Japanese Chess

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Trevor Leggett. Japanese Chess

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CHESS

The most striking feature of shogi, and what distinguishes it from all other regional variants of chess, is that pieces captured from the opponent are retained and may be ‘dropped’ back onto the board as one’s own. This single feature affects the nature of the game in a number of ways in comparison with Western chess: play tends to be more dynamic, with material advantage being less important than the momentum of an effective attack; very few games end in draws (less than 1% for games between professionals); and players of significantly different strength can play each other on equal terms through a carefully calibrated ‘handicapping’ system in which the stronger player removes certain pieces from the starting line-up. Arguing about whether chess or shogi is the ‘better’ game seems pointless. But it is certainly true that a large proportion of chess players who take the time to learn shogi end up becoming fascinated with the Japanese version of the game.

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warthmore, Pennsylvania

U.S. Shogi Champion, 2008

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