Shogi-set Nearlydouble Variants

For a while I had been considering a variant using the standard Shogi array but with longer moves on an equine theme, but rejected it in its original form as piece ranges seemed too long for that board. While developing this variant I realised that such pieces might better suit an enlarged board, and resurrected the idea as a second variant for this page. I also used the name that I was planning for the 9x9 variant, KYOOMAGI - literally "fragrant horse game", in reference to Knightwise versions of the Wing, Japanese name Kyoosha ("fragrant chariot"). It also inspired giving promotees oblique moves in the first variant.

A third idea came from reflecting on a theme of the inner Solar System. The symbols for Venus and Mars inspired pieces making short symmetric moves, but with a 2-step forward leap beforehand. This gave a third option, PLANETARY SHOGI.

I also considered Nearlydouble versions of Chogi and Symgi, whose short-range piece are not that short, many of the latter making leaps of up to 3 steps.

A further idea was to simply let all capturable pieces make two "normal" Shogi moves in the same direction in one move, but when I first posted the variant I was not entirely happy with my then piece name suggestions and so decided against it then. This I term PASHTUN SHOGI as the pieces are developments of the Pashtun which is my new name for the piece moving 1 or 2 steps along any forward radial. This name derives from the Pasha (an older but until 2010 little-known piece name) of which it is the forward-only version. Another "something to all capturable pieces" variant involves a range of pieces devised since I originally posted the page, as an offshoot of a preamble to cataloguing Ajax pieces. These pieces, turning the Ajax concept around somewhat, are long-range pieces with capturing restricted to the first step or leap. I term them pacifiers and so the game PACIFIER SHOGI. Fortuitously all three prefixed Shogis thus start with P!

All variants use a board of 13 files and 12 ranks. This gives 156 squares, 6 short of the 162 that is twice the 81 of standard Shogi. It preserves the existence of a central file and divisibility into three equal-sized groups of ranks. The 2x20-1=39 pieces aside turn Shogi's nearly 50% coverage of the board into exactly 50%.

Since posting this page it has occurred to me that there are overtones of it in Alibishogi, but that variant starts with 3/13 of its pieces in Reserve and a board much further short of twice (if still well over once) the Shogi one's size.

Setup

Nearlydouble Symgi

Pieces

The KING, ROOK, and BISHOP are the same as in Shogi, and indeed FIDE Chess, except as regards promotion. This means not carrying through all Chogi's piece enhancements, but keeps the pieces constant for the whole page. In all this page's variants the Rook is promotable to MARSHAL and the Bishop to CARDINAL, as these are the Chogi promotees and were always intended as Kyoomagi ones.

The remaining pieces vary between variants, so I set them out in the following table. Many are described in terms of the 1:0 Wazir, 1:1 Ferz, 2:0 Dabbaba, 2:1 Knight, 2:2 Elephant, 3:0 Trebuchet, and 3:1 Camel. The top piece is always the promoted form of those below it.

Image	Handy Mitregi	Kyoomagi	Planetary Shogi	ND Chogi	Pashtun Shogi	Pacifier Shogi
	GNU Knight+Camel	CARPENTER Knight+Dabbaba	VENUS Wazir step optionally preceded by forward Dabbaba leap	GOLDSOW Wazir+FO Ferz+FO Dabbaba	GOLDPASHTUN Wazir+FO Ferz+Dabbaba+FO Elephant	GOLDPACIFIER Goldrider (Rook+FO Bishop) capturing only as Goldgeneral
	MITRE FO Bishop	KANGAROO Knight+Elephant	MARS Ferz step optionally preceded by forward Elephant leap	SILVERBOAR Ferz+FO Wazir+FO Elephant	SILVERPASHTUN Ferz+FO Wazir+Elephant+FO Dabbaba	SILVERPACIFIER Silverider (Bishop+FO Rook) capturing only as Silvergeneral
	HANDYMAN Gnu confined to moving 2 or 3 ranks forward	HELMRIDER Nightrider restricted to two most forward directions	MERCURY Wazir step optionally preceded by 3-rank Handyman leap	CATAPCHICK FO Knight+FO Trebuchet	VISOR makes 2:1 and 3:2 leaps in two most forward directions only	HELMPACIFIER Helmrider capturing only as Helm
	WING FO Rook	HELMFLYER As Helmrider, but alternates between the two directions within each move	COMET Wazir step necessarily preceded by forward Rook move of at least 2 steps	SOWON FO Rook+remaining Wazir steps	WING FO Rook	WING FO Rook
	WAZCHICK FO Wazir+FO Dabbaba	HELM Knight restricted to moving 2 ranks forward	ASTEROID Wazir step necessarily preceded by forward Dabbaba leap	WAZCHICK FO Wazir+FO Dabbaba	WAZCHICK FO Wazir+FO Dabbaba	POINTPACIFIER Wing capturing only as Point
Notes	Merges pieces in both kinds of oblique direction from largest normal Mitregi.	The 9x9 game would have had Maos and Crabs rather than Carpenters and Kangaroos.	The first-stage of a 2-stage move must be to an empty square. For more "planetary" pieces see my piece article Man and Beast 13: Straight and Crooked Moving.	The Catapchick and Wazchick are Nearlydouble rather than Chogi enhancements.	Added once I improved the names for these pieces	Added once I devised the pieces

Rules

A player capturing an enemy piece may, in place of a future move, add that piece to their own army, in unpromoted form on a square where promotion would not be compulsory. An exception is that Wazchicks promoted to other array pieces in Nearlydouble Symgi return promoted. In this variant Waffles and Newts can return interchangeably, reflecting representation by opposite faces of the same physical piece. Warpers and Frogs can also return interchangeably for the same reason.

Variants using Wazchicks prohibit a player having three or more unpromoted ones, and Pacifier Shogi three or more unpromoted Pointpacifiers, on the same file.

Check, Checkmate, and Stalemate are as standard.