Nintendo Famicom Meijinsen Shogi SKUFM11

Nintendo Famicom Meijinsen Shogi SKUFM11 is a Shogi game developed by Alpha Denshi for the Famicom, and published by SNK in 1988. The player is an entrant of a tournament with a diverse cast of participants. The player can raise through the ranks by playing against each of them or spend some time familiarizing themselves with the rules and tactics of Shogi in the training mode.

The Japanese board game Shogi (将棋) is a game very similar to the western game of Chess. There are many similarities, but there are some noticeable differences as well. While chess is played on a 8×8 board, Shogi is played on a 9×9 board. In chess, there are 16 pieces for each player; Shogi gives you 20. Gameplay is on a turn by turn basis; that is, after one player makes a move, the other one goes, and so on. There are two colors, white and black, with black always going first.

At the main menu you have four choices:

本将棋

Choose the leftmost mode to play an original game of Shogi. There are three sub-menu options which are playing a game of Shogi 対局1 or 対局2. The first choice lets you play against a CPU opponent and the second choice is for 2-Player mode against another human player. That person will take their seat with the second controller. The game immediately starts in 2-Player mode, but you must first select your opponent if you choose to play against the CPU. The final mode, 観戦, is watch mode. Pick two CPU players to pit them against each other and watch how they do. You can use this to learn strategies, opening moves or just pass the time for your enjoyment.

1-Player mode comes with a few options to select from. There are two rows, the first is for your handicap (平手 Equal, 角落 Bishop omission, 飛落 Rook omission, 飛角落 Rook and Bishop omission, 飛角香落 Rook, Bishop and Lance omission) and the second for your color selection (後手 White Player, 先手 Black Player).

詰将棋

The second mode is a problem solving game. There are three different pre-set puzzles, either three pieces, five pieces, seven pieces or you can make your own puzzle.

リーグ戦

The third mode is the league. There are three different leagues you can choose which feature different opposition. You have to beat them all to win the entire tournament.

再現

The rightmost option is return, which allows you to continue a game you started earlier.

As in Chess, the objective in Shogi is ultimately to ‘capture’ the opposing player’s King. Along the way, as you move your own pieces across the board, you can capture the opposing player’s pieces by making a legal move onto the same square that an enemy piece is currently occupying. When you capture the enemy’s piece, you put it on a side table known as a komadai (こまだい). You can ‘drop’ a captured piece onto the board, putting it under your control and thus increasing your active forces. This kind of gameplay can work in your favor (or against you, if the enemy does it) if done at the right times.

Please note, all game text is in Japanese

Actual item pictured.

Awesome little retro machines.