Tai Shogi

Tai Shogi (泰将棋 tai shōgi or 無上泰将棋 mujō tai shōgi "grand chess", renamed from 無上大将棋 mujō dai shōgi "supreme chess" to avoid confusion with 大将棋 dai shōgi) is a large-board variant of Shogi (Japanese chess). The game dates to the 15th century and is based on earlier large board shogi games. Before the discovery of Taikyoku Shogi in 1997, Tai Shogi was believed to be the largest playable chess variant, if not board game, ever. One game may be played over several long sessions and require each player to make over a thousand moves. It was never a popular game; indeed, a single production of half a dozen game sets in the early 17th century was a notable event.

Like other large-board variants, but unlike standard Shogi, the game is played without drops, and uses a promotion-by-capture rule.

Tai Shogi is a gargantuan of a game both in terms of strategy and playing time. A serious game of Tai will require several long sessions to complete and may need over 1000 -moves per player. The game is simply too big to be played strategically, and therefore the game typically proceeds as a series of local skirmishes as both players try to develop their pieces and improve their position. Flat out rapid play will typically take at least three days (takes an hour or so to setup!).

While most of the 101 different pieces in Tai Shogi are also found in other variants, one unique feature of Tai is the presence right from the beginning of the game of the all powerful Emperors.

Tai Shogi is played on a board of 25 x 25 squares and each player has 177 pieces (including 25 pawns) ! A unique feature of Tai Shogi is the presence right from the start of the game of the all powerful Emperors. The Emperor has the greatest power of any piece in any of the Shogi variants as it may move in one turn to almost any square on the board, jumping over any number of pieces of either side in the process.

While you might think that the power of the Emperors would have a great impact on the course of the game, their powers tend to offset each other. It should be noted that any otherwise unprotected piece is always protected by its own Emperor.