81Dojo News

New updates are implemented to 81Dojo today.

2 game types are added to non-rated game

1. “Fixed-black” Handicap (jou-sen; 定先) is added. This handicap is simply that the handicap taker (shitate) is allowed to play black without doing furigoma.
2. “Open-air Shogi” (ao-zora-shogi; 青空将棋) is added, in which all pawns are removed at the initial position.

Rating system for provisional players has been drastically changed

• A new player needs to input his estimated strength (in other words, initial rating) when he makes the registration.
• Any game between two provisional players are not counted as rated game any more.
• The rating of a provisional player will be fixed after only 5 rated games.
• When a provisional player wins against a fix-rated player who is higher rated than himself, his rating becomes equal to the opponent’s rating before the game. (This is also the case when a provisional player loses against a fix-rated player who is lower rated than himself.) When this has happened, his opponent (the fix-rated player) gets only 25% of the usual rating change.

“Try the Shogi 3×4″ launches its great two new features:
New design set of board & pieces, and the three cute cat-type AI-bots.

☆ RAINBOW STAR ★

Check out the colorful pieces that feature the stars, and the rainbow colored board. This is an universal design made by Madoka KITAO, the inventor of this game.

The shape of the piece shares pentagon image with the traditional shogi pieces. Each piece is characterized by its clear color, having the sun or a star as their design concept, in which the movement is described with the shining light.

The board represents a rainbow “bridge” that unites the people. This design shows the dream of the author, “to unite the world with the fun of SHOGI”.

▲ Three cat-type bots △

New AI-bots for 3×4 Shogi!

“NOIR”, “BLANC”, and “GRIS” means Black, White, and Grey respectively in French. NOIR only plays sente, BLANC only gote, and GRIS plays both against you.

They are also recommended to those who have just started to learn 3×4 Shogi.
You can play anytime without looking for the opponent.

As you keep playing with them again and again, you will easily learn the rules and tactics, and become better at the game soon.

What is more, although they look weak and cute at first, they keep becoming stronger as you make wins against them. They tell you your level at the beginning of each game. So let’s see how much you can make them stronger!

# The level of each user is stored on the server based on his/her nickname.
# Three bots share the user strengh so that they become stronger together.
# The thinking engine of these teaching bots is developed by Tomoyuki KANEKO (Assistant Professor at Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the University of Tokyo) as a part of his research, and is kindly provided for our server.

We wish the attraction of shogi be recognized throughout the world.
It would be our pleasure to have many users enjoy games on our server.

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4th July 2011

Madoka KITAO (Nekomado Co., Ltd.)
Tomohide KAWASAKI (81Dojo)

Hidetchi designed a new cool piece set for 3×4 shogi client of 81Dojo. The newly implemented dark wooden textured set employs a western medieval style drawing, which is created by 81Dojo admin’s own hand drawing.

To use this piece set, go to the option window of 3×4 shogi client and select it. (http://81dojo.com/client34.html)

A new 3×4-exclusive version of 81Dojo client has been launched as a beta version. Enjoy this new feature by clicking on the new link on 81Dojo top page menu.

3×4 Shogi is a very small but highly strategical version of shogi, whose rule system was invented by woman-professional player Madoka Kitao. It has been used as the rules of “Dobutsu Shogi”, which is becoming extremely famous among Japanese shogi fans. But now she is even offering her system for the new feature of 81Dojo, in the aim of popularizing this great game to people from all over the world in wider range of age.

Now, go and enjoy this excellent new feature of 81Dojo!