KENZAN! SHOGI TRIALS 1–6: STARTING POSITIONS AND PLANS

KENZAN! SHOGI TRIALS 1–6: STARTING POSITIONS AND PLANS Play at Gion Inari Shrine from 5-1. A clear opens the next trial. This post uses the actual KHHsubs starting-board diagrams, checked against each trial's turn order, reserve pieces and replay allowance. The plans are adaptive guidance, not claimed forced-win scripts. Kiryu is at the bottom. Files are 9 through 1, left to right; ranks a through i, top to bottom. K/R/B/G/S/N/L/P mean king, rook, bishop, gold, silver, knight, lance and pawn. A star means a drop, a cross means a capture and + means promotion. STANDARD SETUP REFERENCE Kiryu's back rank, left to right: lance, knight, silver, gold, king, gold, silver, knight, lance. Bishop at 8h, rook at 2h, pawns across rank g. The opponent has the mirrored arrangement: back rank a, rook at 8b, bishop at 2b, pawns across rank c. Only the differences below apply. TRIAL 1 Opponent moves first. No replays. Neither player has pieces in hand. Kiryu has the full standard army. The opponent has only its king at 5a and nine pawns on rank c. Everything else on the opponent's side is absent. Plan: use your material advantage without donating major pieces. Advance a supported pawn to open a rook file, activate your bishop and use your generals to protect the king. The enemy pawns still block long-range movement; clear a route through them and promote an attacker. A promoted rook plus a supporting gold or promoted pawn can close escape squares much more effectively than repeated unsupported checks. Do not sacrifice a rook just because the opponent began without one: once captured, it becomes theirs to drop. Reward: Grilled Dango. TRIAL 2 Kiryu moves first. Replays allowed. Opponent has no reserve. The opponent has a complete standard army. Kiryu has only the king at 5i on the board, but holds the entire remaining army: nine pawns, two lances, two knights, two silvers, two golds, one bishop and one rook. Plan: put defenders around the king before making a series of loose checking drops. A gold at 5h is a legal first deployment that protects important nearby squares. Then place a major piece where it has a useful line and is not immediately capturable. You can deploy beyond the normal starting ranks, but a dropped rook or bishop does not promote until a subsequent eligible move. Keep a reserve piece available to block a check rather than emptying your hand without a plan. Reward: Ohagi. TRIAL 3 First player is decided by the opening toss. Replays allowed. No reserve pieces. Both sides have only the king on its normal square and nine pawns on the normal pawn rank. No rook, bishop, lance, knight, silver or gold is present. Plan: this is a king-and-pawn contest. Bring the king close enough to support a pawn breakthrough without stepping into the enemy king's control. A pawn trade gives you a drop, but the same-file restriction still applies. Promote a supported pawn to gain gold movement, then use it to escort another. Your promoted pawn becomes a much stronger attacking and defensive piece than an isolated unpromoted pawn. Reward: Frenzy Pill. TRIAL 4 First player is decided by the toss. Replays allowed. No reserve pieces. Both sides have the normal back rank and all nine pawns, but neither side has a rook or bishop. Plan: coordinate silvers with pawn advances instead of expecting a long-range breakthrough. Keep a gold near your king and use the other general to support the attacking side. Knights can jump over a blocked pawn formation, but cannot retreat while unpromoted. Prepare a supported landing square before advancing one. Captured generals are particularly valuable for close-range drops near a king. Reward: Satsuma Shochu. TRIAL 5 Kiryu moves first. No replays. Opponent has no reserve. The opponent has the full standard setup. Kiryu also has the standard army, except the pawns at 7g and 2g are in hand instead of on the board. This opens both the bishop diagonal and rook file. One verified legal attacking opener from this exact position is R2h×2c+: move the rook straight up the open second file, capture the opponent's pawn and promote. No intervening piece blocks that route. This is a legal tactical candidate, not a guarantee about the next AI move. After the reply, inspect threats to the dragon and your king before taking more material. The two held pawns can reinforce an attack or block a line, but initially you may drop a pawn only on a file where you have no unpromoted pawn: files 7 and 2. Check the board again after captures or promotions change that restriction. Reward: Frenzy Pill - High Grade. TRIAL 6 Kiryu moves first. Replays allowed. Opponent has no reserve. Kiryu again has only K5i on the board and the full 19-piece reserve used in Trial 2. The opponent's complete army is packed into the upper-left corner rather than arranged normally: Rank a: K9a, S8a, L7a, R6a, B5a, N4a, N3a. Rank b: G9b, G8b. Rank c: S9c, L8c, then pawns at 7c, 6c, 5c, 4c, 3c, 2c and 1c. Rank d: pawns at 9d and 8d. All other opponent squares are empty. Plan: the empty right side gives you space to deploy, while the packed king position is initially shielded by its own pieces. Establish a safe king defender, place your rook on a usable open file and target the edge of the pawn formation. Promote after a safe move into the enemy zone. Avoid dropping a valuable piece next to the crowded fortress just to give check: first count the silver, gold and lance defenders. Work on the right flank or lower edge of the formation until it opens. Reward: Frenzy Pill - Special Grade.