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RULES OF THE GAME Objective The objective of the game is to capture your opponent's phoenix. Game equipment Two players, Black and White (or 先手 ''sente'' and 後手 ''gote),'' play on a board ruled into a grid of 7 ''ranks'' (rows) by 7 ''files'' (columns). The squares are undifferentiated by marking or color. Each player has a set of 16 wedge-shaped pieces, of slightly different sizes. From largest to smallest (or most to least powerful) they are:
In line with the bird theme, each piece is named after a different kind of bird. Each piece has its name in the form of a Kanji written on its face. On the reverse side of some pieces is another character, often in a different color (commonly red instead of black) and are usually cursive; this reverse side is turned up to indicate that the piece has been promoted during play. The pieces of the two sides do not differ in color, but instead each piece is shaped like a wedge, and faces forward, toward the opposing side. This shows who controls the piece during play. Table of pieces Listed here are the pieces of the game in English and Japanese:
Setup Below is a diagram showing the setup of the pieces. Black pieces are in bold face and move first: Game play The players alternate making a move, with Black moving first. (The traditional terms 'black' and 'white' are used to differentiate the sides during discussion of the game, but are no longer literally descriptive.) A move consists of moving a single piece on the board and potentially ''promoting'' that piece, displacing ''(capturing)'' an opposing piece or ''dropping'' a captured piece onto an empty square of the board. Each of these options is detailed below. Movement and capture An opposing piece is captured by ''displacement:'' That is, if a piece moves to a square occupied by an opposing piece, the opposing piece is displaced and removed from the board. A piece cannot move to a square occupied by a friendly piece (meaning another piece controlled by the moving player). Each piece on the game moves in a characteristic pattern. Pieces move either ''orthogonally'' (that is, forward, backward, left, or right, in the direction of one of the arms of a plus sign, +), or ''diagonally'' (in the direction of one of the arms of a multiplication sign, '''×'''). Many pieces are capable of several kinds of movement, with the type of movement most often depending on the direction in which they move. The movement categories are: Step movers Some pieces move only one square at a time. (If a friendly piece occupies an adjacent square, the moving piece may not move in that direction; if an opposing piece is there, it may be displaced and captured.) The step movers are the phoenix, falcon, crane, and the 8 swallows on each side. Limited ranging piece The eagle can move along a limited number (2) of free (empty) squares along a straight line in certain directions. Other than the limited distance, it moves like ranging pieces (see below). Jumping pieces The pheasant and goose can ''jump,'' that is, they can pass over any intervening piece, whether friend or foe, with no effect on either. Ranging pieces The quail and eagle can move any number of empty squares along a straight line, limited only by the edge of the board. If an opposing piece intervenes, it may be captured by moving to that square and removing it from the board. A ranging piece must stop where it captures, and cannot bypass a piece that is in its way. If a friendly piece intervenes, the moving piece is limited to a distance that stops short of the intervening piece; if the friendly piece is adjacent, it cannot move in that direction at all. Promotion A player's ''promotion zone'' consists of the two farthest ranks, at the original line of the opponent's falcon and beyond. If a piece ''crosses'' the board within the promotion zone, including moves into, out of, or wholly within the zone, but ''not'' including drops (see below), then that player must ''promote'' the piece at the end of the turn. Promotion is effected by turning the piece over after it moves, revealing the name of its promoted rank. Promoting a piece has the effect of changing how that piece moves until it is removed from the board (see above). Each piece promotes as follows:
When captured, pieces lose their promoted status. Individual pieces Below are diagrams indicating each piece's movement. Pieces with a grey heading start out in the game; those with a blue heading only appear on the board after promotion.
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