Talk:Heian dai shogi

Promotion rule

Considering the fact that we now have very strong evidence that the promotion rule of Chu Shogi allowed only promotion on entry for non-captures, wouldn't it be very unlikely that the promotion rules for Heian Dai are actually as they are stated here? Heian Dai very much predates Chu Shogi, and non-capture promotion on moves within or leaving the zone seem to be a modern invention, necessitated (or at least made desirable) by the possibility of drops into the zone (and forbidding promotion on such drops themselves). If the distinction capture/non-capture is a refinement introduced in Chu Shogi, it seems to me that the unrefined rule from which this came is much more likely to have been promotion on entry only (for both capture and non-capture).H.G.Muller (talk) 13:53, 20 December 2015 (UTC)

The problem is that the rules for this old variant appear to not have survived completely, and I don't think any reliable source has given a reconstruction of the rules for promotion. Thus it seems difficult to make any convincing conjectures on the promotion rule, much less include them on Wikipedia due to WP:OR. Double sharp (talk) 14:50, 20 December 2015 (UTC)

...nevertheless, given that this article itself describes the moves as reconstructed, I've edited it to match your good argument. Double sharp (talk) 16:24, 6 February 2016 (UTC)

TSA rules

Note that the description here is completely different from that given by George Hodges' TSA. I don't know what the source of these rules is, but they are identical to those in the Japanese Wikipedia. The TSA rules have the Copper, Iron and Side Mover as all later Shogi variants. It could be that this was just due to lack of thoroughness or imagination of the TSA. OTOH, it is quite unusual that pieces with the same name move differently (except in Taikyoku, but the rules we have for that are highly suspect, and likely fabricated in recent times). I never looked much at Heian Dai Shogi much before, because I had read it was not a good game. But the pieces presented here as Copper and Iron occur in later variants,and in aprticular in Dai Shogi as Angry Boar and Evil Wolf. If Dai evolved from Heian Dai, why would they have changed the names? And there is no logic in calling these pieces 'generals'. The naming Gold, Silver, Copper, Iron suggests a regular sequence of progressively weaker pieces as the value of the mentioned treasure deminishes. The conventional moves of this pieces satisfy this, and are in fact so obvious that it is very hard to believe anyone would ever pick another move for pieces with those names. It looks all very wrong. H.G.Muller (talk) 10:10, 4 May 2016 (UTC)

@H.G.Muller: The Nichūreki gives:

又大将棊十三間云

玉将各住一方中 金将在脇 銀将在金之次 次有銀将 次有銅将 次有鐵将 次有香車 銅将不行四隅 鐵将不行後三方 又横行在王之頂方行前一歩左右不云多少 又有猛虎在銀之頂行四角一歩 飛龍在桂馬之上行四隅超越 奔車在香車之頂行前後不云多少 注人在中心歩兵之頂行前後 如是一方如此行方准之

The relevant bits read: "the Copper General does not go to the four diagonals; the Iron General does not go to the three backwards squares; the Side Mover, in front of the King, goes one square forward and unlimited squares to the left and right; the Fierce Tiger, in front of the Silver General, goes one square in the four diagonals; the Flying Dragon, in front of the Knight, goes unlimited squares in the four diagonals; the Free Chariot, in front of the Lance, goes unlimited squares forwards and backwards; the Go-between, in front of the middle Pawn, goes one square forwards or backwards." So all of this seems to support our article instead of TSA. Double sharp (talk) 07:04, 15 August 2017 (UTC)

Indeed, this text mostly seems to support the article (and is probably the only source for the rules of this game). I have one serious doubt on its interpretation, though: to describe the move of the Flying Dragon orther canji are used as to describe the sliding move of the Side Mover and the Free Chariot. (Google translates them as "and transcends".) This made me suspect the FD did not have a regular unlimited ranging move. H.G.Muller (talk) 07:48, 26 August 2017 (UTC)

@H.G.Muller: Perhaps the meaning of 超越 intended is "fly over" or "pass over", which makes more sense in context than "and transcends". Your argument is a good one and I agree with it, but I am not sure what it might mean either; perhaps it jumps over pieces like the bishop general from Tenjiku? (But that would seem rather out of place with all these weak pieces, and would demand serious revisions in our concept of the history of development of the shogi variants.) I am also slightly suspicious about its promotion; this would be the only case where a piece promotes and does not gain a new name. Double sharp (talk) 15:25, 26 August 2017 (UTC)

does flying dragon promote to king+bishop?

Japanese source says flying dragon promotes to gold just like all the other pieces. SmartAlice (talk) 07:45, 29 July 2021 (UTC)