After L.L. Smith suggested that the pawns (swords) in Gary K. Gifford's Pillars of Medusa be moved to the 4th rank, Gary set the new board up for analysis and was suddenly hit with the idea of Medusa Shogi. He wrote the rules and Mr. Smith took off to make the ZRF. So, use your pieces wisely; if captured they will drop from the sky to be used against you. Beware of the Medusa, she cannot capture, but can turn your army to stone. And respect the lowly pawns, for each can become a Medusa.
- Gary K. Gifford, Jan 2006
Morph - Can change its form into that of a piece just captured.
Medusa - Moves like a King, immobilizes adjacent enemy pieces. Cannot capture. Turns into a pawn when captured.
Pawns - Move 1 space. Capture as do western pawns. Promote to Medusa on 9th, 10th. or 11th rank. Cannot be dropped on the 11th rank. Dropped pawns can be doubled, tripled, etc. in a file (unlike Shogi restriction).
Other Pieces - Move as those pieces found in Great Chess (like combined pieces of western chess). Green dots will show legal moves when you click on a piece.
Castling - Move King towards desired rook, 1, 2, 3, or 4 spaces. Then put the associated rook on square just to center of King.
Captured pieces can be dropped, as in Shogi. To drop a piece, click on a vacant square and select from the drop options available.
TIP for best play: Keep a list of your captures and your opponent's so you can always be aware of possible drops. Piece drops are a crucial part of this game.
www.ChessVariants.org has complete rules and a preset for Human vs Human play. |
