Dōbutsu Shogi

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Dōbutsu Shogi

Dōbutsu Shōgi ( Japanese ど う ぶ つ し ょ う ぎ , dt. "Animal Chess") is a small variant of the Japanese board game Shōgi , a chess variant. It was invented by Madoka Kitao and Maiko Fujita , both Japanese shogi professionals, to introduce young children, especially girls, to the shogi game. In the western world, the game has been known as Let's Catch the Lion! marketed.

The game is played on a 3 by 4 field board. The rules are closely based on those of the regular Shogi, including the drops (re-use of trapped figures) and the promotion. However, the range of the pieces is limited to one space. As with all chess variants , the aim is to bring down the opponent's king.

The game pieces are square and are somewhat reminiscent of building blocks. They are characterized by drawn pictures of animals. Points on the sides and corners indicate in which direction the pieces can move.

Rules of the game

G L. E.
K
K
E. L. G

At the beginning each player has four pieces: a lion (king) in the middle of his back row, a giraffe (tower) to the right, an elephant (runner) to the left and a chick (farmer) immediately in front of the lion. One player begins. It is pulled alternately. All stones move like in the regular Shogi - but only one square. If a piece moves onto a field occupied by an opposing piece, it is captured and removed from the playing field. The batting player takes it into his supply and from now on has the option of placing this figure as an alternative to moving to a free space on the board (drop). If the chick reaches the back row on the other side, it is promoted to a chicken (Tokin in the regular Shogi). To do this, the token is turned over and now has more options. A beaten chicken may not be used as a chicken, but only as a chick. An additional possibility to win the game, besides the capture of the opposing king or lion, is the promotion of your own lion to the opposing back row.

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