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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 | " INTRODUCTION
==============
There are references to a game called Dai Shogi (Great Shogi) dating from
the twelfth century, but these are thought to relate to an earlier game
with a 13x13 board (included in this program as Heian Dai Shogi). The
earliest mention of Dai Shogi played on a 15x15 board are from the fifteenth
century.
While the pieces in Dai Shogi are for the most part the same as those in
Chu Shogi, the game has a different feel as a result of the much larger
board. The power of the Lion is greatly diminished in Dai Shogi, and there
are no special rules restricting the capture of the Lion.
As with Chu and the other larger variants, there is no provision for
returning captured pieces into play in Dai Shogi. This makes Dai Shogi
more similar to Western Chess than modern Shogi.
THE GAME
=========
Dai Shogi is played on a board of 15 x 15 squares and each player has 65
pieces (including 15 pawns).
As in all Shogi games, the pieces are flat and wedge-shaped and are not
distinguished by colour. Although the pieces are of uniform colour the
first player is still conventionally referred to as 'Black' and the second
player as 'White'. Ownership of the pieces is indicated by the direction
in which they face, with a player's pieces always pointing towards the
opponent.
The players make alternate moves, with the object being to capture the
opposing 'King'. If the opposing player has obtained a 'Crown Prince' by
promotion, that piece must also be captured in order to win the game.
On each turn a player can move one piece according to its power of
movement to a vacant square on the board, or to a square occupied by an
enemy piece (in which case the enemy piece is captured and removed from
the game).
In the case of the 'Lion' and pieces with 'Lion' power a second move can
sometimes be made in the same turn.
THE PIECES
===========
The Piece Help screen provides the names, notation symbols, promotion
details, and powers of movement for all of the pieces in the game.
[The Piece Help screen can be reached by clicking on the 'Pieces' button]
JUMPING PIECES
===============
The 'Kylin' and 'Phoenix' (and those pieces with 'Lion' powers) are the
only pieces in Dai Shogi that have the power to jump over occupied squares.
As indicated by red circles on the Piece Help screens, the 'Kylin' can jump
to the second square in any orthogonal direction, and the 'Phoenix' may
jump to the second square when moving diagonally. The 'Flying Dragon' and
'Violent Ox' can only move to the 2nd square in the directions indicated on
the Piece Help screens (diagonally and orthogonally, respectively) if the
intervening square is unoccupied (ie: they can not jump).
THE LION
=========
The 'Lion' has a very unusual and powerful move.
If the 8 squares immediately adjacent to the 'Lion' are called the 'A'
squares (shown as Dark Blue Circles on the Piece Help screen), and the 16
squares two away from the piece are called the 'B' squares (represented as
Light Blue Circles), then the 'Lion' may do anyone of the following things
in a single turn:
- Move directly to any 'A' or 'B' square, jumping an intervening square
if necessary;
- Capture a piece on an 'A' square and continue moving one more square
in any direction from the point of capture, making another capture if
the 2nd square is also occupied by an enemy piece.
- Capture a piece on any 'A' square without moving (this is known as
'igui' and counts as a turn).
- Move to an adjacent square and return to the starting square
(effectively passing the turn). This move can be made by double-
clicking the left mouse button on the Lion.
In Dai Shogi there are no restrictions on the capture of Lions (as there
are in Chu Shogi).
The 'Horned Falcon' and 'Soaring Eagle' also have 'Lion' power, but only
in the directions indicated by Blue Circles on the Piece Help Screens.
THE CROWN PRINCE
==================
The 'Drunk Elephant' is potentially a very important piece, as it promotes
to a 'Crown Prince'.
A player who gains a 'Crown Prince' effectively acquires a second 'King'
as the 'Crown Prince' must also be captured before the opponent can win the
game.
PROMOTION
==========
Each player has a Promotion Zone consisting of the five ranks (rows of
squares) furthest away from him. All pieces except the 'King', 'Lion'
and 'Free King' have a promoted rank and can promote on entering, moving
within, or leaving the Promotion Zone.
Promotion is not compulsory, but a piece must promote if it would have no
further legal moves in its unpromoted form (ie: a 'Pawn','Lance','Iron
General','Stone General' or 'Knight' must promote on reaching the last
rank).
As in all the games in the Shogi family, in Dai Shogi sets the promoted
rank is shown on the reverse side of the piece, and the piece is turned
over on promotion to reveal the new rank.
CAPTURES
=========
Unlike in Shogi, captured pieces in Dai can not be 'dropped' back into
play. A captured piece is removed from play and takes no further part in
the game.
HANDICAP PLAY
===============
Handicaps are often given when players of unequal strength play Shogi in
Japan. The reason that handicap play is common is that the handicap system
in Shogi works far better than that used in Western Chess.
In a handicap game a player offers a handicap of one or more pieces to an
opponent of less strength. While Dai does not lend itself to handicaps as
well as Shogi (as there are no 'drops' in Dai), provision for handicap play
has nevertheless been included in this program.
The same rules for handicaps as in Shogi have been adopted. Under these
rules, the player offering the handicap plays 'White'and his opponent (as
'Black') removes the handicap pieces as the first move of the game. In
handicap play 'White' therefore makes the first move on the board.
NOTATION
==========
The following notation system is used for recording Dai Shogi games in this
program.
The files are designated by numbers (1 to 15), and the ranks by letters
(a to o). The files are numbered from right to left (in the Japanese
fashion), and the ranks from top to bottom (from Black's point of view).
The top right square is therefore 1a.
A move is described by giving:
a) the designation of the piece (eg: Ln for Lion); this designation is
preceded by a '+' if it is at its promoted rank,
b) followed by the method of moving;
'-' for a simple move on the board,
'x' for a capture,
c) then the destination square is recorded,
d) finally if the piece promoted on that turn, this is recorded by
adding '+' after the move, or if promotion was possible but was
refused, the symbol '=' is added.
If more than one piece of the same type can reach the destination square
then the starting square is also given after the piece designation to
avoid confusion.
When a 'Lion', 'Horned Falcon' or 'Soaring Eagle' captures by 'igui'
(ie: without moving) the square of the piece being captured is used
instead of the destination square, and this is preceded by the symbol '!'.
(eg: a Lion on 8c capturing a piece on 9d would be shown as Lnx!9d).
When a piece makes a double capture with 'Lion' powers both captures are
shown in the order that they were made. (eg: a Lion on 3g capturing a
piece on 3h and then capturing another on 2i, would be represented by
Lnx3hx2i).
NOTE: This system is the official notation system of 'The Shogi
Association'.
DISPLAYING LEGAL MOVES
=========================
If the 'Show Move' option is selected from the Moves Menu, clicking the left
mouse button on a piece during play will show all the legal moves of that
piece:
- Legal moves to vacant squares are represented as White Circles,
- Legal captures are shown as Red Circles.
- Legal moves by a piece with 'Lion' powers to an 'A' square (including
captures) are shown as a Dark Blue Circle.
- Legal moves by a piece with 'Lion' powers to a 'B' square (including
captures) are indicated by a Light Blue Circle."
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