Ito Shogi
Ito Shogi
a.k.a. "String Shogi"
By Jonathan Rutherford
Ito Shogi, or “String Shogi,” is a one-dimensional chess variant, and is essentially an outgrowth of Rutherford’s 1-dimensional Shogi. Ito Shogi is an attempt to simplify the rules of the former game, yet complicate the tactics and strategies involved.
HISTORY:
The majority of chess variants play in two dimensions, and several of them are quite entertaining. Adding a third dimension has become quite popular, resulting in a plethora of enjoyable 3D chess games. There are even a few variants with four or more dimensions, some of them very clever (i.e. “Timeline”). But ironically, creating a playable and enjoyable one-dimensional game of chess is perhaps a more serious challenge. A few variants exist, but most of these suffer from a handful of fatal flaws. For instance, unless one plays very poorly, material trade-offs tend to be equal, and the game ends in a King vs. King draw, or one side (usually the first player) winds up with a single piece advantage that wins the day. Some game inventors were clever enough to complicate the game sufficiently to avoid such a game of attrition. Sadly, most of these still result in drawish positions, where the first player to show any real aggression suffers material loss, permanently crippling his/her game. The strategy that players quickly learn is to just sit back, and wait for the opponent to make a mistake. Though all of these variants are certainly intriguing, most are not fully analyzable or playable/replayable.
A few variants are pretty innovative and successful in their solution to the “1-D chess variant problem.” These would include “String Chess” and “One Ring Chess”. But as I reflected upon what it would take to make a truly great game, I had an epiphany: shogi!
JUSTIFICATION:
Shogi variants are remarkably versatile, forming the largest chess games I know (“Tai Shogi,” “Taikyoku Shogi”) as well as the smallest (“Micro-Shogi”, “Nana Shogi”). By virtue of its immortal pieces, it lends itself to miniaturization far better than any other chess game I know of. Naturally, a single-dimensional game would have to be fairly small, so shogi fit this bill in this regard.
Also, the aforementioned problem of attrition is easily avoided when playing a shogi variant: just drop your captured pieces back into play and the game keeps on going!
Shogi and its many variants offer so many preexisting pieces to choose from, it was unnecessary for me to invent any pieces of my own. I simply had to adapt the moves of those already in existence for one-dimensional play.
For all these reasons, I decided a shogi game variant would make a very entertaining one-dimensional chess variant.
INTRODUCTION:
While presenting this game, though I have tried to be thorough in my explanation, it is best if the reader is already familiar with the rules of Shogi.
The Ito Shogi board consists of 31 squares in a single file. Like all Shogi variants, its squares are uncheckered. However, because some of the moves are difficult to visualize without the checkered pattern, every other square has “notches” in its corners. The picture to the left shows the trays where players keep their pieces “in hand,” but such is not necessary, if players feel that it detracts from the game’s claim to having only one dimension.
 - 1 square forward or 1 square backward. [from Chu Shogi]</p>
<p><strong>Tile General </strong>- Jump to the 2nd square forward or step 1 square backward. [from Maka Dai Dai Shogi]</p>
<p><strong>Silver General</strong> - (promoted <em>Tile General</em>) - 1 square forward or jump to the 2nd square forward or jump to the 2nd square backward. [from Shogi]</p>
<p><strong>Silver Cannon</strong> <strong>- </strong>As many squares as desired in a forward or backward direction, as long as exactly one piece (of either side) is jumped. There may be any number of vacant squares on either side of the jumped piece. The piece that facilitates jumping is not captured, only the piece that is “landed upon” (see diagram for clarity). [from Cannon Shogi]</p>
<p><strong>Reverse Chariot </strong>(promoted <em>Silver Cannon</em>) - As many unobstructed squares as desired in a forward or backward direction. [from Chu Shogi]</p>
<p><strong>Heavenly Horse </strong>- Jump to the 3rd square forward or jump to the 3rd square backward. This is imagined by an orthogonal step followed by a diagonal step. [from Wa Shogi]</p>
<p><strong>Cavalryman </strong>(promoted <em>Heavenly Horse</em>) - Jumps 2 squares or jumps 3 squares forward or backward. This is imagined by an orthogonal step followed by a diagonal step. As the sideways orthogonal step is ignored, the remaining step is a diagonal step, represented as the jump to the second square. [from Ko Shogi]</p>
<p><strong>Goose - </strong>Jump to the 4th square forward or jump to the 2nd square backward. [from Tori Shogi]</p>
<p><strong>Phoenix</strong> (promoted <em>Goose</em>) - 1 square forward or backward or jump to the 4th square forward or backward. [from Chu Shogi]</p>
<p><strong>Flying Swallow </strong>- Jumping each 1st, 3rd, etc. squares, landing on the 2nd, 4th, etc. squares. As many unobstructed squares in this fashion as desired in a forward direction, or step 1 square backward (see diagram for clarity). [from Taikyoku Shogi]</p>
<p><strong>Bishop</strong> (promoted <em>Flying Swallow</em>)-Jumping each 1st, 3rd, etc. squares, landing on the 2nd, 4th, etc. squares. As many unobstructed squares in this fashion as desired in a forward or backward direction (see diagram for clarity). [from Shogi]</p>
<p><strong>King -</strong>The royal piece, which must be protected at all times. 1 square forward or jumping to the 2nd square forward or 1 square backward. Note that this is the only piece whose move does not correspond exactly to its two-dimensional equivalent. This allows for a weakened position, a sort of compensation for the King’s otherwise inherently strong defensive position. [from Shogi]</p>
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By Jonathan H Rutherford.
Last revised by Jonathan Rutherford.
Web page created: 2008-01-25. Web page last updated: 2008-01-25