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I make go boards chungi sets and shogi sets and have found your site
invaluable in helping me get clear on the finer points of the rules. I
have been making the chungi for a while and have only just started making
shogi sets and have not started to sell them yet. I only decided to make a
shogi set after viewing your site. Like fergus Duniho I have tried to
westerize the pieces for easier play, I had done a similar thing with my
chungi.
The almost 2 completed shogi sets have taken for ever to and i will
probably have to put a fairly high price on them. I make them from maranti
wood with a pacific maple board and am going to try and sell the three
(go, chungi, shogi) on e bay. I sell a small number through game shops in
melbourne australia but with their 100% mark up I dont sell them
regularily and dont make much money. I would like to send you a picture of
the shogi set i have almost finished if that is ok but it will take a bit
longer. I also thought i had played the most exciting chess when i played
chungi, but shogi is probably even better and just gets so dynamic towards
the end as pieces are dropping in etc, i love it. I dont have a computer
so please dont be offended if i do not reply for a while. Once again
excellent site.
Tori watson. [email protected]

Russian Shogi pages: 
'Shogi In Russia' - http://www.shogi.sp.ru/; 
'Byelorussian Shogi Assotiation' - http://shogi.at.tut.by/default.html
download Cut-out shogi set(pieces, board) + english version; 
'Assotiation Russian Shogi Players' - http://shogi-arsi.narod.ru/;
'Ukrainian Shogi Federation' - http://shogi.in.net.ua/ download cut-out
shogi pieces;
'Vadim Filippov's Shogi Page' - http://www.go.hobby.ru/shogi/

Does anyone know, are there Zillions of Games saved-games files (*.zsg) of
interesting, classic, instructive Shogi games available here or elsewhere
on the net?  Would this be a worthwhile project?  It's hard (for me, at
least) to see a list of Shogi game moves and follow it--especially since
I
have to work so hard to recognize the Japanese characters. This is my own
problem, of course, but I wonder if others feel the same way, and if
Zillions saved games provides a solution?  Thanks.

Shogi is an entertaining game, indeed, but I lack a link to play this on
the  computer. It's hard finding people to play against on the other
side
of the planet, especially ones who speak or read japanese. And I'm too
lazy to do that. Mendoukusai na, if you know what I mean.
Do you have a link to an online version of shogi?

Many people who don't know Japanese have been using Game Courier to play
Shogi online against other people. Besides some Japanese sets, Game
Courier allows that option of a symbolic set that doesn't require any
ability to recognize Japanese characters. Here is the link for Game
Courier's Shogi preset:

/play/pbm/presets/shogi.html

But be sure to visit the main Game Courier page before you get started:

/play/pbm/

For programs that will play Shogi, go here:

http://www.shogi.net/shogi-soft-eqp.html

Roberto: I actually got it from my mother, who ordered a board and a set of
wooden pieces from www.yutopian.com.  It's not too bad of a set, although
it's obviously not professional quality.

To stay on topic: Do we have a resource that lists the original Japanese
names (and English translations) of the pieces?  This page doesn't.

Jared, please refer to 1.4) Pieces of Hans Geuns' Basic Shogi Vocabulary.
http://www.shogi.net/shogivocab/
I would like to suggest this page should have a link to the above.

About the program Todai Shogi 

   Hello,

I have Todai Shogi program but all the menus are in Japanese.
Anybody would have the intructions note (comment help) translated into
English?
Either can you advise me a means to understand the menus of this 
software?

            Pierre Jason

Thanks for the information!  Manabu Terao, thank you also for the link.

I have never heard of the Invisible Ink Composition, the moves of which
for the shape of a letter or ideogram.  Wonderful idea.

That is one reason why investigation of chess variants is good for the
mind.  New ideas, different cultures, change of perspective.  Thank you.

If you want to see a more European look of Shogi, see:
http://f51.parsimony.net/forum203932/messages/21.htm

'I am not sure if this will clarify or confuse the issue, but here is a summary from an old post of George Fernandez:'

*** *** *** *** *** ***

The last version of 'The rules of shogi' I have was written in 1993 by Mr. K. Horiguchi 6 Dan[supplement to the January 1993 issue of Shogi Sekai]. The 96 page booklet, written in japanese, is the official rule book accepted by the Japanese Shogi Association.

The following definitions were given which apply here:

Checkmate:

A checkmate is a position in which a King is in check and there are no legal moves to leave the check.

Illegal moves:

(1)A move is illegal to make a double pawn.

(2)A move is illegal to make a deadlocked piece.

(3)A move is illegal for a player if his King's square is attacked by an opponent piece after the move.[to remain in check, to move into check or to expose the king to check]

(4)A move is illegal to make a repetition check move [Mr. Horiguchi wrote in an addendum the following clarification: '... In the event of perpetual check, if one player player does it FOUR TIMES(three times is permitted), he will lose his game'.

(5)A move is illegal to make a dropping check move by a pawn which leads to a position in checkmate at once(dropped-pawn mate).

Legal moves:

A legal move for a player is a move to leave the check by moving pieces on the board or by dropping if his king is in check. Otherwise, a legal move by a piece on the board which can go[move] or a drop move, which is not illegal.

Remark (condition of ending game):

1. The game is finished if the position is in a checkmate; The player to move loses the game.

2. The game is finished if one player makes an illegal move; This player loses the game.

3. The game is finished if one player has no legal moves; This player loses the game[contrary to chess rules, where a stalemate is considered a draw].

4. The game is finished if one player resigns; This player loses the game.

In an effort to put this issue behind us, and move on, I'm sharing with you a bizzare diagram from the 1993 rules book[page 93, digram #92].

***ENDQUOTE*** I [David Paulowich] am unable to format the diagram for this text message. It shows a stalemate loss for the lone White King. But Black to move also has no legal moves, even though he has a huge army and a Pawn in hand (dropping that Pawn would be mate).