Cannon Shogi
Cannon Shogi — starting position
https://engine.moddable.games/play/?game=shogi&variant=cannon-shogi
Cannon Shogi is a Shogi variant invented by Peter Michaelsen in February 1998. The starting setup is the same as standard Shogi with two modifications: the nine Pawns on rank 3 are replaced by five Soldiers (in the Janggi style), and four Cannons of different types are placed in rank 2 between the Bishop and Rook positions.
Setup
Board: Standard 9×9 grid.
Starting position:
| Rank | Contents |
|---|---|
| Rank 1 — Gote back | Lance · Knight · Silver · Gold · King · Gold · Silver · Knight · Lance |
| Rank 2 — Gote | Rook(b) · Copper Cannon© · Iron Cannon(d) · · Gold Cannon(f) · Silver Cannon(g) · Bishop(h) |
| Rank 3 — Gote Soldiers | Soldier(a) · · Soldier© · · Soldier(e) · · Soldier(g) · · Soldier(i) |
| Ranks 4–6 | Empty |
| Rank 7 — Sente Soldiers | Soldier(a) · · Soldier© · · Soldier(e) · · Soldier(g) · · Soldier(i) |
| Rank 8 — Sente | Bishop(b) · Silver Cannon© · Gold Cannon(d) · · Iron Cannon(f) · Copper Cannon(g) · Rook(h) |
| Rank 9 — Sente back | Lance · Knight · Silver · Gold · King · Gold · Silver · Knight · Lance |
Sente (Black) moves first.
SFEN: lnsgkgsnl/1rci1uab1/p1p1p1p1p/9/9/9/P1P1P1P1P/1BAU1ICR1/LNSGKGSNL[-] b - 1
(Cannon letter assignments: A/a = Silver Cannon, U/u = Gold Cannon, I/i = Iron Cannon, C/c = Copper Cannon. P/p here denotes Soldier, not Pawn. Standard pieces: B/b = Bishop, R/r = Rook, L/l = Lance, N/n = Knight, S/s = Silver General, G/g = Gold General, K/k = King.)
Pieces
Soldier (S/P): Moves and captures one square forward or sideways (left/right). Cannot move diagonally or backward. This is the Janggi Soldier movement. Drop rules from standard Shogi do not apply to Soldiers: two Soldiers may occupy the same file, Soldier-drop checkmate is legal, Soldiers may be dropped on the last rank. Soldiers promote to Tokin (Gold General movement) on reaching the promotion zone.
Gold Cannon (GC/U): Slides any number of squares orthogonally. To capture, must jump over exactly one intervening piece (the screen), landing on the target. Movement without capturing is free — no screen needed. This is the Xiangqi Cannon.
Silver Cannon (SC/A): Moves orthogonally, but both movement and capture require jumping over exactly one intervening piece. It cannot slide to an empty square without a screen; it always jumps. Note: unlike in Janggi, Silver Cannons may jump over and capture other Cannons. This is the Janggi Cannon.
Copper Cannon (CC/C): Diagonal version of the Gold Cannon. Slides any number of squares diagonally. To capture, must jump over exactly one piece on the diagonal. Movement without capturing is free.
Iron Cannon (IC/I): Diagonal version of the Silver Cannon. Both movement and capture require jumping over exactly one piece diagonally. Cannot move diagonally to an empty square without a screen.
All four Cannons promote to Flying versions in the promotion zone:
| Base | Promoted | Added movement |
|---|---|---|
| Gold Cannon | Flying Gold Cannon | Also: Gold Cannon + Silver Cannon powers combined orthogonally; one step diagonally, jumping over any adjacent diagonal piece |
| Silver Cannon | Flying Silver Cannon | Same as Flying Gold Cannon |
| Copper Cannon | Flying Copper Cannon | Copper + Iron Cannon combined diagonally; one step orthogonally, jumping over any adjacent orthogonal piece |
| Iron Cannon | Flying Iron Cannon | Same as Flying Copper Cannon |
Rules
All standard Shogi rules apply except as noted. Drops, the standard promotion zone (ranks 7–9 for Sente), and all other mechanics are unchanged. Soldiers replace Pawns for drop purposes: apply the Nifu and related rules to Soldiers as you would to Pawns in standard Shogi, except the special Soldier relaxations noted above.
Win Conditions
Checkmate the opponent’s King. Stalemate is a loss for the player who cannot move.
Attribution
Cannon Shogi was invented by Peter Michaelsen (February 1998). Public domain. Rules documented from pychess.org/variants/cannonshogi.