What are the origins of Shogi?
Japanese chess (shogi) dates back to the 16th century and probably evolved from chaturanga, another old Indian board game.
It is well known that Chinese chess (xiangqi) and chess also originated from chatranga, which took its modern form in Europe in the 15th century. Although the games have the same origin, Japanese chess may be very different.
The Board
The Shogi board is a 9 x 9 grid, while the Zogi board is 9 x 10. Chess uses an 8 x 8 board. The Xiangqi board also has a unique feature called a “river,” which cuts the board in half horizontally and can affect the way certain pieces move.
Leveling Up Pieces
In chess, when a piece reaches the opponent’s territory (usually the last three levels of the board), the piece can be turned over and promoted to increase its unique movement pattern according to where that piece has evolved. (Pokemon, perhaps?).
Of course, chess only levels up when a pawn enters the opponent’s backfield, and the pawn is replaced by a stronger piece; Xiangqi has no promotion mechanism, but some pieces are powered up when they cross a river. Thus, there are of course these changes in other games as well, except for Shogi, but only Shogi is a little more complicated.
Captured Pieces
One of the major differences between Shogi and other Chatranga-style board games is the fate of captured pieces. In Shogi, captured pieces can join your team and be put back on the board, effectively becoming allies. This makes things even more complicated, as players have to figure out where their pieces are and when to return captured pieces.
(Imagine a previously captured enemy pawn being placed on the second level from behind your own line and becoming a queen in one turn, or a queen taken in front of you while you are slowly placing your king in an open space.)
Protection of the King and Restrictions on Movement
In Xiangqi, kings (or generals) can only move in a 3×3 area called a “palace” and are restricted in where they can go. Also, two kings cannot face each other directly through open files. These rules create unique strategies and tactics depending on where the kings are. On the other hand, kings in Shogi and Chess are not restricted in any particular location and can move freely.
A recent little story
Recently in Japan, a teenage prodigy chess player named Fujii Ryuoh (Ryuoh means title holder the Dragon King) has emerged, and every day when he plays his games, the news makes a big deal about it.
I don’t know why, but anyway, Japanese people love food, so they meticulously report what Mr. Fujii ate during his lunch break. I don’t know why, but the Japanese love food, so they report what Fujii had for his lunch break, etc. It may get more ratings than a chess match, but it’s so funny that they even report what he ordered from the menu at that restaurant, so that he can’t stop ordering at that restaurant the next time he comes back. Will the beef stroganoff be sold out in foreign countries when Kasparov and Fischer are there, or will the original steak sauce of that restaurant be sold out as well?
Anyway, in Japan, he is regarded as the second biggest star after Shohei Ohtani, the MLB’s two-fisted Shohei Ohtani. By the way, he is a quiet young man who enjoys building his own computer. (Seems to be assembling an awesome computer…)
Thank you!
