Takodori's Entrance to Shogi World

A new iPhone shogi application appeared - iShogi Salon

I found an announcement of a new iPhone shogi application called iShogi Salon.

• App Shopper: iShogi Salon (Games)

Features:
•High playability and superior 3D graphics
•Legal move highlights
•3 levels of difficulties in single player mode
•Play “head-to-head” via Bluetooth
•Challenge to University Tokyo Game Programming Seminar's GPS Shogi (the winner of 2009 World Computer Shogi Championship) in the Shogi salon (Network/3G connection required)
***GPS Shogi is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License. DreamOnline runs Tokyo Game Programming Seminar's original GPS Shogi at our own risk.
•Choose from Japanese or Chess piece set
•Save/Load options
•Access to saved game history
•Board rotation
•Tutorial and technical support from DreamOnline’s homepage


Language:

Japanese, English

After I uploaded the above, I found the developer's page on this in English. Here is the link.

• iShogiSalon for iPhone/iPod touch

Welcome to iShogi Salon!
iShogi Salon is the revolutionary 3D Japanese chess iPhone/iPod Touch app on the DreamOnline’s original product series.

Shogi is one of the variants of Chess native to Japan. Many strong Chess players have found Shogi to be a great game to play because of its distinctive “drop” rule, which is captured pieces could be returned to the board to be used as one’s own.

You already know it’s fun to play a game on your device but you can multiply the fun when you play with your friends over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

Please click the link above if you are more interested in it.

Updates - Discussion about a new online playing website at 81-Square Universe

The discussion is here. The things seems to proceed very quickly. This is HIDETCHI's summary.

OK.
I started this topic not only because I'm seriously thinking about the necessity of a new playing website, but also because I wanted to know if there are anyone elses who can get serious about launching 81SU online game system.
And although I'm not yet too confident we're all pretty serious about it, I think I'd present some plan of how we can actually proceed it, since I see many people at least interested in this project.

My idea is, "why don't we split the work?". I think maybe it can be split into:

A: Graphical user interface of the game table. (plus its working algorithm for such as piece movement, timer action, etc.)
B: Graphical user interface of the waiting room. (how we show the name list and table list, etc.)
C: Network system (building communicating protocols, sever storage and security system for individual data, etc.)
D: Give opinions, requests, ideas, anything to the persons in charge of A to C.

One can do more than two at the same time if he'd like to, of course.
On the other hand, each of these could also be split into even smaller works.

I see there have already been many good suggestions so far.
But the most important thing, I believe, is that we get to have the new system RUNNING as soon as we can. So, I think we should give it a go as soon as the minimal required features are built.
We can think about adding other attractive features (such as "teaching mode" and "my page" some of you suggested) later, because once we get it running, hopefully more people get interested in improving the website, which means we get more people to help us.
(In order to improve it and add new features to it later, the program must be such that it's configurable, just as shogi4fun suggests)

What I'm worrying is if we need to expand the disk space, it would cost hirohiigo some additional payment. I think I should share part of the cost (as I'm the one who brought it up ), and hopefully, if we get more people playing at 81SU, hirohiigo could recover the cost by implementing advertising section or something.

And a Japanese programmer is taking part in this project.

Hi,all.
I'm a Japanese shogi loving programmer.
And I guess i can make some contribution to actually building up a online shogi-playing site.

I have work experiense in ruby,PHP,Flash(Flex) and java, and I'm currently thinking of making the server side with ruby, and the client with Flex.

Also, I'm thinking of developing the program in open source style. Maybe using an open repository on git-hub.

I believe I can release the first proto type with minimal features in one or two months.

How do you guys think of my plan?
Any suggestions, especially on the chice of programming languge ,are welcome.

Kota Fujiwara a.k.a Koudayu

And hirohiigo who is a co-founder of 81-square universe made a mock-up image of the new shogi playing website linked below;

• 81suclientdemo.png

Updates of Worldshogi.com

Wordlshogi.com released the following contents regarding The Third Shogi World Championship.

1. The Third Shogi World Championship Result | worldshogi.com

2. Pro/Amateur Match Result | worldshogi.com

3. A Class Match Result | worldshogi.com

4. Consolation Match Result | worldshogi.com

5. B Class Match Result | worldshogi.com

6. C Class Match Result | worldshogi.com

7. B - C Classification Match Result | worldshogi.com

8. Classification Match Result | worldshogi.com

Discussion about a new online playing website started at 81-Square Universe

Discussion about a new online playing website started at 81-Square Universe.  It's kicked out by Hidetchi.  For reading and/or participating in the duscussion,  please click the link below, I'm quoting Hidetchi's first post here.

• The 81-Square Universe • View topic - New online playing website

I think I remember hirohiigo mentioned that 81SU wants to have its own online playing website sometime in the future.

Actually, I even thought about studying java and program it myself. But I think it's too hard work for me.
I wish we could recruit someone who is good at web programing and is interested in shogi popularization.

Anyway, I've just made a rough idea of how a new program should be. Hope you get interested.

Attachment:

Draft.png [ 114.22 KiB | Viewed 83 times ]

Today is the day for the game of 3rd Mynavi Joshi Open between Iwane Shinobu(Joryu 2-dan) and Ueda Hatsumi(Joryu 2 dan).  As a result of Furigoma, Iwane became Sente.  It started at 10:00 am in Japan. The allotted thinking time per player is 3 hours and each player will have to make every move within 60 seconds(Ippun Shogi) after consuming it. Here are the links to the live boards.

Kifu for Flash
Kifu for Java

The official blog of 3rd Mynavi Joshi Open(In Japanese) which is uploading many photos is here.

The winner of 3rd Shogi World Championship is Paul Ogi

According to Larry Kaufman's post to shogi-l, the winner of 3rd Shogi World Championship which was held on November 13 through 15  in New York  is Paul Ogi.

• World Amateur Shogi Championship - SHOGI-L | Google Groups

The convincing winner was 24 year old Paul Ogi. He lives in Japan but holds US citizenship; his father is Japanese but his mother is American. He recently finished in the top eight in the Japanese Amateur Meijin tournament, holds a 2600 (6 Dan) Shogi Club 24 rating, and has a 1-1 score in formal games with pros. It is quite amazing to me that no one in the west seemed to be aware that a U.S. citizen had reached the level of the very top of the Amateur world in Japan

If you are further interested, please read the whole story by clicking the link above.

(Addition)

I found his profile in Japanese and photo in the website of the joint association of branches of JSA in Saitama prefecture.

小木ポール四段

5th(final) game of 20th Joryu Oui-sen best of five match

Today is the day for the 5th game of 20th Joryu Oui-sen best of five match between Joryu Oui Ishibashi Sachio and Challenger Joryu Meijin & Osho Shimizu Ichiyo. The score is tied 2-2 before the game.  The game started at 9:00am at Hotel Clement Tokushima in Tokushima prefecture.　Ishibashi  is Sente player for this game. You can watch and replay the game through the links below;

Official page in Japanese
Virtual Board

And frequently updating photos(almost a live) are available to look at.

The playing room(right=Ishibashi)
The board and piece stands from the ceiling

The allotted thinking time per player is 4 hours and each player will have make a move less than 60 seconds per move after consuming it.

Handmade Pokémon Shogi

I found a Japanese blog about a handmade Pokémon Shogi for his children with a good picture. It's Pokémon version of Let's catch the Lion(Dobutsu Shogi).  Here is the link.

Pokémon Shogi

The blogger wrote the set was made of caps of plastic bottles and printing-out of the characters. His seven and three years old children are very happy to play it.

My analysis if Sente took the Silver on 7i by Gx7i(3rd game of 22nd Ryuo-sen)

This is the duplication of my analysis if Sente took the Silver on 7i by Gx7i at the 96th move of 3rd game of 22nd Ryuo-sen yesterday responding to a question raised in 81-square universe.

It's natural to have such a qustion you raised. Here are the variation. In short, if Sente(Black) took the Silver on 7i, there woud have been no mate for Gote(White) and Sente would have had no defense. Here are some variations.

(1)S*7i Gx7i P*8g Kx8g Rx7i+

G*2b Rx2b Bx2b+ Kx2b S*3c K-1c Lx1e, P*1d, Then Black has no more effective check.

G*2b Rx2b Bx2b+ Kx2b R*4b P*3b S*3c K-1c Lx1e P*1d, Then Black has no more effective check

Addition

P*2c G*7f Sx7f +Rx7f K-9g +Rx8f K-9h +R-8h(mate)

P*2c G*7f K-9g N*8e Px8e Nx8e K-9h +Rx6h Sx6h G*8g(mate)

Correction

G*8h Rx8f Sx8f G*7f K-9g Gx8f Kx8f +Rx8h P*8g G*7f(mate)

G*8h Rx8f Sx8f G*7f K-9h +Rx8h Kx8h P*8g K-9h G*8h K-9g N-8e(mate)

G*8h Rx8f Kx8f +Rx8h Sx8h G*7f K-9g N-8e K-9h N*8f(mate)

S*7h G*8h Sx8h Rx8f Kx8f +Rx8h S-8g S*8e Kx7e G-7d(mate)

S*7h G*8h K-9g N*8e Px8e Nx8e K-8f Nx7g+ P*8e +N-7f K-9g S*8f(mate)

G*7h +Rx8i G-8h Rx8f Kx8f +Rx8h Sx8h G*7f K-9g N-8e K-9h N*8f K-8i G*7h Gx7h Nx7h+ Kx7h N*8f K-6h G*6g K-5i B-5h+(mate)

G*7h +Rx8i G-8h Rx8f Sx8f G*7f K-9g N*8e Sx8e Nx8e(mate)

Addition

G6h-7h Rx8f Kx8f N*7d K-8g P*8f Sx8f G*7f K-9h +Rx7h P*8h G*8g(mate)

G6h-7h Rx8f Sx8f G*7f K-9g N*8e Sx8e Nx8e K-9h +Rx7h P*8h G*8g(mate)

G6h-7h Rx8f K-9g G*8g Gx8g Rx8g+ Kx8g B-6i+ K-8f G*8e K-9g Gx9f K-9h +B-8g(mate)

(2)S*7i Gx7i P*8g K-9h Rx7i+

G*2b Rx2b Bx2b+ Kx2b S*3c K-1c Lx1e, P*1d, Then Black has no more effective check.

G*2b Rx2b Bx2b+ Kx2b R*4b P*3b S*3c K-1c Lx1e P*1d, Then Black has no more effective check.

G*7h +Rx6h Sx6h G*8h K-9g N*8e Px8e Nx8e K-8f G*7f(mate)

G*7h +Rx6h Sx6h G*8h Gx8h Kx8h Rx8f P*8g Rx8g+ Kx8g B-6i+ S*7h G*7f K-9h G*8g Sx8g +Bx8g(mate)

Correction

G*7h G*8h Sx8h Px8h+ Gx8h +Rx8h Kx8h Rx8f P*8g Rx8g+ Kx8g P*8f Kx8f G*7f K-9g N-8e K-8h P*8g K-7i S*8h K-7h N*8f(mate)

As you see above, Watanabe's S*7i was a very brilliant Silver sacrifice.

Today is the day for the game of 3rd Mynavi Joshi Open between Nakai Hiroe(Joryu 6-dan) and Saida Haruko(Joryu 4-dan). As a result of Furigoma, Nakai became Sente. It started at 10:00 am in Japan. The allotted thinking time per player is 3 hours and each player will have to make every move within 60 seconds(Ippun Shogi) after consuming it. Here are the links to the live boards.

Kifu for Flash
Kifu for Java

The official blog of 3rd Mynavi Joshi Open(In Japanese) which is uploading many photos is here.

And it's being broadcasted live on Usteram.

Live TV : Ustream