Japanese Chess

Shogi (Japanese Chess)
Introduction to Shogi (Japanese Chess)
Shogi (Japanese Chess) is just one of a family of chess games developed in Japan. It is played on a 9x9 board by 2 players who start the game with 20 flat 5-sided pieces each, marked with Japanese kanji characters. When a player captures an opponents piece it becomes his own, and can be dropped back on the board later, so the number of pieces each player owns can decrease and increase during a typical game. There is also a well established system of handicaps, usually used in matches between ...

Sho-chan Shogi (Small Japanese Chess Variant)
Introduction to Sho-chan Shogi (Small Japanese Chess Variant)
Sho-chan Shogi (Japanese Chess Variant) is one of the more recent members of a family of chess games developed in Japan, although its exact origins are unclear. It is played on a 6x5 board by 2 players who start the game with 8 flat 5-sided pieces each from the pieces used by Shogi, marked with Japanese kanji characters. When a player captures an opponents piece it becomes his own, and can be dropped back on the board later, so the number of pieces each player owns can decrease and increase d...

Mini-Shogi (Small Japanese Chess Variant)
Introduction to Mini-Shogi (Small Japanese Chess Variant)
Mini-Shogi (Japanese Chess Variant) is one of the more recent members of a family of chess games developed in Japan, as it was rediscovered or invented by Shigenobu Kusumoto in the 1970's. It is played on a 5x5 board by 2 players who start the game with 6 flat 5-sided pieces each from the pieces used by Shogi, marked with Japanese kanji characters. When a player captures an opponents piece it becomes his own, and can be dropped back on the board later, so the number of pieces each player owns...

Tori-Shogi (Japanese Chess Variant)
Introduction to Tori-Shogi (Japanese Chess Variant)
Tori-Shogi (Japanese Chess Variant, sometimes translated as "Bird Shogi") is one of the more recent members of a family of chess games developed in Japan, as it was invented by Ohashi Soei in the late 18th century. It is played on a 7x7 board by 2 players who start the game with 16 flat 5-sided pieces each, marked with Japanese kanji characters, all of which represent different types of birds. When a player captures an opponents piece it becomes his own, and can be dropped back on the board l...