By Japanese author Koda Rohan, from his essay collection Shogi Zatsuwa, section 4, 「玉将につきての俗説」 (“Folk Beliefs About the King Piece”). This short essay discusses traditions around the shogi king. (more…)
Category: Shogi History
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The Letters on the Pieces (馬子の文字)
Kōda Rohan wrote this shogi essay about shogi-piece calligraphy in January 1901 for Taiyō magazine; it later appeared as Section 3 of his collection Shōgi Zatsuwa. (more…)
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King and Jade (王と玉と)
Ō and Gyoku (王と玉と)
Kōda Rohan wrote this as Section 2 of his shogi essay collection Shōgi Zatsuwa (将棋雑話, often “Shogi Chatter”). It is known as 王と玉と (Ō and Gyoku / King and Jade). The short shogi essay discusses the history of the shogi king piece. (more…)
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A Lance Banner and a Brave Warrior (香車の差物と勇士と)
Written by Kōda Rohan, from his shogi essay collection Shōgi Zatsuwa (“Shogi Chatter”). The topic is the use of the name of Shogi lance in historical settings. (more…)
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One Illegal Move and It’s Over: Instant-Loss Violations in Shogi (反則負け)
Shogi is one of the most forgiving strategy games ever… and also one of the strictest.
Forgiving, because you can bring captured pieces back into the game. Strict, because one illegal move can end your game on the spot.
In Japanese, an instant-loss violation is usually talked about as 反則負け (hansoku-make), or the “loss by foul.” The Japan Shogi Association (日本将棋連盟) even has a full list of actions that count as “you lose immediately.”
Today, let’s walk through:
- what “instant-loss” really means in shogi,
- how these rules got here (a little history),
- and some famous “oops” moments, because yes, even pros do this.
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The Nifu Rule: Why You Can’t Drop Two Pawns in One Column (and How That Rule Got Here)
If you’ve played even a few games of shogi, you’ve probably heard someone say “nifu!” in a slightly panicked voice.
Maybe it happened to you. You’re feeling clever. You have a pawn in hand. You see a good square. You drop it… and then the game ends right there because it’s illegal.
That’s rough. So today I want to talk about the nifu rule, including what it is, why it matters, and the coolest part: how far back we can trace it in shogi history using Japanese sources.
And yes, we’ll also look at a few “pawn-related” rules that are basically nifu’s cousins. (more…)