieces can promote inside the 11th enemy rank.
2) Captured pieces are discarded.
3) The Free Eagle (p224), can "igui" a piece on the spaces marked
   "1", can freely jump over or capture pieces to land on the spaces
   marked "1", "2" or "3" on any line, or all the way to the "4"
   (the 4th square, that is) on the forward diagonals.  Can also in
   effect pass a turn ("jitto") by moving to "1" and back.
4) The author (Umebayashi) says that the hashed arrows are not
   explained in his source.  Speculation is that (given that there
   are three hashes) the piece may be able to jump over up to three
   other pieces in that direction.
5) The Great General, etc, have the same moves as in Tenjiku Shogi.
   They may jump over any number of pieces which are lower than
   themselves in the hierarchy, and capture all, friend and foe
   alike, that they jump.  The hierarchy is:
   1- King, Crown Prince
   2- Great General
   3- Vice General
   4- Kakusho, Hisho, Moryu, and one more piece.  (Sorry I don't
      have the real readings or English equivalents)
   5- Other

A list of what promotes to what takes up several pages which I have
not scanned.  You can see the tail of it on the top of p210.

The two mysterious pieces on p231 move the same way as they do in
Maka-dai-dai shogi.  The Hosei (third row) combines the powers of
the Shishi (Lion) and the Hon'o (Free King).  The Funjin (last row)
moves like the Lion plus it appears that it can move to the third
square in a line if the intervening squares are unoccupied.

That's it for now.