Shinobi Chess+
Shinobi+ — starting position
https://engine.moddable.games/play/?game=chess&variant=shinobiplus
Shinobi Chess+ (Shinobi+) is the rebalanced edition of Shinobi Chess, designed by Couch Tomato (2021). NNUE engine analysis revealed the Clan had a significant advantage in the base game, so Shinobi+ redistributes the Clan’s starting pieces and adds a new Fox piece. The Clan now moves first.
See also: Shinobi Chess — the base game.
The Two Armies
Kingdom (Black): Standard FIDE army — King, Queen, 2 Rooks, 2 Bishops, 2 Knights, 8 Pawns. Kingdom Pawns promote on reaching rank 6 of the board (earlier than standard chess rank 8).
Clan (White/Pink, moves first): Shogi-inspired army with most pieces starting in hand.
Starting Position
Kingdom (Black) on board: Standard FIDE setup on ranks 7–8.
Clan (White/Pink) on board:
- Kage (K) — royal piece, moves as King — starts at e1
- 8 Clan Pawns — on rank 2 (a2–h2)
Clan hand (available for drops from move 1):
- 1 Ninja (J) — Archbishop (Bishop+Knight)
- 1 Dragon (D) — Dragon King (Rook+King)
- 1 Fox (F) — Dragon Horse (Bishop+King) — new piece in Shinobi+
- 1 Captain © — King movement, non-royal
- 1 Lance (L) — forward-only slider
- 1 Wooden Horse (H) — forward-only Knight
- 1 Monk (M) — Ferz (one square diagonally)
FEN: rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/4K3[JDFCLHM] w kq - 0 1
(Uppercase = Clan/White. [JDFCLHM] = Clan hand: Ninja, Dragon, Fox, Captain, Lance, Wooden Horse, Monk. w = Clan moves first. kq = Kingdom castling rights.)
Key Differences from Base Shinobi
| Feature | Shinobi | Shinobi+ |
|---|---|---|
| First mover | Kingdom | Clan |
| Clan starting layout | More on board | Most in hand |
| Clan promotion ranks | 6–8 | 7–8 |
| Kingdom pawn promotion | Rank 8 | Rank 6 |
| Fox piece | No | Yes |
| Perpetual check | Draw | Loss for checker |
Clan Pieces
Kage (K): Moves as King. Royal piece. Wins via campmate (reach rank 8 safely).
Pawn (P): Moves as a standard chess Pawn. Promotes to Captain on reaching rank 7 or 8.
Ninja (J): Moves as Bishop or Knight (Archbishop). Does not promote.
Dragon (D): Moves as Rook or King (Dragon King). Does not promote.
Fox (F): Moves as Bishop or King (Dragon Horse). Does not promote. New in Shinobi+.
Captain ©: Moves as King, non-royal. Does not promote.
Lance (L): Slides any number of squares forward. Promotes to Knight on reaching ranks 7–8.
Wooden Horse (H): Jumps forward and sideways like a Knight, but only the two forward-moving Knight destinations. Promotes to Knight on reaching ranks 7–8.
Monk (M): Moves one square diagonally (Ferz). Promotes to Bishop on reaching ranks 7–8.
Drop Rules
Clan pieces drop on the Clan’s own half of the board (ranks 1–4) only. No piece may be dropped on a square that places the dropping player’s own royal piece in check. Standard restrictions apply: Pawns cannot be dropped on rank 1 (no forward move), Lances cannot be dropped on rank 1, Wooden Horses cannot be dropped on ranks 1–2.
General Rules
- Clan moves first.
- Campmate: moving your Kage or King to the opponent’s last rank without landing in check wins.
- Stalemate: loss for the player who cannot move.
- Perpetual check (same position checked 4 times) is a loss for the checker.
- Non-check repetition is a draw.
- Clan cannot castle.
Attribution
Shinobi Chess+ was designed by Couch Tomato (2021). Rules documented from pychess.org/variants/shinobiplus.