Shogi prospect

[eachess]

You'll find hereafter photos of a new bicolor Chessmen Set prototype made by me (E.Baud), for a "Westernized" Chessmen-Shogi adaptation, named "Eurasia-Chess Shogi".





All pieces are bicolor, enabling the change of owner when captured, then dropped again on chessboard.
- I could have used no colors, as it's the way in normal Shogi sets, but players using chessmen are used to see one color per player,
and colors make it more easy to differentiate opponent's pieces from ours -
Then, each player see himself black, and white for the opponnent. The way to differentiate each camp is the color of King cross (Red/Blue).

Such pieces can also be used for European Chess : There's no trouble playing with such pieces, unless you watch them "side-way".
An other adaptation has been done on this Set, enabling piece promotion with magnetized bases.



This set can be a good way to promote Shogi onto existing "European-Chess" Western population, already used to such figurine chessmen.
Similarities between Shogi and European Chess are therefore underlined.
There's no need to learn all Shogi Kanji (Japanese characters), which is - on my point of view - one blocking point on Shogi popularisation for Western players.
Once a player has dicovered Shogi wih such pieces, if he gained enough interest he'll switch easily towards regular Shogi pieces.

Game is currently on playtests with Shogi players, and players from Chess origins.
It is to be pointed out that it's quite easy to learn&discover&teach Shogi with such pieces.

You'll find more info on http://www.eurasia-chess.com

Your comments are welcome ;)

[kasperovich]

It's very interesting and unusial project to unite in one set two different games. What's for me I prefer to play shogi using shogi set, and to play chess using chess set. I came to shogi from chess and had no problems to remember the pieces with characters. I consider characters as pictures. You can see picture one, two, three or more times and you remeber it. If chessplayer want to play shogi hi can do it using shogi set. The other question how to interest chessplayers in playing shogi.
The next, if people begin to play using bicolour chess-shogi sets how they will to play against players used origin shogi sets? Who have to change the habit? There are a lot of plaeyrs in Europe and America (Japan of course) using shogi stes with characters and they will not play on bicolour sets, I think.

[kasperovich]

Also it was created poll Can Westernized sets help in shogi promotion among Western players?

[eachess]

In fact, this piece set is not for replacing traditional one.
It has to be seen as a promotion tool. It's mainly to attract people from chess origin, with a game that seem similar to what they know. For sure, for Western people, the first step to discover Shogi is easier with chessmen pieces than with traditional pieces.
Then, if enough interest is rose (rise?), the switching to traditional Shogi Set is needed, and have to occur.

[kasperovich]

When and where the tests with bicoloured sets will be held? Who will participate in this tests? It is quite interesting. And it will be very interesting to know the common results of tests and opinion of players participated in tests.

[eachess]

[takodori]

I'm wondering how the piece get promoted.

[eachess]

Hello,

[bakashogi]

I can confirm that we are doing some tests in France with this new "shogi" set.
Depending on the people we are initiating, the result does vary.
If I try to make discover the game to a chess player or to someone who likes games in general, this version is appreciated as they don't have to take care of the Kanjis. Less interesting is that these people are quickly thinking that Shogi is a "new variant" of the chess game and not a traditional japanese game. But it doesn't really matter in most of cases as the first goal is to get them "on board".
On the contrary, if I try to initiate people coming from the "japanese addiction" world (I mean by that fans of mangas / animes, amateurs of japanese culture...), then this game is clearly NOT an advantage at all. The first comment you very quickly get is: "but why don't you use the japanese shogi pieces?"... :roll:
So my conclusion at this step is that this game may have a commercial success with chess players and games amateurs. Nevertheless I would advise shogi clubs to use them only when they are initiating this kind of people.
We'll do some test again in end of May / beg of June as we have some appropriates events for that and maybe in Paris in July during the Japan Expo (big fare for Otakus & co). I'll give you some feedbacks if there's something new.
Fabien

[kasperovich]

It's interesting to know the results of tests of bicoloured sets. Are this tests finished?

[bakashogi]

[eachess]