- Kyoto shogi
Kyoto shogi (京都将棋 "kyōto shōgi" "Kyoto chess") is a modern variant of
shogi (Japanese chess). It was invented by Tamiya Katsuya c.1976 .Kyoto shogi is played like standard shogi, but with a reduced number of pieces on a 5×5 board. However, the pieces alternately promote and depromote with every move, and the promotion values are entirely different from standard shogi.
Rules of the game
Game equipment
Two players play on a board ruled into a grid of 5 "ranks" (rows) by 5 "files" (columns). The squares are undifferentiated by marking or color.
Each player has a set of 5 wedge-shaped pieces, of slightly different sizes. From largest to smallest (most to least powerful) they are:
* 1 king
* 1 gold general
* 1 silver general
* 1 tokin
* 1 pawnEach side places his pieces in the positions shown below, pointing toward the opponent.
* In the rank nearest the player:
** The king (K) is placed in the center file.
** The gold general (G) is placed in the adjacent files to the right of the king.
** The silver general (S) is placed in the adjacent files to the left of the king.
** The tokin (T) is placed in the left corner.
** The pawn (P) is placed in the right corner.That is, the first rank is |T|S|K|G|P|.
Promotion
There is no "promotion zone" in Kyoto shogi. Every time a piece makes a move it alternately promotes and reverts to its unpromoted state. Promotion is effected by turning the piece over after it moves, revealing the name of its promoted rank; depromotion is effected by turning the piece back.
The promotion rules and values are reminiscent of
microshogi and entirely different from standard shogi:* A king cannot promote: K
* A tokin (T) promotes to a lance and "vice versa:" T ↔ L
* A silver general promotes to a bishop and "vice versa:" S ↔ B
* A gold general promotes to a knight and "vice versa:" G ↔ N
* A pawn promotes to a rook and "vice versa:" P ↔ RMovement and capture
A piece is allowed to move, capture or be dropped in a manner that will prevent it from moving on a subsequent turn, which is illegal in standard shogi. For example, a rook can move onto the furthest rank, becoming a pawn and unable to move further. Such pieces may be captured as any other.
Drops
A captured piece may be dropped with either side facing up.
See also
*
Shogi variant
*Whale shogi
*Minishogi
*Judkins shogi
*Microshogi
*Cannon shogi
*Yari shogi External links
* [http://www.shogi.net/shogi.html Shogi Net]
* [http://shogi.hk/ Benri Shogi (in Chinese)]
* [http://www.chessvariants.org/shogi.html Shogi: Japanese Chess]
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