Tai Shogi

Tai Shogi

by Roger Hare, rhare[at]talk21[dot]com

Last modified: 8 September 2003

Roger Hare's Shogi Pages are brought to you by the portal to the wonderful world of Shogi.

Contents

Introduction to Tai Shogi

The Tai Shogi Pieces

Promotions

Movement of the Pieces

Clarifications of the Moves

The Starting Set-up & Notation

Introduction

Tai Shogi, or Grand Shogi, is not only the largest shogi variant, it is also the largest chess variant in existance. The game is played on a 25x25 square board, and each player manipulates 177 pieces. Due to its huge size, it is very difficult to play strategically and most games take over one thousand moves to complete. In tai shogi, there are 101 seperate kinds of pieces (most of them are from other shogi games), including the Emperor. It is unknown when tai shogi was first invented and played, but the oldest record found (which describes the rules) is Sho Shogi Zushiki, by Nishizawa Teijin, which was published in 1694.

Like in other shogi games, the pieces in tai shogi are flat and wedge shaped, with a uniform color and the names printed in kanji (the promoted value written in a different color on the opposite side). Pieces point forward to indicate the ownership. To avoid confusion, one side is known as "white" and the other as "black". Pieces are made of wood or plastic, although simple cardboard pieces can easily serve the purpose.

The game is played like most other chess-like games, with the players making alternate moves. Some pieces can move twice, such as the Lion and Furious Fiend, but most can only make a single move. The object of the game is to capture both the opposing Emperor AND the Crown Prince. Both pieces must be captured to win. Also, if a player has promoted his Drunk Elephant to another Crown Prince, that must also be taken.

The Pieces

Tai shogi has over 100 kinds of pieces, including 25 pawns and 2 of several other pieces, with other singular pieces.

The following pieces are in the game at setup:

Angry Boar (AB)
Bishop (B)
Blind Bear (BBe)
Blind Monkey (BM)
Blind Tiger (BT)
Blue Dragon (BD)
Buddhist Devil (BDe)
Capricorn (Ca)
Cat Sword (CSw)
Chinese Cock (CC)
Coiled Serpent (CS)
Copper General (C)
Crown Prince (CP)
Dark Spirit (DSp)
Deva (DV)
Donkey (Do)
Dove (D)
Dragon Horse (DH)
Dragon King (DK)
Drunk Elephant (DE)
Earth General (Ea)
Eastern Barbarian (EB)
Emperor (E)
Enchanted Badger (EBa)
Evil Wolf (EW)
Ferocious Leopard (FL)
Fierce Eagle (FE)
Flying Dragon (FD)
Flying Horse (FH)
Flying Ox (FO)
Free Demon (FDe)
Free King (FK)
Free Tapir (FTp)
Go-Between (GB)
Gold General (G)
Golden Bird (GBd)
Golden Deer (GDe)
Great Dragon (GD)
Guardian of the Gods (GG)
Hook Mover (HM)
Horned Falcon (HF)
Howling Dog (HD)
Iron General (I)
Knight (N)
Kylin (Ky)
Lance (L)
Left Chariot (LCh)
Left General (LG)
Lion (Ln)
Lion Dog (LD)
Long Nosed Goblin (LGn)
Neighbouring King (NK)
Old Kite Hawk (OK)
Old Monkey (OM)
Old Rat (OR)
Pawn (P)
Peacock (PC)
Phoenix (Ph)
Poisonous Snake (PS)
Prancing Stag (PSt)
Ramshead Soldier (RS)
Reclining Dragon (RD)
Reverse Chariot (RC)
Right Chariot (RCh)
Right General (RG)
Rook (R)
She-Devil (SD)
Side Dragon (SDr)
Side Mover (SM)
Sideways Chariot (SCh)
Silver Demon (SDe)
Silver General (S)
Soaring Eagle (SE)
Soldier (So)
Standard Bearer (SBr)
Stone General (St)
Tile General (T)
Turtle-Snake (TS)
Vermillion Sparrow (VS)
Vertical Mover (VM)
Violent Bear (VBe)
Violent Ox (VO)
Water Buffalo (WBf)
Western Barbarian (WB)
Whale (W)
White Elephant (WE)
White Horse (WH)
Wood General (Wo)
Wrestler (Wr)

These pieces are available only after promotion:

Buddhist Spirit (promoted Dark Spirit) (BSp)
Fragrant Elephant (promoted Northern Barbarian) (FEl)
Furious Fiend (promoted Lion) (FF)
Great Elephant (promoted Lion Dog) (GE)
Mountain Witch (promoted Blind Monkey (MW)
Square Mover (promoted Prancing Stag) (SMo)
Teaching King (promoted Deva) (TK)
Wizard Stork (promoted Chinese Cock, Old Rat) (WS)

Promotion

Unlike in other shogi games and chess variants, there is no promotion zone in tai shogi. Pieces promote when they capture another piece. There is no choice in this matter; the capturing piece will always promote (unless the piece cannot promote or is already promoted, of course).

The following is a list of promotions (the pieces that promote are listed underneath the name):

Tokin:: Pawn
Gold General:: Knight
Side Mover
Vertical Mover
Buddhist Devil
Donkey
Wrestler
She-Devil
Guardian of the Gods
Great Dragon:: Kylin
Golden Bird:: Phoenix
Furious Fiend:: Lion
Wizard Stork:: Chinese Cock
Old Rat
Buddhist Spirit:: Dark Spirit
Teaching King:: Deva
Dragon King:: Flying Dragon
Crown Prince:: Drunk Elephant
Great Elephant:: Lion Dog
Mountain Witch:: Blind Monkey
Emperor:: Crown Prince
Lion:: Eastern Barbarian
Dove:: Enchanted Badger
Free King:: Flying Horse
Standard Bearer:: Neighbouring King
Fragrant Elephant:: Northern Barbarian
Long Nosed Goblin:: Old Kite Hawk
Free Demon:: Rushing Bird
White Elephant:: Southern Barbarian
Free Tapir:: Water Buffalo
Lion Dog:: Western Barbarian
Hook Mover:: Poisonous Snake
Square Mover:: Prancing Stag

Any pieces not listed do not promote.

Movements of Pieces

o	=	single step move
#	=	multiple step move (#=2-5)
$	=	knight move (1 step forward, 1 diagonal, jumping if necessary)
*	=	range move
%	=	hook move (see below)
@	=	jump to second space
£	=	lion move

|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| o | o | o |   |   | % |   |   | % | o | % |   | % |   | % |   | % |   | % |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| o | CP| o |   | % | HM| % |   | o |LGn| o |   |   | Ca|   |   |   | PC|   |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| o | o | o |   |   | % |   |   | % | o | % |   | % |   | % |   | o |   | o |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
Crown Prince    Hook Mover      Long Nosed      Capricorn       Peacock
                                Goblin

|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| £ | * | £ |   | * | £ | * |   | * | * | * |   | * | * | * |   | * | 5 | * |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| * | SE| * |   | * | HF| * |   | * | FK| * |   | * | RB| * |   | * |FDe| * |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| * | * | * |   | * | * | * |   | * | * | * |   | * |   | * |   | * | 5 | * |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
Soaring Eagle   Horned Falcon   Free King       Rushing Bird    Free Demon

|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| * | * | * |   | * | 2 | * |   | * |   | * |   |   | * |   |   | o | * | o |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| 5 |FTp| 5 |   | * |WBf| * |   | * | FO| * |   | * | So| * |   | * | DK| * |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| * | * | * |   | * | 2 | * |   | * |   | * |   | * | * | * |   | o | * | o |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
Free Tapir      Water Buffalo   Flying Ox       Soldier         Dragon King

|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| * | o | * |   |   | * |   |   | * |   | * |   | * | * | * |   |   | * |   |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| o | DH| o |   | * | R | * |   |   | B |   |   |   | WH|   |   |   | W |   |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| * | o | * |   |   | * |   |   | * |   | * |   |   | * |   |   | * | * | * |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
Dragon Horse    Rook            Bishop          White Horse     Whale

|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| * | * | * |   | * | * | * |   | * | o | * |   | o | 2 | * |   | * | 2 | o |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| 2 |SBr| 2 |   |   | VS|   |   |   | TS|   |   | * | BD| * |   | * | WT| * |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 2 |   | 2 | o | 2 |   | 2 |   | 2 |   |   | 2 |   |   |   | 2 |   |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
Standard        Vermillion      Turtle-Snake    Blue Dragon     White Tiger
Bearer          Sparrow

|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
|   | * | * |   | * | * |   |   |   | * |   |   | 5 | 2 | 5 |   | 2 | 5 | 2 |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
|   |RCh|   |   |   |LCh|   |   | * |SDr| * |   | 2 | D | 2 |   | 5 | SD| 5 |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| * | o |   |   |   | o | * |   |   | o |   |   | 5 | 2 | 5 |   | 2 | 5 | 2 |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
Right Chariot   Left Chariot    Side Dragon     Dove            She-Devil

|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| 3 | * | 3 |   | 3 | 2 | 3 |   | 2 | 2 | 2 |   | 3 | 3 | 3 |   | 3 |   | 3 |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| 2 |GBd| 2 |   | * | GD| * |   | 2 | WE| 2 |   | 3 | LD| 3 |   | o | Wr| o |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| 3 | * | 3 |   | 3 | 2 | 3 |   | * | 2 | * |   | 3 | 3 | 3 |   | 3 |   | 3 |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
Golden Bird     Great Dragon    White Elephant  Lion Dog        Wrestler

|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| o | 3 | o |   | 3 |   | 3 |   | * |   | * |   | 2 |   | 2 |   | o | 2 | o |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| 3 | GG| 3 |   | o |BDe| o |   |   |GDe|   |   |   |SDe|   |   | 2 | OK| 2 |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
|   | 3 |   |   |   | o |   |   | 2 |   | 2 |   | * |   | * |   |   | 2 |   |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
Guardian of     Buddhist Devil  Golden Deer     Silver Demon    Old Kite Hawk
the Gods

|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| 2 |   | 2 |   |   | 2 |   |   | 2 |   | 2 |   | 2 |   | 2 |   |   | 2 |   |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| o | FE| o |   | 2 | VO| 2 |   |   | FD|   |   |   | OR|   |   | 2 |EBa| 2 |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| 2 |   | 2 |   |   | 2 |   |   | 2 |   | 2 |   |   | 2 |   |   |   |   |   |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
Fierce Eagle    Violent Ox      Flying Dragon   Old Rat         Enchanted
                                                                Badger

|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| 2 | o | 2 |   | o | o | o |   | 2 |   | 2 |   |   | o |   |   |   | * |   |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| o | FH| o |   | 2 |PSt| 2 |   | o |VBe| o |   | * | SM| * |   | o | VM| o |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
|   | o |   |   | o |   | o |   |   |   |   |   |   | o |   |   |   | * |   |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
Flying Horse    Prancing Stag   Violent Bear    Side Mover      Vertical Mover


|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
|   | * |   |   |   | @ |   |   |   | o |   |   | £ | £ | £ |   | o | @ | o |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
|   | RC|   |   | o | PS| o |   |   | GB|   |   | £ | Ln| £ |   | @ | Ph| @ |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
|   | * |   |   | @ |   | @ |   |   | o |   |   | £ | £ | £ |   | o | @ | o |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
Reverse         Poisonous       Go-Between      Lion            Phoenix
Chariot         Snake

|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| @ | o | @ |   | 2 |   | 2 |   | o |   | o |   | o | 2 | o |   | o | o | o |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| o | Ky| o |   | o | NB| o |   | o | SB| o |   | o | EB| o |   | 2 | WB| 2 |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| @ | o | @ |   | o |   | o |   | 2 |   | 2 |   |   | 2 |   |   |   | o |   |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
Kylin           Northern        Southern        Eastern         Western
                Barbarian       Barbarian       Barbarian       Barbarian

|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| o |   | o |   | o | o | o |   | o | o | o |   | o | o | o |   |   | o |   |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
|   | BB|   |   | o | DE| o |   | o | NK| o |   |   | FL|   |   | o | RD| o |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| o | * | o |   | o |   | o |   | o |   | o |   | o | o | o |   | o | o | o |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
Blind Bear      Drunken         Neighboring     Ferocious       Reclining
                Elephant        King            Leopard         Dragon

|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| o |   | o |   | o |   | o |   | o | o | o |   |   | o |   |   | o |   | o |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| o | CC| o |   |   | OM|   |   | o | EW| o |   | o | AB| o |   |   |CSw|   |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
|   | o |   |   | o | o | o |   |   |   |   |   |   | o |   |   | o |   | o |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
Chinese Cock    Old Monkey      Evil Wolf       Angry Boar      Cat Sword

|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| o |   | o |   | o |   | o |   | o | o | o |   | o | o | o |   | o | o | o |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| o | DV|   |   |   |DSp| o |   | o | RG|   |   |   | LG| o |   | o | G | o |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
|   |   | o |   | o |   |   |   | o | o | o |   | o | o | o |   |   | o |   |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
Deva            Dark Spirit     Right General   Left General    Gold General

|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| o | o | o |   | o | o | o |   | o |   | o |   | o | o | o |   | 2 |   | 2 |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
|   | S |   |   |   | C |   |   |   | T |   |   |   | I |   |   |   | Wo|   |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| o |   | o |   |   | o |   |   |   | o |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
Silver General  Copper General  Tile General    Iron General    Wood General

|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| o |   | o |   |   | o |   |   |   | * |   |   |   | $ |   |   |   | @ |   |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
|   | St|   |   |   | Ea|   |   |   | HD|   |   |   | N |   |   | o | Do| o |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
|   |   |   |   |   | o |   |   |   | o |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | @ |   |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
Stone General   Earth General   Howling Dog     Knight          Donkey

|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
| * |   | * |   | * | 2 | * |   | 3 | 3 | 3 |   | * | * | * |   | * | o | * |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
|   | RS|   |   | 2 |FEl| 2 |   | 5 | GE| 5 |   |   | WS|   |   |   | MW|   |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
|   |   |   |   | 2 | 2 | 2 |   | 5 | 3 | 5 |   | * | o | * |   | * | * | * |
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
Ramshead        Fragrant        Great           Wizard Stork    Mountain Witch
Soldier         Elephant        Elephant

|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
|   | * |   |   |   | o |   |   | o | * | o |   | * | * | * |   | 3£| 3£| 3£|
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
|   | L |   |   |   | P |   |   | * |SMo| * |   | * | TK| * |   | 3£| FF| 3£|
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | * |   |   | * | * | * |   | 3£| 3£| 3£|
|---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|   |---|---|---|
Lance           Pawn            Square Mover    Teaching King   Furious Fiend

|---|---|---|                   |---|---|---|
| *£| *£| *£|                   | o | o | o |
|---|---|---|                   |---|---|---|
| *£|BSp| *£|                   | o | +P| o |
|---|---|---|                   |---|---|---|
| *£| *£| *£|                   |   | o |   |
|---|---|---|                   |---|---|---|
Buddhist Spirit                 Tokin

Clarifications of Moves

Lion Move (£)

The Lion is a very powerful piece. Four other pieces can also make moves similar to a Lion. For purposes of this explanation, all squares one space away from the Lion are called A and all squares 2 spaces away are called B:

|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | B | B | B | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | A | A | A | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | A | Ln| A | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | A | A | A | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | B | B | B | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|

The Lion may make either of the following moves:

Move directly to any A or B square unrestricted (ie jumping if necessary)
Capture a piece on an A square, then continue on to an adjacent B square, capturing again if an opposing piece is in the way
Capture a single piece on an A square without moving (igui capture; counts as a turn)
Move a single space then return back to the starting square to pass the turn (most likely will never be used in a game)

The Soaring Eagle may make a Lion move diagonally forward and move any number of spaces all other directions

The Horned Falcon may make a Lion move orthagonally forward and move any number of spaces all other directions

The Buddhist Spirit may move as either a Lion or a Free King

The Furious Fiend may move as either a Lion or a Lion Dog.

Unlike in Chu Shogi, there is no special rule for capturing Lions.

Hook Movers (%)

Hook moving pieces are the longest ranging pieces in tai shogi below the Emperor. There are four pieces that can hook move: the Hook Mover, the Capricorn, the Long-Nosed Goblin, and the Peacock. When a piece hook moves, it may move any number of spaces in the allowed direction. At any point during this move, the piece can make a sharp 90 degree turn and continue moving. This means that on an empty board, a hook mover can reach any square in a single move. Hook moving pieces may NOT jump over other pieces.

The Hook Mover can hook move in all orthagonal directions (it could be considered a hook moving rook)

The Capricorn can hook move in all diagonal directions (it could be considered a hook moving bishop)

The Long-Nosed Goblin can hook move in all diagonal directions or move one space any orthagonal direction

The Peacock can hook move along the forward diagonals or move up to 2 steps diagonally backwards

Jumping Pieces (@)

Four pieces in tai shogi can jump over another piece to move. This jump allows them to move directly to a square 2 spaces away unobstructed. The piece cannot move 1 space in the jumping direction (ie the 2 space move is mandatory).

The Phoenix jumps along all four diagonals and can step move 1 space any direction orthagonally

The Kylin jumps in all four orthagonal directions and can step move 1 space any direction diagonally

The Poisonous Snake can jump orthagonally forward or diagonally backward, or move one space to either side

The Donkey can jump orthogonally backward or forward or move one space to either side

Multiple Step Moves

Several pieces in the game can move up to 2, 3, or 5 spaces away. These pieces cannot jump over any pieces in those step moving directions.

Knight Move

The Knight has an unusual move: it moves one space forward, then one space diagonally, jumping over a piece if necessary:

|---|---|---|---|---|
|   | x |   | x |   |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|   |   |   |   |   |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|   |   | N |   |   |
|---|---|---|---|---|

The Emperor

The Emperor is the most important and the most powerful piece in tai shogi. It has the most wide ranging move of any piece: the Emperor may move instantly to any square on the board, regardless of any pieces in the way. The only restriction to this move is that the Emperor cannot capture a piece that is protected by another piece. "Protected" means that any adjacent pieces have the ability to move to the square the protected piece is on.

The Emperor must be captured in order to win the game, and it seems the only way to do it is to use your own Emperor, by first knocking out its defenders, leaving the Emperor helpless, then going in for the kill.

The Teaching King

The Teaching King deserves some mention. The Teaching King is a promoted Deva. The Sho Shogi Zushiki rules state that the Teaching King moves as both a Free King and a Lion Dog. This statement is redundant since those two moves overlap, thus the Teaching King may range move in any direction.

(added by RJH) It is reported (Rikard Nordgren, Steve Evans), that there is an alternative move for the Teaching King. In the source text it is said to move like a Lion Dog and a Free King combined. According to "Shogi variants" this can be interpreted in two ways.

it moves like a Free King.
it moves like a Free King and a triple jumping Lion

The Initial Setup

Tai shogi is played on a 25x25 uncheckered board. The players' pieces are positioned among the first 7 ranks on the player's side. The O at the junction of some squares is a marker for piece placement. On real boards, this is a dot at the intersection of the lines. The initial setup is shown below, along with board notation:

 25  24  23  22  21  20  19  18  17  16  15  14  13  12  11  10   9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L | WT| W | FD|LGn| D | R | DH| DK| FK| G |DSp| E | DV| FK| G | DK| DH| R | D |LGn| FD| W | TS| L |a
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RC|SDr| SE| N | PS|FTp| B | FE| WE|FDe| S | RG| CP| LG| S |FDe| WE| FE| B |FTp| PS| N | SE|SDr| RC|b
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|SCh| WH| RS| VO|CSw| BB|SDe|GDe| BM| BT| SD| GG| NK| Wr|BDe| BT| BM|GDe|SDe| BB|CSw| VO| RS| WH|SCh|c
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| So|WBf| FL| NB| SB| CC| HF| OM| OK| PC|GBd| Ph| Ln| Ky| GD| PC| RB| OM| HF| CC| EB| WB| FL|WBf| So|d
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|RCh| VS| Wo| Ea| St| T | I | C | OR| CS| RD| HM| DE| Ca| RD| CS| OR| C | I | T | St| Ea| Wo| BD|LCh|e
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HD| FH|EBa| Do| FO| SM| VM|VBe|SBr|PSt| AB| EW| LD| EW| AB|PSt|SBr|VBe| VM| SM| FO| Do|EBa| FH| HD|f
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |g
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---O---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---O---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   | GB|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | GB|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |h
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |i
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |j
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |k
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |l
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |m
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |n
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |o
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |p
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |q
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   | GB|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | GB|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |r
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---O---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---O---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |s
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HD| FH|EBa| Do| FO| SM| VM|VBe|SBr|PSt| AB| EW| LD| EW| AB|PSt|SBr|VBe| VM| SM| FO| Do|EBa| FH| HD|t
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|LCh| TS| Wo| Ea| St| T | I | C | OR| CS| RD| Ca| DE| HM| RD| CS| OR| C | I | T | St| Ea| Wo| VS|RCh|u
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| So|WBf| FL| WB| EB| CC| HF| OM| OK| PC| GD| Ky| Ln| Ph|GBd| PC| RB| OM| HF| CC| SB| NB| FL|WBf| So|v
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|SCh| WH| RS| VO|CSw| BB|SDe|GDe| BM| BT|BDe| Wr| NK| GG| SD| BT| BM|GDe|SDe| BB|CSw| VO| RS| WH|SCh|w
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RC|SDr| SE| N | PS|FTp| B | FE| WE|FDe| S | LG| CP| RG| S |FDe| WE| FE| B |FTp| PS| N | SE|SDr| RC|x
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L | BD| W | FD|LGn| D | R | DH| DK| FK| G | DV| E |DSp| FK| G | DK| DH| R | D |LGn| FD| W | WT| L |y
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 25  24  23  22  21  20  19  18  17  16  15  14  13  12  11  10   9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1

Final Notes

In tai shogi there are no drops. Pieces that have been captured are out of the game for good.

Pieces that cannot move backwards reaching the final rank stay there until captured.

There is no stalemate and draws cannot be agreed (sorry, can't end the game early, impatient ones).

Written by Luke Merritt.

Go to: [ Roger Hare's Shogi variants section | Roger Hare's Shogi main page | Shogi.Net main page ]