takodori
*Interested in thinking of similarities and differences between chess and Shogi(Japanese chess) through playing both games. * Similarities -Checkmate is the ultimate object. -Up in material is important. -Three phases such as Opening, Middlegame and Endgame exist. *Differences -Shogi board has more squares like 9x9. -Shogi pieces are eight kinds while chessmen are six sorts. -Shogi pieces are 40 in total while chessmen are 32. -Shogi has "drop" rule. It makes the number of pieces to be used will be unchanged from the start to the end of a game, while chessmen will go away gradually as a match goes by. *Draw rate is significantly lower in shogi, even between top players. *Castling takes longer moves and its patterns are richer in shogi. *Tactical sacrifices occur more often in shogi. It's usual more than a few sacrifices happen in a game. * No stalemate in shogi. * May have a chance to play a shogi game in the following places; http://81dojo.com/ http://littlegolem.net/ I play there under the name of takodori which is the same as one here.