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Bishogi. An attempt to take the FIDE army further towards Shogi than Chessgi does. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

Charles Gilman wrote on Thu, Sep 23, 2004 07:56 AM UTC:

Again I was guilty of too much shorthand. The 9x9 description on the Index
pages suggests that two Messrs. Howe have found it confusing!
	The board is 8x8 with only one Queen aside, but I compare the Queen to
the Goldgeneral in that (1) it is on the 4th file in, (2) it is has the
greatest long-term unperomoted strength on the back rank, (3) it is a Ferz
substitute among 8-file arrays just as the Goldgeneral is among 9-file
ones. The Pawns are on the second rank, because as I say, there is 'no
middle rank', not even an empty one. The statement that players can use a
novelty FIDE Chess set or, if they can manage to ignore the usual meanings,
a Shogi set 'minus the four surplus pieces' does make it clear tha only
sixteen pieces aside are required. The idea of a 9x9 version of Bishogi is
an interesting one, but it would have a problem of Bishops starting on the
same colour. Mind you, the fact that promotion and/or reintroduction could
overcome that is even more in keeping with Shogi itself...
	Perhaps the confusion comes from the 'further variants' section.
Sekishogi is another 8x8 varint, but Southwark Shogi is 9x9. It may have
been sloppy to throw that in with the others, but I felt that it was a bit
too frivolous to have a page of its own.