Shogi
Shogi or Japanese chess is one of the stranger chess variations. The basic idea is the same: try to capture your opponent's king. However, the means to that end are dramatically different.
The most radical idea in shogi is the concept of drops. Once you capture an enemy piece, it's your to use. You can drop the piece almost anywhere on board. It's your piece then and will attack with your forces. The drops can create nasty surprises and a piece lost means terrible trouble later on. In Western chess, the number of pieces on board grows smaller as the game proceeds, but in shogi, all pieces stay in play.
Many shogi pieces are quite slow. Each player has one rook and one bishop that can move faster. There are also knights, but those move only forward. All other pieces move just one step at the time. It takes a while to develop a position on the board, but on the other hand, you have plenty of time to set up your defenses. A key idea in shogi is the concept of castles, complex defense formations players build on the board.
Shogi pieces aren't marked by colour, since each piece can be used by both players in the same game. The pieces have a pointed end that points away from their owner. The pieces are marked with Japanese calligraphy and create a rather significant barrier of entry to new players. However, if you really put your mind to it, learning the pieces isn't a difficult task - it just takes some effort. Of course, some people really hate learning things on their free time, so if you're one of those folks, skip shogi.
If you don't mind a bit of an intellectual challenge, do yourself a favour and get a shogi set. It's a fun game. If you don't like Western chess, you just might enjoy shogi - it has a significantly different flavour thanks to the drops.
If you want to stay updated, make sure you subscribe to the Shogi (Japanese chess) RSS feed!
 |
 |
Famicom/NES GUNJIN SHOGI Nintendo FC JAPAN JAPANESE bcc |  |
 |
US $10.56 | 1h 33m |
 |
Tsume Shogi Sega SG-1000 Mark III SMS Import CIB | |
|
US $26.99 | 1h 35m |
 |
Shogi, Chinese chess (onyx xiangqi) super value pack | |
|
US $33.99 | 1h 59m |
 |
HONKAKU SHOGI SHINAN Playstation2 PS2 Import Japan | |
|
US $35.00 | 2h 28m |
 |
WOW! Hon Shogi (Nintendo) Super RARE! Japan! | |
|
US $10.99 | 4h 11m |
 |
Wooden Shogi Japanese Chess Game Table Set w/ Drawers | |
|
US $45.40 | 12h 59m |
 |
Travel Magnetic Shogi Folding Portable Set | |
|
US $17.70 | 15h 57m |
 |
Super Shogi 2 Super Famicom SFC Import CIB | |
|
US $6.99 | 16h 8m |
 |
SHOGI - PC ENGINE Hu | |
|
US $20.00 | 1d |
 |
Morita Shogi PC PC Engine Hucard Japan import | |
|
US $12.99 | 1d 20m |
 |
Shogi Chess-Style game from The Games Gang 1987 Strategy Game 100% Complete | |
0 Bid | US $6.99 | 1d 2h 1m |
 |
PS -GUNDAM GUNJIN SHOGI Japanese Traditional Chess Game | |
|
US $19.40 | 1d 3h 32m |
 |
SHOGI POCKET Game Boy Nintendo GB Japan Game bcb gb | |
|
US $6.50 | 1d 10h 43m |
 |
Japanese Chess Game Shogi Set Brand New | |
1 Bid | US $9.99 | 1d 21h 21m |
 |
PC-Engine Hu SHOGI SHOSHINSHA MUYO Import JAPAN Video Game pe | |
|
US $10.00 | 1d 23h 48m |
 |
Japanese wooden board & pieces of Japanese chess Shogi; Koma 40pcs/ 939 | |
0 Bid | US $24.99 | 2d |
 |
MORITA SHOGI - PC ENGINE Hu Card Only | |
|
US $6.00 | 2d 1h 6m |
 |
MSX MICROCABIN SHOGI Cartridge only Import Japan Video Game msx | |
|
US $15.84 | 2d 3h 29m |
 |
MSX ROM"MSX SHOGI"SONY JAPAN | |
|
US $24.88 | 2d 5h 53m |
 |
MSX ROM"SHOGI MEIJIN"TOSHIBA EMI JAPAN | |
|
US $22.88 | 2d 6h 14m |
 |
3X M-665 PARALLEL FOIL Shogi Lesson Rare Naruto Card | |
|
US $1.12 | 2d 7h 31m |
 |
AI SHOGI - bandai pippin cd software atmark japan import jp | |
0 Bid | US $49.99 | 2d 19h 23m |
 |
Nintendo Game Boy SHOGI Import JAPAN Game | |
|
US $6.50 | 3d 1h 28m |
 |
Play Station KANAZAWA SHOGI TSUKI Playstation Japanese | |
|
US $3.50 | 3d 2h 47m |
 |
MSX SHOGI SHINAN II 2 Cartridge only Import Japan Video Game msx | |
|
US $13.20 | 3d 3h 48m |
 |
SHOGI Toryumon WonderSwan Japan USED | |
|
US $9.95 | 3d 9h 54m |
 |
Ginsei Shogi Portable: Fuuun Ryuuko Raiden | |
|
US $82.18 | 3d 12h 23m |
 |
Famicom Shogi: Ryuu-Ou-Sen (Famicom) Japan Import Exc! | |
|
US $9.95 | 3d 15h 43m |
 |
Shogi Japanese Chess Game Pieces, English Manual, Board | |
|
US $9.40 | 3d 16h 11m |
 |
Super Famicom ~ Shougi Doujou ~ Shogi Dojo | |
|
US $29.95 | 3d 17h 23m |
 |
PC Engine HuCard Game ~ Shogi Shodan Icchokusen | |
|
US $9.95 | 3d 17h 37m |
 |
Shogi Pieces | |
|
US $14.00 | 3d 18h 44m |
 |
PlayStation AI SHOGI PS Playstation Japan Video Game | |
|
US $2.79 | 3d 21h 50m |
 |
Play Station SHOGI NINTEIOH * Import JAPAN | |
|
US $2.10 | 3d 21h 50m |
 |
Play Station MYCOM BEST SAIKYO TODAI SHOGI JAPAN | |
|
US $2.79 | 3d 21h 50m |
 |
Sega Saturn AI SHOGI_ Import JAPAN | |
|
US $3.00 | 3d 22h 9m |
 |
SAIKYO TODAI SHOGI Special 2 Playstation 2 Brand new p2 | |
|
US $7.00 | 3d 22h 17m |
 |
PC-Engine Hu MORITA SHOGI PC Grafx JAPAN Video Game pe | |
|
US $8.00 | 4d 8m |
 |
Japanese Chess: The Game of Shogi, Trevor Leggett, New Book | |
|
US $12.69 | 4d 1h 45m |
 |
Sega Dreamcast NET VERSUS SHOGI Brand New Japanese game | |
|
US $12.00 | 4d 2h 7m |
 |
MSX KISEI Honkaku Shogi Import Japan Video Game 1073 msx | |
|
US $21.12 | 4d 3h 43m |
 |
Japanese chess(shogi) traditional game CRYSTAL GLASS mirror shogi set new | |
|
US $56.97 | 4d 6h 11m |
 |
Hon Shogi Famicom NES JP import | |
|
US $5.99 | 4d 6h 41m |
 |
Ginsei Shogi Portable Fuuun Ryuuko Raiden for Sony PSP Japan Import Video Game | |
|
US $82.99 | 4d 6h 59m |
 |
Japanese Chess: The Game of Shogi NEW by Trevor Leggett | |
|
US $17.42 | 4d 13h 32m |
 |
SHOGI (JAPANESE CHESS) ALL WOOD, FOLDING 10¼" BOARD | |
|
US $26.95 | 4d 13h 34m |
 |
Kakinoki Shogi 3DO JP import | |
|
US $12.99 | 4d 14h 42m |
 |
SIMPLE 1500 THE SHOGI 2 JAPAN IMPORT PLAYSTATION PS1 | |
|
US $10.00 | 4d 17h 39m |
 |
PS3 JP:Shin Toudai Shogi NEW Playstation 3 Import Japan | |
|
US $80.99 | 4d 19h 32m |
 |
NEO GEO MVS MASTER OF SHOGI Neogeo SNK JAPAN | |
|
US $80.00 | 5d 1h 8m |
| Powered by phpBay Pro |