Games - Tai shogi

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	Games - Tai shogi

Tai shogi (泰将棋 tai shōgi, "grand chess", renamed from 無上大将棋 mujō dai shōgi "supreme chess" to avoid confusion with 大将棋 dai shōgi) is a large-board variant of shogi (Japanese chess). The game dates to the 15th century and is based on earlier largeboard shogi games. Before the discovery of taikyoku shogi in 1997, tai shogi was believed to be the largest playable chess variant, if not board game, ever. One game may be played over several long sessions and require each player to make over a thousand moves. It was never a popular game; indeed, a single production of half a dozen game sets in the early 17th century was a notable event.

Like other large-board variants, but unlike standard shogi, the game is played without drops, and uses a promotion-by-capture rule.

Rules of the game

Tai shogi is very similar to other large-board shogi variants: dai dai shogi, maka dai dai shogi, and tenjiku shogi. Where the same pieces are found, they move the same way. The only difference is in how these pieces promote, which is distinct for each shogi variant. The one variant which is an exception to this generalization is the largest, taikyoku shogi, where the moves differ as well.

Objective

The objective of the game is to capture the opponent's emperor and crown prince (or princes). When the last of these is captured, the game ends. There are no rules for check or checkmate; however, in practice a player resigns when checkmated.

Game equipment

Two players, Black and White (or 先手 sente and 後手 gote), play on a board ruled into a grid of 25 ranks (rows) and 25 files (columns), for a total of 625 squares. The squares are undifferentiated by marking or color.

Each player has a set of 177 wedge-shaped pieces of 93 types. In all, the players must remember 99 moves for these pieces. The pieces are of slightly different sizes. From largest to smallest (or roughly most to least powerful) they are:

1 Emperor
1 Crown prince
1 Hook mover
2 Long-nosed goblins
1 Capricorn
2 Peacocks
2 Soaring eagles
2 Horned falcons
2 Free kings
1 Rushing bird
2 Free demons
2 Free tapirs
2 Water buffalos
2 Flying oxen
2 Soldiers
2 Dragon kings
2 Dragon horses
1 Lion
2 Side chariots
2 Rooks
2 Bishops
2 White horses
2 Whales
2 Standard bearers
1 Vermillion sparrow
1 Turtle-snake
1 Blue dragon
1 White tiger
1 Right chariot
1 Left chariot
2 Side dragons
2 Doves
1 She-devil
1 Golden bird
1 Great dragon
2 White elephants
1 Lion dog
1 Wrestler
1 Guardian of the Gods
1 Buddhist devil
2 Golden deer
2 Silver hares
2 Fierce eagles
1 Old kite
2 Violent oxen
2 Flying dragons
2 Old rats
2 Enchanted badgers
2 Flying horses
2 Prancing stags
2 Violent bears
2 Side movers
2 Vertical movers
2 Reverse chariots
1 Phoenix
1 Kirin
2 Poison snakes
1 Northern barbarian
1 Southern barbarian
1 Eastern barbarian
1 Western barbarian
2 Blind bears
1 Drunken elephant
1 Neighbor king
2 Blind tigers
2 Blind monkeys
2 Ferocious leopards
2 Reclining dragons
2 Chinese cocks
2 Old monkeys
2 Evil Wolves
2 Angry boars
2 Cat swords
2 Coiled serpents
1 Deva
1 Dark spirit
1 Right general
1 Left general
2 Gold generals
2 Silver generals
2 Copper generals
2 Tile generals
2 Iron generals
2 Wood generals
2 Stone generals
2 Earth generals
2 Go betweens
2 Knights
2 Howling dogs
2 Donkeys
2 Ram’s-head soldiers
2 Lances
25 Pawns

Several of the English names were chosen to correspond to rough equivalents in Western chess, rather than as translations of the Japanese names.

Each piece has its name in the form of two kanji written on its face. On the reverse side of some pieces are one or two other characters, often in a different color (commonly red instead of black); this reverse side is turned up to indicate that the piece has been promoted during play. The pieces of the two sides do not differ in color, but instead each piece is shaped like a wedge, and faces forward, toward the opposing side. This shows who controls the piece during play.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Tai shogi ]

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