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This page is written by the game's inventor, Argon Teuhai.

semisho

Semisho is a shogi-influenced chess variant.

Setup

diagram

Pieces

In order from left to right in the starting setup, the pieces are:

Lance - the Lance moves forwards and only forwards like a Rook. It can promote to a Gold General after reaching the Promotion Zone (the last three ranks on the opposite side of where it started), and it must promote if it gets all the way to the end.

Foreknight - the Foreknight moves forward with two of the forward moves of a Knight. It can promote to a Gold General after reaching the Promotion Zone (the three last ranks on the opposite side of where it started), and it must promote if it gets all the way to the end.

Silver General - the Silver General moves like a Ferz plus Forward Wazir compound. It can promote to a Gold General after reaching the Promotion Zone (the three last ranks on the opposite side of where it started), but it is not required to promote if it gets all the way to the end.

Gold General - the Gold General moves like a Wazir plus Forward Ferz compound.

King - moves as Orthochess King. It does not promote.

Bishop - moves as Orthochess Bishop. It can promote if it gets to the Promotion Zone to a Dragon Horse, which moves like a Bishop + Wazir.

Knight - moves as Orthochess Knight. It does not promote.

The Rook moves as an Orthochess Rook. It can promote to a Dragon King while in the Promotion Zone, which moves like a Rook + Ferz.

Rules

Pieces promote while inside the Promotion Zone (the three last ranks on the opposite side of where it started). Pawns can promote to a Rook, a Bishop, a Knight, a Dragon King, a Dragon Horse, a Silver General, or a Gold General, while inside the Promotion Zone. This helps to make up for the lack of the power that the queenside pieces had. The Lance cannot castle. Pawns attack and move the same way that they do in Orthochess.

This 'user submitted' page is a collaboration between the posting user and the Chess Variant Pages. Registered contributors to the Chess Variant Pages have the ability to post their own works, subject to review and editing by the Chess Variant Pages Editorial Staff.

By Argon Teuhai.

Last revised by Ben Reiniger.


Web page created: 2022-12-03. Web page last updated: 2023-02-26