Wa Shogi
Historical Japanese Shogi variant on an 11×11 board. Played both with and without drops in modern practice.
Overview
Wa Shogi — starting position
https://engine.moddable.games/play/?game=shogi&variant=wa-shogi
Wa Shogi uses an 11×11 board. All pieces except the Pawns are of unique types, and they are generally weaker than Shogi pieces, making the game well-suited to drops. Historical rules make no mention of drops, however, so the game is today played in two forms: with or without drops.
Win condition: Capture the opponent’s Crane King. No check restriction.
Starting Setup
Pieces are listed by file (a–k from left to right, White’s perspective) and rank.
Rank 1 (back rank)
| File | Piece | Movement (Betza) |
|---|---|---|
| a1 | Oxcart | fR (forward Rook slide) |
| b1 | Blind Dog | fFbsW (fwd diagonal; back/side step) |
| c1 | Strutting Crow | fWbF (fwd step; bwd diagonal) |
| d1 | Flying Goose | fFvW (fwd diagonal; vert. step) |
| e1 | Violent Wolf | WfF (orthogonal step; fwd diagonal) |
| f1 | Crane King (royal) | K (one step any direction) |
| g1 | Violent Stag | FfW (diagonal; fwd orthogonal) |
| h1 | Flying Cock | fFsW (fwd diagonal; side step) |
| i1 | Swooping Owl | fWbF (fwd step; bwd diagonal) |
| j1 | Climbing Monkey | fFvW (fwd diagonal; vert. step) |
| k1 | Liberated Horse | fRbW2 (fwd Rook slide; 2-sq bwd step) |
Rank 2
| Square | Piece | Movement (Betza) |
|---|---|---|
| b2 | Flying Falcon | BfW (diagonal slide; fwd step) |
| f2 | Swallow’s Wings | sRvW (side Rook slide; vert. step) |
| j2 | Cloud Eagle | vRsWfF3bF (vert. Rook; side step; 3-sq fwd diag; bwd diag step) |
Ranks 3–4 (Pawns and special pieces)
| Square | Piece | Movement |
|---|---|---|
| a3, b3, c3, e3, f3, g3, i3, j3, k3 | Sparrow Pawn | fW (fwd step) |
| d3 | Treacherous Fox | FAvWvD (diag step; Alfil; vert. step; Dabbaba) |
| h3 | Running Rabbit | FfRbW (diag step; fwd Rook; bwd step) |
| d4, h4 | Sparrow Pawn | fW (fwd step) |
Total: 23 pieces per side (1 King, 2 special, 9 back-rank, 3 rank-2, 8 pawns).
Promotion
The promotion zone is the last 3 ranks (ranks 9–11 for White). Promotion is optional at the end of a turn when the move starts or ends in the zone. Each piece has a fixed promoted form:
| Piece | Promotes To | Promoted Movement |
|---|---|---|
| Sparrow Pawn | Golden Bird | WfF |
| Running Rabbit | Treacherous Fox | FAvWvD |
| Flying Falcon | Tenacious Falcon | BvRsW |
| Swallow’s Wings | Gliding Swallow | R (Rook) |
| Violent Wolf | Bear’s Eyes | K |
| Violent Stag | Roaming Boar | FfsW |
| Flying Goose | Swallow’s Wings | sRvW |
| Climbing Monkey | Violent Stag | FfW |
| Blind Dog | Violent Wolf | WfF |
| Flying Cock | Raiding Falcon | vRfFsW |
| Liberated Horse | Heavenly Horse | vN (vertical Knight) |
| Oxcart | Plodding Ox | K |
| Strutting Crow | Flying Falcon | BfW |
| Swooping Owl | Cloud Eagle | vRsWfF3bF |
Non-promoting: Treacherous Fox, Cloud Eagle, Crane King.
Note: Swooping Owl and Strutting Crow move identically (fWbF) but promote differently. Flying Goose and Climbing Monkey also move identically (fFvW) but promote differently.
Rules
Repetition: If the same position with the same player to move occurs a 4th time, the game is a draw. Exception: if one side has been delivering check on every move, that side loses.
Impasse (drops only): If both Crane Kings reach their respective promotion zones, the game is drawn.
Drops: When played with drops, captured pieces revert to their unpromoted form and cannot be promoted immediately upon being dropped, even when dropped inside the promotion zone.
Source: chessvariants.com/rules/wa-shogi (H.G. Muller)