Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-06-20

JAPANESE CHESS
Row they Play the Festive Game In the
AntfpOdes.
From the Boston Transcript


The game of chess as played here and
in European countries may well be called
''the king of games, for surely no other
form OF amusement combines an equal
degree of fascination with the exercise of
Judgment, watchfulness and calculation
that this requires. The game is of an
cient origin the invention of the pastime
has been variously ascribed to the Greeks.
Romans, Babylonians, Scythians, Egyp-
tians, Jews, Persians, Chinese, Hlndoos.
Arabians, Araucanians, Castilians, Irish
and Welsh but the best authorities are
of the opinion that chess first existed in
India.
japanese chess is not much known in
This country. 1t resembles the European
game, but it has some novel features
The board used for the game has eighty
one squares-nlne rows of nine squares
each. 1t is theoretically divided into
three sections the first three rows may
be called the players ground, the three
rows at the opposite end the opponents
ground, aud the three intermediate rows
the neutral territory. Each player has
twenty pieces, which are shaped like the
gable end of house the forty pieces
are of the same shape and color, and are
distinguished by the names printed upon
them. The point Of the gable indicates
the direction III which the piece is mov-
ing, and If captured and used by the op-
ponent it is simply headed in the opposite
direction.
The names OF the pieces are as follows ::
Ou, or king kin, or gold general !; gin
(hard g, or silver general kama, or
knight keou, or piercer ; hisha, or fly
Ing-chariot; kaku, or corner-runner flu,
or foot soldier. The king is placed on the
centre square of the first row, and on
either side, in the order named, are the
gold general, silver general, knight and
plercer. The square in the second row
directly in front of the knight at the right
hand OF the king is occupied by the ty-
ing chariot, and on the square in front of
the other knight is placed the corner.
runner. The nine squares of the third
row are all occupied by foot soldiers. The
opponents men are arranged in the same
order.
The king moves as in the European
chess-one square in any direction the
gold general moves one square in any di-
raction except diagonally backward /; the
silver general one square forward or one
Bquare. diagonally forward or backward |:
VIZ ofuoiO ioiWulu anu tutu
pne diagonally-a movement like that of
pur knight, though it is limited to
thoice OF two squares instead of eight !;
The piercer moves straight forward over
any desired number of squares the fly
ng-chariot has the same movement as
Pur castle-forward, backward or lateral
over any number of squares the cor
her-runner moves like our bishop-diag-
bnallV in any direction az far q 10 Iao;rad
he foot soldiers move one square for.
yard.
On reaching the opponents territory
ach piece, except the king, assumes the
snk OF gold general, with the power of
hat piece. The oorner-runner and the
ying chariot also retain their original
overs. On capturing piece, the piece
Fhich takes it occupies the square on
inch the other stood and the foot SOL
lsr moves straight forward in capturing,