Sannin shogi
Sannin shogi
Sannin shogi is a three-person shogi variant invented by Tanigasaki Jisuke around 1930. The game is played on a hexagonal board with 127 cells. The board is thought to have originally been in the shape of an equilateral triangle bordered by three rectangles which contained the players’ home territories and promotion zones. However, in terms of movement, this was equivalent to a hexagon, and the modern form of sannin shogi is played on a hexagonal board, rather like the central portion of a Chinese checkers board.
Why is Sannin shogi Popular?
Sannin shogi is a unique and challenging game that involves three players attempting to gridlock their opponents into a state of checkmate. The game is significant because it is a variant of shogi, which is a popular family of chess variants native to Japan. Sannin shogi is also unique because it has two of the three players form an alliance against the third.
Game Components of Sannin shogi
Hexagonal board with 127 cells. Pieces: Each player has 21 pieces, including a king, two gold generals, two silver generals, two knights, two lances, two pawns, and ten other pieces.
Game Setup of Sannin shogi
The three players occupy non-adjacent sides of the board. Each player’s pieces are arranged in a specific formation at the beginning of the game.
Gameplay Mechanics of Sannin shogi
Because each cell of a sannin shogi board is a hexagon rather than a rectangle as in other shogi variants, the pieces move differently. Instead of four faces with adjacent squares and four corners, for eight directions total, there are six each for a total of twelve. There are three ways to win sannin shogi:
– If each player plays independently, the player remaining after the other two have been mated is the winner.
– If there is an alliance, then the non-allied player wins by mating either opposing player, and the game ends. That is, a player whose ally loses, loses as well. However, if the non-allied player is mated, the alliance is dissolved, and the two erstwhile allies continue the game between them.
– If the game is drawn, the player who made the last move loses.
Game Objective of Sannin shogi
The objective of the game is to checkmate the opponent’s king.
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