| Game: Dobutsu Shogi |
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Invented by Madoka Kitao
Implemented by Howard McCay, Valentin Chelnokov, 2015-02-28
Graphics by Valentin Chelnokov
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2 variants
requires ZoG 1.x
Checkmate
2-player
download 171 K
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Updated 2016-01-30
Some changes by Howard McCay. |
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Dobutsu Shogi (Animal chess) is a small Shogi variant for young children.
Dobutsu Shogi was invented by professional Shogi player Madoka Kitao.
| Object: |
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to capture (or checkmate or stalemate) the enemy King (Lion)
or to have one's own King (Lion) be the first King (Lion)
to move or capture onto a non-threatened square on the last row.
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| Play: |
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All pieces move and capture (by displacement) to adjacent squares
in the directions indicated by the little arrows on the face of each piece.
When a piece is captured it is added to the capturer's reserve,
an army of pieces that can be reintroduced into play on the captor's
side.
(Pieces in reserve are also said to be "in hand").
On each turn, a player must choose one of three options:
- Move a piece already on the board to an adjacent empty space.
- Capture an adjacent enemy piece.
- Enter a previously captured piece onto an empty square as one's own.
A player is never allowed to skip a turn.
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| Pieces: |
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The King (Lion) moves or captures one adjacent space in any direction.
The King (Lion) must never move nor capture onto a space attacked by enemy.
The Jang (Giraffe) moves or captures one adjacent space like a rook.
The Sang (Elephant) moves or captures one adjacent space like a bishop.
The Za (Chick) moves or captures one adjacent space straight forward.
If Za (Chick) is dropped onto the last row, Za (Chick) may never move.
The Za (Chick) is the only piece that promotes.
When Za (Chick) moves (not by being dropped) or captures
onto any square on the last row, the Za (Chick) promotes to Hu (Hen).
The Hu (Hen) moves or captures one adjacent space
in any direction except diagonally backward, like the Shogi Gold General.
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| Variants: |
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In the (original) version, the King (Lion) must be captured.
Check, checkmate, and stalemate are not checked or enforced.
The King (Lion) is allowed to move or capture into check
(except onto the last row, unless to capture the enemy King (Lion)).
The Za (Chick) can be dropped anywhere, even onto the last row,
where Za (Chick) can never move or capture, only be captured.
In the (with check and mate) version,
the King (Lion) is not permitted to move or capture into check.
Checkmate and stalemate are checked for and declared a win
for the player who could otherwise capture the King (Lion) on the next turn.
The Za (Chick) is not permitted to be dropped onto the last row.
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| Strategy: |
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According to ,
the game of Dobutsu Shogi has been completely analyzed and strongly resolved.
The game brgins in a symmetrical zugzwang position
(in which whoever moves first will lose against an impeccable player).
However, the Zillions A. I. is not strong enough to do the complete analysis,
so it is still possible to win against the Zillions A. I.
The included sample game was played and won against the Zillions A. I.
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| References: |
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C5%8Dbutsu_sh%C5%8Dgi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1irQ8Bys5Ig |
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Download Dobutsu Shogi now!
(171 K)
back to Download Free Games listing
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