Shogi variants |
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Standard shogi (9×9, drops) |
Small variants |
Nana shogi (3×3) |
Dōbutsu shōgi (3×4, for children) |
Micro shogi (4×5) |
Minishogi (5×5) |
Kyoto shogi (5×5) |
Judkins shogi (6×6) |
Whale shogi (6×6) |
Tori shogi (7×7) |
Yari shogi (7×9) |
Heian shogi (8×8 or 9×8, 12th c.) |
Standard-size variants |
Sho shogi (9×9, 16th c.) |
Cannon shogi (9×9) |
Hasami shogi (9×9, 9 or 18 pc.) |
Hand shogi (9×9, 19 pc., 10 in hand) |
Annan shogi (9×9, neighbors influence movement) |
Unashogi (9×9, all drops) |
Large variants |
Okisaki shogi (10×10) |
Wa shogi (11×11) |
Chu shogi (12×12) |
Heian dai shogi (13×13) |
Dai shogi (15×15) |
Tenjiku shogi (16×16) |
Dai-dai shōgi (17×17) |
Maka dai-dai shōgi (19×19) |
Kō shōgi (19×19) |
Tai shogi (25×25) |
Taikyoku shogi (36×36) |
Three- and four-player variants |
Sannin shogi (hexagonal board, 7 cells on a side, three-person) |
Yonin shogi (9×9, four-person) |
Minishogi (5五将棋 gogo shōgi "5V chess" or "5×5 chess") is a modern variant of shogi (Japanese chess). Shigenobu Kusumoto of Osaka, Japan, invented or rediscovered the game c. 1970. The rules are identical to those of standard shogi, except that it is played with a reduced number of pieces on a 5x5 board, and each player's promotion zone consists only of the rank farthest from the player.
Contents |
Minishogi is identical to standard shogi with the following exceptions:
Two players play on a board ruled into a grid of 5 ranks (rows) by 5 files (columns). The squares are undifferentiated by marking or color.
Each player has a set of 6 wedge-shaped pieces. The pieces are of slightly different sizes. From largest to smallest (or most to least powerful) they are:
These are identical to the standard pieces of the same names.
Each side places his pieces in the positions shown below, from the perspective of Black, pointing toward the opponent.
In the rank nearest the player:
That is, the first rank is |K|G|S|B|R|.
These are as in standard shogi, except that the promotion zone is the farthest rank away from you. Pieces promote as they do in shogi. You can drop like you do in shogi as well.