Introduction (this section is courtesy of Devin Morgan)
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Shogi (将棋) is a game very similar to what we call Chess. There are many
similarities, but there are some noticeable differences as well. While chess
is played on a 8x8 board, Shogi is played on a 9x9 board. In chess, there are
16 pieces for each player; Shogi gives you 20. Gameplay is on a turn by turn
basis; that is, after one player makes a move, the other one goes, and so on.
There are two colors, white and black, with black always going first.
Controls:
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Use the A button to select a piece, the D-pad to move it and then A again to
finalize your move. Pressing B cancels anything in mid-turn. B switches the
cursor to the defeated pieces table.
If you press START the game resets the game to the main menu. You can continue
any in-progress game with the fourth option. Pressing SELECT during a game
will bring you back to the sub-menu of the modes.
Display:
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When you play the game, the main feature to notice is the game board in the
middle. Getting used to that is another matter, read the board basics section
for that. What is more important for you to adapt to the game is the rest of
the layout.
At the top are two timers which display the time used for thinking by each
player, the left being the top player and the right for the bottom player. The
number on the bottom left is the current number of moves and the last move
description. The small tables in the left and right right corner are for
defeated pieces. Finally, a small display at the bottom is for current
messages, such as "thinking" or "your move". If you do not understand Japanese
then simply ignore it and they are usually self-explanatory.
Modes:
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At the main menu you have four choices:
The leftmost mode, 本将棋 is playing an original game of Shogi. There are three
sub-menu options which are playing a game of Shogi 対局1 or 対局2. Using the
'1' choice lets you play against a CPU opponent and 2 is for 2-Player mode
against another human player. That person will take their seat with the second
controller. The game automatically starts 2-Player mode but you have to select
your opponent if you are to play against the CPU. The final mode, 観戦, is
watch mode. Pick two CPU players to pit them against each other and watch how
the do. You can use this to learn strategies, opening moves or just pass the
time for your enjoyment.
1-Player mode comes with a few options to select from. There are two rows, the
first is for your handicap and the second for your color selection:
平手 Equal, 角落 Bishop omission, 飛落 Rook omission,
飛角落 Rook and Bishop omission, 飛角香落 Rook, Bishop and Lance omission
後手 White Player, 先手 Black Player
The second mode is 詰将棋 which is a problem solving game. There are three
different pre-set puzzles, either three pieces, five pieces, seven pieces or
you can make your own puzzle.
The third mode is the league (リーグ戦). There are three different leagues you
can choose which feature different opposition. You have to beat them all to win
the entire tournament.
The rightmost option is 再現 (return) which continues a game you started
earlier.
Gameplay: (this section is courtesy of Devin Morgan)
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Board Setup
-----------
The typical Shogi board is set up as follows, with each side's pieces facing
towards the opponent to signify which pieces belong to which side:
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
| L | KN| SG| GG| K | GG| SG| KN| L | K = King (王将)
|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| R = Rook (飛車)
| | R | | | | | | B | | B = Bishop (角行)
|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| GG = Gold General (金将)
| P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | SG = Silver General (銀将)
|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| KN = Knight (桂馬)
| | | | | | | | | | L = Lance (香車)
|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| P = Pawn (歩兵)
| | | | | | | | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | | | | | | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|
| P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |
|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|
| | B | | | | | | R | |
|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|
| L | KN| SG| GG| K | GG| SG| KN| L |
|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|
Game Pieces/Movement
--------------------
NOTE: The "@" symbol in the diagrams below is meant to signify where the
piece in question can make a valid movement in a turn. It should also
be noted that in the diagrams below, "up" means forward, down is "back"
and so on.
King: This piece is the most important one in the game. You must protect it
since if it gets trapped by enemy pieces, you lose. It can move one
square in any direction per turn.
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
| | | | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | @ | @ | @ | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | @ | K | @ | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | @ | @ | @ | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
Rook: You only get one of this piece, which is on the right side of the
second row. It can move as far as it wants in the four directions (up,
down, left, right).
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
| | | @ | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | @ | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| @ | @ | R | @ | @ |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | @ | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | @ | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
Bishop: Like the Rook, you only get one of these pieces as well, and it is on
the left side of the second row. It can move as far as it wants in
the four diagonal directions.
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
| @ | | | | @ |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | @ | | @ | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | B | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | @ | | @ | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| @ | | | | @ |
|___|___|___|___|___|
Gold General: There are two of these pieces, starting on either side of the
King. Its movement is interesting, in that it can move one
square in each of the four directions, plus it can move in the
two forward diagonal directions, but it can NOT move diagonally
backwards.
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
| | | | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | @ | @ | @ | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | @ | GG| @ | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | @ | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
Silver General: Like the Gold General, you get two of these as well, and they
start next to each Gold General. The Silver General has even
more limited movement and a unique pattern, in that it can
move one square diagonally in four directions or directly
forward, but not directly to the sides or backwards.
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
| | | | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | @ | @ | @ | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | SG| | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | @ | | @ | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
Knight: This piece is just like the piece of the same name in regular chess.
You have two of them, starting next to each Silver General. It is the
only piece that can pass over other pieces without capturing them. As
for its movement, it can go forward two squares, then one square to
either the left or right. It cannot move to the sides or backwards.
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
| | @ | | @ | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | KN| | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
Lance: These are the final two pieces, which occupy the corner positions in
the back row. The Lances are very limited, in that they can only move
directly forward and that's it.
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
| | | @ | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | @ | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | L | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
Pawn: You will get nine of these bottom-rank pieces, which occupy the entire
third row. Pawns can only move forward one square per turn, that's it.
Unlike regular Chess, Pawns can capture enemy pieces by moving forward;
diagonal movement by this piece is not allowed.
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
| | | | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | @ | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | P | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| | | | | |
|___|___|___|___|___|
Promoting Pieces
----------------
As in Chess, if you move any of your pieces to the opposite end of the board,
they can be promoted. In Shogi, this does not only apply to Pawns; it can
apply to every piece (except the King and Gold General). A piece is valid for
promotion if you move it into the back three rows of the board (the three
rows that the enemy pieces initially occupy). When you promote a piece, it
gains more movement options, depending on the piece. Also, when you get to
the opposing side's three rows and choose to promote the piece, you flip the
piece over to reveal its new "name". These names will be listed below. Keep
in mind though, that you don't have to promote a piece because you are in the
three back rows.
If the promoted piece is a Silver General, Knight, Lance, or Pawn, its
upgraded movement will be that of a Gold General. If the piece you are
promoting is a Rook or Bishop, it will retain its original range of movement,
but it will be able to move like a King would as well.
Original Name Kanji Promoted Name Kanji
------------- ----- ------------- -----
Rook 飛車 Dragon 龍王
Bishop 角行 Horse 龍馬
Silver General 銀将 Promoted Silver 成銀
Knight 桂馬 Promoted Knight 成桂
Lance 香車 Promoted Lance 成香
Pawn 歩兵 Tokin と金
As in Chess, the objective in Shogi is ultimately to 'capture' the opposing
player's King. Along the way, as you move your own pieces across the board,
you can capture the opposing player's pieces by making a legal move onto the
same square that an enemy piece is currently occupying. When you capture the
enemy's piece, you put it on a side table known as a komadai (こまだい). You
can 'drop' a captured piece onto the board, putting it under your control and
thus increasing your active forces. This kind of gameplay can work in your
favor (or against you, if the enemy does it) if done at the right times.
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This guide is available for and to anyone who wishes to use the information on
their site or in their own guide. Remember this was posted on GameFAQs first if
you want to copy and credit anything.
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