Mini Shogi Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Mini Shogi
  • Game rules
• Moves
• Promotion
• Drops
• Winning the Game

Mini Shogi

This game is a two player strategy game. It is a small variant of Shogi and the rules are same with the Shogi with some exceptions.

Game content: Game board; 2 king, 2 gold general, 2 silver general, 2 bishop, 2 rook, 2 pawn (all pieces are same color and two sided).

The object of this game is to take the king from the opponent. Giving perpetual check is forbidden.

Game rules

The starting position of the game is as follows (5x5 board; the top row is one player's back rank, the bottom row the other's; R = rook, B = bishop, S = silver general, G = gold general, K = king, P = pawn):

R	B	S	G	K
				P
P
K	G	S	B	R

Moves

• King: Moves as chess king, one square in any direction.
• Rook: Moves as chess rook, any number of free squares along any one of the four orthogonal directions.
• Bishop: Moves as chess bishop, any number of free squares along any one of the four diagonal directions.
• Pawn: Moves one square directly forward. It cannot retreat.
• Gold general: Moves one square orthogonally, or one square diagonally forward, giving it six possible destinations. It cannot move diagonally backward.
• Silver general: Moves one square diagonally or one square directly forward, giving it five possibilities.

Promotion

The promotion zone is the furthest rank away from you.

All pieces can promote, except the king and the gold general. Game pieces are two sided. One side black, other side red. Promoted pieces placed red side up. Promotion is not compulsory except pawns. Captured pieces, loses their promoted status. Otherwise promotion is permanent. Promoting a piece has the effect of changing how that piece moves.

Each piece promotes as follows:

• Silver general promotes to Gold general
• Pawn promotes to Gold general
• Rook promotes: additional king move abilities
• Bishop promotes: additional king move abilities

(Gold general can't promote. King can't promote.)

Drops

Pieces that are taken from the opponent may be reintroduced on the board as pieces of the player that took the piece. For example, if player A has taken a pawn from player B, player A has the possibility to put this pawn on the board as one of his own pieces in any later move. When a player takes a promoted piece, the piece converts to its original status. In his turn a player can drop a captured piece instead a move.

Drop restrictions: A piece must always be dropped on an empty square. A pawn cannot be dropped on a column where the same player has already another unpromoted pawn, and may not be dropped to give checkmate. A pawn may be dropped to give check, and any other piece can be dropped to give checkmate. Pieces may not be dropped on squares from which they can not move, e.g., a pawn may not be dropped on the last row.

Winning the Game

Object of the game is to take the king from the opponent as chess. Giving perpetual check is forbidden.

In professional and serious amateur games, a player who makes an illegal move loses immediately.