The History of Chess. H. J. R. Murray
only a rough one, since it assigns the same value to both Hisha and Kakko, pieces with the moves of our Rook and Bishop respectively; the experience of the European game would suggest that there must be a considerable difference of force between these pieces.
As soon as a Gin, Keima, Kyōsha, Fu, Hisha or Kakkō is played to a square within the opponent’s territory, it may at once be promoted to its promotion rank; in the first four cases this is that of Kin, in the last two cases this is respectively Ryō-wō and Ryō-ma. This promotion is made in the same move with the move to the qualifying square. A player may, however, postpone the promotion to a later move if this suits his plans better. The ordinary term for the operation is naru (to turn), or more fully, kin-ni (ryō-wa-ni, &c.) naru (becomes a Kin, &c.). Other terms are natta (turned), naraseru (to cause to turn over), kaeru (to turn over), hikkurikaeru (to turn upside down), or if the promotion is made by capturing an opposing piece, torité naru (take and turn). It is not always advantageous to exercise the right of promoting a piece. The Keima, notwithstanding its limited move, is often more useful as a Keima than as a Kin, for as a Keima it can leap over occupied squares and its check cannot be covered.
The greatest peculiarity of shōgi arises from the power that a player possesses through the possibility of the replacement of prisoners (toriko) on the board.68 Since a player generally keeps his prisoners in his hand this possibility is called tengoma (tegoma) or mochingoma (mochigoma) (man in hand). Instead of moving one of his men on the board, a player may, at any time when it is his turn to play, enter one of his prisoners on any unoccupied square and so add it to his effective forces. This manœuvre makes a capture doubly valuable; there is not only the negative value arising from the loss of the piece, but the positive value arising from its possible replacement on the board. This power, however, is subject to certain limitations and a convention. The limitations are—
(1) A second Fu may not be entered on any file upon which the player already has an unpromoted Fu. Doubled Fus (nifu) are not tolerated in shōgi, and if a player, either by inadvertence or intention, should place a second Fu in this way his opponent simply removes it from the board (Jap. nameru, nametoru, suitori, tadatoru, or tadatori, to huff), and plays his own move, precisely as a player at draughts plays ‘the huff’.
(2) A Fu or Hisha may not be entered upon the opponent’s back line, nor a Keima on his second or back line: this is because these pieces would then be unable to move and could not be promoted.
(3) A re-entered piece only possesses its original value, even if it be entered within the opponent’s territory. In the latter case it qualifies for promotion after making one move.
The convention is that it is bad form to re-enter a piece where it does not actively assist in attacking the opponent; a machingoma or waiting game is, according to Chō-Yō, considered cowardly.
This peculiarity of the game differentiates Japanese chess from all other varieties, and renders it difficult for a European to appreciate the science of shōgi. A Japanese generally holds his prisoners in his hand, but must show them at any time when requested. The usual phrase is té-ni-wa (O-té-ui-wa or té-ni), meaning ‘In your hand?’
Check in Japanese is ō-té, i.e. Jewel’s move. Double check is ryō-ōté or niju-ōté; discovered check, akiōté; the dangerous divergent checks which attack simultaneously the Hisha or Kakko are hishaté-ōté or hishatori-ōté and kakuté-ōté or kakutori-ōté. Checkmate is tsumi, tsumu, or tsunda, all meaning ‘fixed’ Mate on the K square is izuwari zeme; mate in the corner, setsuin zeme; mate on the midmost square of the board (e5), miyako zeme. To checkmate is tsumeru (to fix). Stalemate is not permitted, and it is considered bad form to mate with a Fu.
The move is generally determined by throwing up a Fu, when the opponent cries ‘Fu’ or ‘Kin’, and wins when his cry falls uppermost. In a sequence of games the winner begins in the following game. In the tournaments the match appears to be for the best of three games. The rule of ‘Touch and move’ is disregarded by ordinary players, who say ‘matta’, ‘matta-naraz’, or ‘matté’ (‘wait, please wait’) when they wish to take back a move, but experts hold to the strict rule with the penalty of moving the Ō-shō for its breach. A player who wishes to put a piece straight says ‘gomen (or shikkei) naoshite’ (‘pardon me, I adjust’).
The works which I have used give very little information about the Openings in shōgi. Chō-Yō says that all openings (uchidashi) of repute have distinctive names and are classified as regular (teishiki) or irregular (futei-shiki). He gives the following: (1) The Kakuté method (Pc3), (2) The Nakabisha method (beginning 1 Pe4 and 2 Ce2), (3) The Hishaté method (beginning Ph4), (4) an attacking opening (1 Bc2; 2 Pc4; 3 Bc3; 4 Pb4; 5 Pb5; 6 Bb4), (5) a defensive one (1 Qc2; 2 Bd2; 3 Qg2; 4 Bf2; 5 Kf3).
There is an elaborate gradation of odds (orosu, otosu), the scale being as follows: (1) aP or iP, (2) bP, (3) aP + iP, (4) R, (5) both R, (6) R + Kt on same wing, (7) both R + Kt, (8) both R + both Kt, (9) the same + a,b,h,iP, (10) C or D, (11) C + D, (12) the same + both R, (13) as 12 + both Kt, (14) all the pieces except K, Q, and B.
An expert playing against a novice will remove all his own men excepting the Ō from the board, and undertake to win with the move if he be allowed to retain three Fus in his hand. He commences by placing a Fu in front of the novice’s Kakko, winning it the following move. This chess joke is called Fu-san-mai.
The following specimen game is taken from Himly’s paper in the ZDMG., xxxiii. 672 seq.69
In addition to the ordinary chess, Japanese works make mention of five other varieties of chess, tsiu shōgi (= intermediate chess), played on a board of 12 × 12 squares with 46 men a side;70 dai shōgi (= great chess), on a board of 15 × 15 squares with 65 men a side; maka dai-dai shōgi, on the same 15 × 15 board with 96 men a side; dai-dai shōgi, on a board of 17 × 17 squares; and dai-shōgi, on a board of 25 × 25 squares with 177 men a side. No further particulars appear to be known of the last four of these, but the tsiu shōgi would seem to have been still played in the 18th century. The names of the different chessmen are an interesting illustration of the thoroughness with which the war-character of chess has been eliminated in Japan, and the powers of move exhibit the care with which the various possibilities of move have been investigated.
The names, powers, and positions of the pieces of tsiu shōgi are exhibited in the following table.
The ordinary chessboard of 81 squares is used for two other games, each of which is named a variety of chess. In Tobi-shōgi (jumping chess), each player arranges his eighteen men, now considered to be all of equal value, upon the first and second rows. Each man can move straight forward or laterally, and captures as in the English game of draughts. In Hasami-shōgi (intercepting chess) each player arranges his nine Fus upon his back row. Each man can move any distance forwards or laterally. When two men occupy the two squares adjacent to that occupied by an opposing man, in either a horizontal or a vertical direction, the opposing man is captured.
Two other games with the chessmen are only played by children. Neither requires the board. In the first, Furi-shōgi (shaking chess), the chessmen are used as dice. If the chessman falls face upwards it counts 1, if face downwards, 0; if it stands on its end, 10, and if it stands on its side, 5. In the other, Uke-shōgi (receiving chess), the chessmen are used as dominoes. A certain number are dealt out, and the first player challenges his opponent to pair a named piece in his hand. If he succeeds, the move passes to the opponent; if he fails, the first player throws out this piece, and challenges with a second piece, and so on. The player who first succeeds in getting rid of his hand wins.72
Mention has already been made of the extensive problem literature of Japanese chess. Very few examples of Japanese chess problems have been printed in Europe, and the following selection would seem to show that the problem art is at a much more rudimentary stage than is the case in Europe. The liberal use which is made of the mochingoma powers removes much of the difficulty of construction.