Learn to play Shogi #1: Kings and Pawns

[@nosami5268]

Asia is strange. 😂 In Japan all pieces have the same color. But the player, that has the first move is called black, because in Go the player with the black stones makes the first move. Although Go (Weichi) was invented by the Chinese they kept the rule, that in Chinese Chess (Hsiangchi) the first move belongs to White. 😮 Fortunately in Chinese Chess the pieces have different colors (additionally: with the exception of Knights, Rooks and Cannons, they ALL have DIFFERENT names in Kanji, not only the Kings, depending from their COLOR 😵). By the way, the "black" pieces are usually black, and the "white" pieces are usually RED. 😊🙋🏻‍♂️ Greetings from Munich, Germany.

[@thecalendarninja]

You explained everything super well, i just really don't want people learning to place their boards sideways like this, it would be a bad habit, with all due respect I don't mean to insult. I'm not suggesting that all Shogi boards that fold need to be placed vertically, my magnetic set does go horizontally like this, however, this particular board style has the fold going vertically, which i don't like.

[@JimsChessChannel]

Yes, sorry I put the board in the wrong orientation. I didn't learn that the fold went vertically in this set until much later.

[@wait4tues]

I dont understand. The board is perfectly symmetrical in every cardinal direction. How is there a right and wrong way to orient it?

[@Axiom12543]

@@wait4tues All the little "squares" are actually not perfect squares if you look closely. This is because Shogi pieces are longer than they are wide, meaning the board has to be oriented so that the pieces are adjacent to the longer side of the squares.

[@yeetyyeets4751]

Thanks where did you get the board?

[@JimsChessChannel]

I did an unboxing video for this set here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4K9qYxsbcp3jrc and in the description of that video is a pointer to where I got the set on Amazon.

[@davidmckeever7056]

Can you drop a pawn into a promotion square and then promote it immediately?

[@JimsChessChannel]

No, the pawn can only promote as it moves from one square to another, not on a drop.

[@davidmckeever7056]

@@JimsChessChannel Thanks. I'm just beginning to play Shogi so the drop rule is very new to me. Thanks for this series of videos. It's been very helpful.

[@ParkourMarkskilz]

@@JimsChessChannel how do u know were u can drop a pawn?

[@JimsChessChannel]

@@ParkourMarkskilz You can drop a pawn only on a file where you don't already have a pawn. It can be dropped on any open square on that file, except the last square. There is one special rule where you aren't allowed to checkmate with a pawn drop.

[@ParkourMarkskilz]

@@JimsChessChannel oh thx! 😄

[@thecalendarninja]

It looks a bit awkward like that, no offense (the board). It's supposed to be offset 90°. That horizontal line where the board folds in half should be running vertical instead, because the squares are actually rectangular and the board is meant to be a bit elongated vertically, not horizontally. Notice how the pieces, especially the King is not fitting well with the board set up wrong. The depth perception is not perceived correctly unless you adjust the board correctly. I know it seems ok, as in most chess games the fold goes horizontally, but, in Shogi doing this looks awkward, only because the board is meant to be longer vertically, not horizontally, just as the pieces are longer vertically rather than horizontally. Also, if you take a look at the grain in the wood, you can see how it's meant to go vertically, not horizontally.