KENZAN! SHOGI: THE RULES THAT MAKE THE TRIALS PLAYABLE

KENZAN! SHOGI: THE RULES THAT MAKE THE TRIALS PLAYABLE Shogi completion requires both the ranking ladder's Shogi King and the entire Gion trial series. That means ten numbered trials plus a Final Trial. Trials start at Gion Inari Shrine from 5-1; ranking matches start in Rakugai from 5-6. The listed fees are 500 Mon for a trial and 50 Mon for ranking play. Win by checkmating the opposing king: it is attacked and has no legal escape. You cannot make a move that leaves your own king in check. These are full games from special starting positions, not necessarily short mate puzzles. The companion trial posts describe every inspected setup and a plan for playing it. They do not pretend the opponent follows one fixed move list. READING THE BOARD The king is 王 or 玉; rook 飛; bishop 角; gold 金; silver 銀; knight 桂; lance 香; pawn 歩. A piece belongs to the player toward whom its broad base faces. Captured pieces go into your hand and can be dropped back onto the board as yours. For coordinates, view the board from Kiryu's side at the bottom. Files run 9 to 1 from left to right; ranks run a to i from top to bottom. Your king normally begins at 5i, your rook at 2h and bishop at 8h. The opponent's corresponding squares are 5a, 8b and 2b. A move written R2h×2c+ means move the rook from 2h to 2c, capture there and promote. R*2e means drop a rook from your hand on an empty 2e. These abbreviations are explanatory notation, not commands you type into Kenzan. HOW EVERY PIECE MOVES King: one square in any direction, never onto an attacked square. Rook: any unobstructed distance along a rank or file. Bishop: any unobstructed diagonal distance. Gold: one step straight forward, diagonally forward, sideways or straight backward. No backward diagonals. Silver: one step straight forward or on any diagonal. No sideways move or straight backward move. Knight: two squares forward and one sideways. It jumps over intervening pieces. It does not move two squares diagonally, and it cannot jump backward or sideways like a Western-chess knight. Lance: any unobstructed distance straight forward. Pawn: one square straight forward, including when capturing. No double opening move and no diagonal capture. PROMOTION Your promotion zone is the farthest three ranks. An eligible piece can promote when its move begins or ends there, including movement within the zone or out of it. A king or gold never promotes. Promoted rook, Dragon: rook movement plus one diagonal step. Promoted bishop, Horse: bishop movement plus one orthogonal step. Promoted silver, knight, lance and pawn: gold movement. A pawn or lance reaching the final rank must promote. A knight reaching either final rank must promote. Other eligible promotions are optional, so keep a knight or silver unpromoted if its original movement is needed for the next tactic. Captured promoted pieces revert to their original form in hand. DROPS: THE RULES TO CHECK BEFORE BLAMING THE CURSOR A drop uses your turn and must land on an empty square. It cannot capture and does not promote immediately, even in the promotion zone. Do not drop a pawn on a file already containing one of your unpromoted pawns. A promoted pawn does not create that restriction. Do not drop a pawn or lance on the last rank, or a knight on the last two ranks, where it could never move. You may give check by dropping a pawn, but a pawn drop delivering immediate checkmate is illegal. A dropped rook, gold or other piece may deliver mate. A pawn already on the board may move to deliver mate. WHAT TO DO EACH TURN 1. If checked, identify every legal escape: move the king, capture the attacker or interpose against a sliding attack. You cannot block an adjacent attack or a knight's jump. 2. Look for the opponent's checking drops before moving a defender away. An empty square near your king can become dangerous immediately. 3. Count defenders before taking a tempting piece. Exchanging your rook for a pawn gives the opponent a rook to drop. 4. Improve king safety, then coordinate two attackers. A rook alone often gives checks without closing escape squares. 5. Use promoted pawns and golds to control the squares in front of the enemy king. Keep them supported. Kenzan normally permits three replays, meaning takebacks, in games that allow them. Trials 1, 5 and Final do not; ranking opponents at 8th Dan and above do not. Check the current game's allowance before relying on a correction.