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Comments by bukovski

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Nine elder (아홉 장로). Sittuyin + Shogi.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
bukovski wrote on Sun, Nov 1, 2020 09:13 PM UTC:

So no free arrangement of pieces behind the pawn line like sittuyin, only the possible transposition of cannon and van before the start of the game? I look forward to trying this variant.


Chu Shogi. Historic Japanese favorite, featuring a multi-capturing Lion. (12x12, Cells: 144) (Recognized!)[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
bukovski wrote on Tue, Jun 19, 2018 02:49 PM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★

@Dr Muller: You had mentioned that you had analyzed the D document of historic chu shogi problems in MSM, had reserved the results of your analysis, and had concluded that 18 were proven flawed.  I wonder if you had reached a conclusion about the 18 like one that Mr Hodges proposed about the D document generally, that necessary pieces possibly had been omitted or erroneous pieces introduced into the diagram to act as a security device against plagiarism.  I read your suggested corrections to problems in the other 3 collections; I do not ask you to divulge more than you want about D, only to ask if your research suggested that the flawed problems might be fixed by the removal, change, or addition of pieces to the diagram.  Kind regards!


Recognized Chess Variants. Index page listing the variants we feel are most significant. (Recognized!)[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
bukovski wrote on Thu, Apr 5, 2018 03:32 PM UTC:

@Fergus Duniho and @Greg Strong: Does your evaluation of Courier Chess include the 19th-century Kurierspiel described here on CVP?


Janggi - 장기 - Korean Chess. The variant of chess played in Korea. (9x10, Cells: 90) (Recognized!)[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
bukovski wrote on Tue, Jan 30, 2018 09:12 PM UTC:

I notice that the board has a river like xiangqi.  Would I be correct to think that janggi had this board feature in the past but developed a board without it, or is this another anachronism (or mistake)?  These are nice images that you posted, so thank you.


Hiashatar A game information page
. Mongolian Great Chess played on a 10x10 board with a pair of Bodyguard pieces per side.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Bukovski wrote on Mon, Nov 27, 2017 07:57 PM UTC:Good ★★★★

I have sampled a few games of hiashatar on an 8x10 board and have concluded that it results in much too constricted positions, even if pieces come into contact sooner and the balance of open squares and number of pieces matches chess.  I have seen hia chess on CVP and would like to know if others have experience of the hia on a smaller board and have evaluated its suitability for a board of fewer ranks.  I used to think hiashatar seemed too large, but now I am unsure.  I would welcome opinions or accounts of player experiences.


Chu Shogi. Historic Japanese favorite, featuring a multi-capturing Lion. (12x12, Cells: 144) (Recognized!)[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
bukovski wrote on Thu, Oct 12, 2017 04:03 PM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★

Dr Muller, you mention the bare king rule as used by the Nihon Chu Shogi Renmei, but I have to wonder if your computer analysis has revealed what pieces singly or in combination are sufficient to force or at least deliver checkmate on a bare king in chu shogi.


Most popular games[Subject Thread] [Add Response]
bukovski wrote on Thu, Jan 12, 2017 05:10 PM UTC:

Here is an oft-forgotten but enjoyable game that uses those same type of pieces as Capablanca chess plus an amazon: Gollon's "Turkish" Great Chess I.


Wa Shogi. Game with many different rather weak pieces, with or without drops. (11x11, Cells: 121) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
bukovski wrote on Mon, Jan 2, 2017 01:31 AM UTC:

Dr Muller, thank you for WinBoard wa shogi -- what a nice present for the new year!


Shatar, Old 1 Hia. Old Shatar with one Hia. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
bukovski wrote on Mon, Dec 19, 2016 12:16 AM UTC:

I always like your variants and find it interesting that you chose to improve on shatar.  I wonder if your experience has revealed whether this variant is more drawish with the use of the hia and the older shatar restrictions on delivering checkmate.  Do you think if one of the knights were to have the "enhanced" powers that Assia Popova described as appearing in the older shatar, that is, knight becomes an amazon after the first move, it would produce a balanced game affording more chances of checkmate?  I am assuming, of course, that my intuition about this variant being more drawish than shatar is true, but perhaps it is not.  I very much like your use of José Carrillo's modification to the hia power, which seems to create pleasing positional paradoxes.


Chu Shogi. Historic Japanese favorite, featuring a multi-capturing Lion. (12x12, Cells: 144) (Recognized!)[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
bukovski wrote on Sun, Aug 21, 2016 01:03 AM UTC:

Dr Muller, I read your very intriguing presentations of errata in the tsumechushogi problems from collections A, B, and C published in Middle Shogi Manual.  I have to wonder whether there are errata in collection D that your analysis has revealed and whether you would think such fine studies worthy to add to CVP.


Tai ShogiA game information page
. Very large Shogi variant.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
bukovski wrote on Tue, Jun 7, 2016 09:08 PM UTC:

If someone could afford it (or want it), today I saw for sale a set of wooden tai shogi pieces in Japan: http://www.tohsin.com/meihin/koma263-2.html

A bit dear for me at JPY 555,000.


Korean Chaturaji[Subject Thread] [Add Response]
bukovski wrote on Thu, Feb 25, 2016 01:14 PM UTC:
So as not to lose sight of the question what are the rules of the Korean
chaturaji variant in the Youtube video linked at the start of this comments
list, I reviewed the video and still am stymied evaluating differences of
pawn types and move, king "telepotency" to check an opposing king, and
range of the king within the reshaped fortress.  A playable variant is a
treat; a playable, four-player variant even more so.  Would any Korean
readers be aware of this game, its diffusion, its pedigree?  I notice that
the person who posted the video also has a few other multiplayer Korean
chess variants, all equally enigmatic for what the video presents and does
not, and all missing some evaluation of the question whether they are good,
playable chess variants.

Tenjiku Shogi. Fire Demons burn surrounding enemies, Generals capture jumping many pieces. (16x16, Cells: 256) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
bukovski wrote on Wed, Feb 10, 2016 09:43 PM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★
It was very good to include this variant among those described on CV pages.  Play-tested variants, even when complex like tenjiku shogi, are the most valuable offerings on the CV pages, in my opinion.

I look forward to Dr Muller's development of HaChu to play tenjiku shogi; that would be most welcome in the absence of human, over-the-board players.

Another CV page presenting Colin Adams's exemplar games, study of opening theory for tenjiku shogi, and arguments for understanding what the move of the Lion Hawk is or should be, would complement this fine presentation of rules of play.  It is perhaps too much to hope that he will read this comment and add such a contribution.

I have always valued commented game scores as an instructive resource for learning how to play a variant better.  I remember Dr Gralla and Mr Carrillo produced some fine games of makruk that appeared on CV pages; it would be wonderful if that were a regular part of new variants showcased here.

Hiashatar Photos. Photos of some hiashatar sets from Mongolia.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
bukovski wrote on Fri, Feb 5, 2016 11:50 PM UTC:
A propos the approaching lunar new year celebrations, do the "queens" of this set represent fire dog and tiger from the Mongolian zodiac?  If yes, are they alternates of the usual iconography to commemorate significant year(s) for the carver or owner, or is just that the red of the base has migrated to the whole lion dog to become more flashy?  Shatar and hiashatar's rich symbolism seem to integrate so well into the patterns of a game adopted in Mongolian culture in the middle ages.  The idea of the opposition of the players expressed in chromatic, thematic, and even cosmic detail is impressive.

bukovski wrote on Tue, Jan 26, 2016 12:54 AM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★
The added photos of a hiashatar set bring to mind a question for others who play this game: which version of the move for the hia do you prefer?  There are two mentioned on this site, one by Mr Kisliouk and the other by Mr Winther -- I much prefer Mr Winther's suggestion, even if it is not historical.  There is a third choice: Mr Cazaux has synthesized a set of observations from Mongolia into a move.

I wonder if the different iconographies of the piece -- advisor or warrior -- could match variations in the way the piece moves when Mongolians play the game.

Korean Chaturaji[Subject Thread] [Add Response]
bukovski wrote on Wed, Jan 20, 2016 11:57 PM UTC:
Dear Mr Frolov,

Does your comment refer to Mr Gilman's variant diagram or to the opening
position of the two Korean chess variants originally mentioned lower in
these comments?

I wonder if the large historical Korean chess variant is discussed in Dr
Banaschak's book?  Would any reader know?  I have not been able to get a
copy of this book, rergrettably.

bukovski wrote on Mon, Jan 18, 2016 11:57 PM UTC:
Are the generals in the Korean chaturaji confined to the four points of one
castle square only, and what is the significance of two different pawn
types -- direction?

The three different castles on each side of the Korean grand chess are
curious, too.  These would be nice games to have recorded authoritatively
on these pages!

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