Тайкёку сёги: Крупнейший вариант японских шахмат.

36×36 grid variant of Japanese chess

(大局将棋) is the largest known variant of shogi (Japanese chess). The game was created around the mid 16th century (presumably by priests) and is based on earlier large board shogi games. Before the rediscovery of taikyoku shogi in 1997, tai shogi was believed to be the largest physically playable chess variant ever. (Even some infinite chess variants have been made playable in virtual space using procedural rendering of the board as pieces move outward, but of course an infinitely large chess board can not be physically printed.) It has not been shown that taikyoku shogi was ever widely played. There are only two sets of restored taikyoku shogi pieces and one of them is held at Osaka University of Commerce. One game may be played over several long sessions and require each player to make over a thousand moves. Because the game was found only recently after centuries of obscurity, it is difficult to say exactly what all the rules were. Several documents describing the game have been found; however, there are differences between them. It is not too clear how accurate the rules given by modern sources for the game are, because many of the pieces appear in other shogi variants with a consistent move there, but are given different moves in taikyoku shogi. The board, and likewise the pieces, were made much smaller than usual for the other variants, making archeological finds difficult to decipher. Research into this game continues.

Taikyoku shogi is very different from other large board shogi variants: tenjiku shogi, dai dai shogi, maka dai dai shogi, and tai shogi. The most notable differences lie with the piece movements and their promotions.

The objective of the game is to capture the opponent's king(s) and prince(s). When the last of these is captured, the game ends. There are no rules for check or checkmate; however, in practice a player resigns when checkmated. Unlike standard shogi, pieces may not be dropped back into play after being captured.

The players alternate making a move, with Black moving first. (The traditional terms 'black' and 'white' are used to differentiate the sides during discussion of the game, but are no longer literally descriptive.) A move consists of moving a single piece on the board and potentially promoting that piece or displacing (capturing) an opposing piece.

Most pieces in the game move in a unique manner. An opposing piece is captured by displacement: That is, if a piece moves to a square occupied by an opposing piece, the opposing piece is displaced and removed from the board. A piece cannot move to a square occupied by a friendly piece (meaning another piece controlled by the moving player). Each piece on the game moves in a characteristic pattern. Pieces move either orthogonally (that is, forward, backward, left, or right, in the direction of one of the arms of a plus sign, +), or diagonally (in the direction of one of the arms of a multiplication sign, ×). The lion, lion hawk and knight are exceptions at the beginning of the game, in that they do not move, or are not required to move, in a straight line. (The Buddhist spirit, teaching king, heavenly horse and furious fiend are similar, but they only appear as pieces promote.)

Many pieces are capable of several kinds of movement, with the type of movement most often depending on the direction in which they move. The movement categories are:

Some pieces move only one square at a time. (If a friendly piece occupies an adjacent square, the moving piece may not move in that direction; if an opposing piece is there, it may be displaced and captured.) The step movers are the prince, generals (except: bishop, rook, pig, vice, great and wood), wolves, earth dragon, running horse, running rabbit, turtle snake, turtle dove, flying swallow, rain dragon, mountain stag, running pup, running serpent, side serpent, yaksha, Buddhist devil, violent stag, drunken elephant, neighboring king, chariots (except: reverse, running and copper), right tiger, left tiger, wind dragon, free pup, rushing bird, old kite, bears (except running), side boar, cloud eagle, flying cat, little standard, cloud dragon, soldiers (except soldier and chariot), violent ox, dark spirit, deva, howling dog, side mover, prancing stag, ferocious leopard, fierce eagle, poisonous snake, flying goose, strutting crow, blind dog, Chinese cock, phoenix, kirin, side ox, angry boar, liberated horse, flying cock, monkeys, barbarians, vermillion sparrow, swooping owl, old rat, cat sword, swallow's wings, blind tiger, side flyer, coiled serpent, reclining dragon, go between, dog, vertical mover, vertical pup, vertical horse, dragon horse, dragon king and pawn.

Some pieces can move along a limited number (2 to 7) of free (empty) squares along a straight line in certain directions. Other than the limited distance, they move like ranging pieces (see below). The limited ranging pieces are the king, standards, free dream eater, wooden dove, dragons (except: rain, side, wind, cloud, flying and reclining), demons, beast cadet, mountain eagle, white tiger, ceramic dove, turtle dove, captive officer, mountain stag, side serpent, great dove, running tiger, running bear, yaksha, Buddhist devil, guardian of the Gods, wrestler, gold chariot, running stag, beast officer, free pup, rushing bird, old kite, peacock, phoenix master, kirin master, silver chariot, vertical bear, pig general, chicken general, horse general, ox general, silver rabbit, golden deer, captive cadet, great stag, stone chariot, cloud eagle, mountain falcon, vertical tiger, copper chariot, golden bird, prancing stag, water buffalo, fierce eagle, water general, mountain general, fire general, turtles, vertical wolf, donkey, enchanted badger, flying horse, angry boar, violent bear, liberated horse, barbarians, center master, roc master, horseman, soldiers (except: rook, ram's head, spear and sword), wing general, wind general, wood general, great master and roaring dog.

Several pieces can jump, that is, they can pass over any intervening piece, whether friend or foe, with no effect on either. The jumping pieces are the wooden dove, running horse, mountain eagle, phoenix master, kirin master, knight, lion, great stag, vice general, flying cat, mountain falcon, golden bird, flying dragon, phoenix, kirin, turtles, treacherous fox, center master, roc master, free eagle, lion hawk, great master, horned falcon, soaring eagle, roaring dog and lion dog.

Many pieces can move any number of empty squares along a straight line, limited only by the edge of the board. If an opposing piece intervenes, it may be captured by moving to that square and removing it from the board. A ranging piece must stop where it captures, and cannot bypass a piece that is in its way. If a friendly piece intervenes, the moving piece is limited to a distance that stops short of the intervening piece; if the friendly piece is adjacent, it cannot move in that direction at all. The ranging pieces are the standards, queen, free dream eater, wooden dove, dragons (except: violent, flying and reclining), demons, running horse, mountain eagle, whale, running rabbit, tigers (except blind), turtle snake, ceramic dove, lance, oxcart, chariots, flying swallow, running pup, running serpent, great dove, running bear, running stag, running wolf, free pup, phoenix master, kirin master, vertical bear, side boar, silver rabbit, golden deer, great stag, cloud eagle, bishop, rook, side wolf, mountain falcon, soldiers (except: sword, burning and crossbow), violent ox, golden bird, white horse, howling dog, side mover, water buffalo, turtles, vertical wolf, side ox, liberated horse, treacherous fox, roc master, vermillion sparrow, horseman, swallow's wings, side flyer, great master, side monkey, vertical mover, flying ox, vertical pup, vertical horse, dragon horse, dragon king, horned falcon, soaring eagle, roaring dog and lion dog.

The hook mover, long nosed goblin, capricorn, and peacock can move any number of squares along a straight line, as a normal ranging piece, but may also abruptly change tack left or right by 90° at any one place along the route, and then continue as a ranging piece. Turning a corner like this is optional. The range covered by a hook move is the equivalent of two moves by a rook, or two moves by a bishop, depending on the piece. However, a hook move is functionally a single move: The piece cannot capture twice in one move, nor may it capture and then move on. It must stop before an intervening piece (unless it first changes direction to avoid it), and must stop when it captures, just like any other ranging piece. It can only change direction once per move.

The lion and lion hawk may take multiple (2) steps in a single turn. These do not have to be in a line, so these pieces can potentially reach every square within two or three steps of the starting square, not just squares along one of the diagonals or orthogonals. Such moves are also useful to get around obstructions. An area mover must stop where it captures.

The golden bird and several promoted pieces have the option of jumping a limited number of squares, and then continuing on in the same direction as a ranging piece.

The ancient dragon may jump over any number of pieces, friend or foe, along a straight line, but only when making a capture. Otherwise it moves as a ranging piece.

Notation ○ Steps a limited number of squares along a straight line. ☆ Jumps to this square, bypassing any intervening piece. ! Igui (capture without moving). Counts as two steps. ☆ May jump directly to this square, or reach it through a multiple step move. │ Ranges along a straight line, crossing any number of empty squares ─ ╲ ╱ ╳ May turn 90° at this square. ┼