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Fusion Mitregi

Ever since seeing Fergus Duniho's Fusion Chess I have considered applications of fusion. I soon came up with a Fusion Xiang Qi, but a Shogi-based fusion variant has taken a little longer. Here is what I have finally come up with on that front.

My first decision was to use pieces from Mitregi's first two ranks, with the restriction that a piece could not fuse with one having a subset of its move. I then wondered whether to make it a Strategoblastic variant (meaning "building generals") with the part-symmetric generals as simple pieces to be combined (like Fusion Chess' King) and overlapping moves recovered by both pieces on separation, or a Strategoclastic (meaning "destroying generals") one, with them already fusion pieces and separable into a symmetric and a forward-only component. I eventually settled on having both with the same array (abbreviated to SBFM and SCFM), giving this page two variants for the price of one! As SCFM generates Points and SBFM allows Bishop+Silver compounds indistinguishable from Bishop+Point in move, instead of having the Point and Cross unfused in the array I formed the front rank from other relatively short-range pieces. I also did away with promotion, as other mechanisms would be available to extricate forward-only pieces from the enemy camp.

Setup

Pieces

Array pieces, Shogi names and literal translations in brackets:
KING (Japanese name varies between armies): The one piece surviving entirely unchanged from Chaturanga, this occupies the end of one middle file. It can move one square in any orthogonal and diagonal direction, is unpromotable, and must be kept out of check.
The ROOK (Hisha=Flying Chariot) and its FO form the WING (Kyoosha=Fragrant Chariot) move any distance orthogonally, and are blocked by intervening pieces.
The BISHOP (Kakugyo=Angle Mover) and its FO form the MITRE (Yohei=Ramshead Soldier) move any distance diagonally, and are blocked by intervening pieces.
The KNIGHT (name varies between variants) and its FO form the HELM (Keima=Honourable Horse) are 2:1 leapers, and cannot be blocked. Forward for the Helm is taken to mean only the two most forward leaps.
The CAMEL (N/A) and its FO form the HUMP (N/A) are 3:1 leapers, and cannot be blocked. Forward for the Hump is taken to mean only the two most forward leaps.
The GOLDGENERAL (Kinsho) moves one step along any orthogonal or the two forward diagonals. In SBFM it is an array fusion piece that can be split into a WAZIR (orthogonals only) and CROSS (forward diagonals only).
The SILVERGENERAL (Ginsho) moves one step along any diagonal or the one forward orthogonal. In SBFM it is an array fusion piece that can be split into a FERZ (diagonals only) and POINT (forward orthogonal only).
Fusion pieces in both variants, symmetric:
Fusing Rook and Bishop gives the QUEEN.
Fusing Rook and Knight gives the MARSHAL.
Fusing Rook and Camel gives the CANVASSER.
Fusing Rook and Silver in SBFM, or Rook and Ferz in SCFM, gives the CHATELAINE.
Fusing Bishop and Knight gives the CARDINAL.
Fusing Bishop and Camel gives the CALIPH.
Fusing Bishop and Gold in SBFM, or Bishop and Wazir in SCFM, gives the PRIMATE.
Fusing Knight and Camel gives the GNU.

Fusion pieces in both variants, part-symmetric:
Fusing Rook and Mitre gives the GOLDRIDER.
Fusing Rook and Helm gives the VICEMARSHAL.
Fusing Rook and Hump gives the VICECANVASSER.
Fusing Rook and Gold in SBFM, or Rook and Cross in SCFM, gives the GOLDROOK.
Fusing Bishop and Wing gives the SILVERIDER.
Fusing Bishop and Helm gives the VICECARDINAL.
Fusing Bishop and Hump gives the VICECALIPH.
Fusing Bishop and Silver in SBFM, or Bishop and Point in SCFM, gives the SILVERBISHOP.
Fusing Knight and Wing gives a SUBMARSHAL.
Fusing Knight and Mitre gives a SUBCARDINAL.
Fusing Knight and Hump gives a NITAN.
Fusing Camel and Wing gives a SUBCANVASSER.
Fusing Camel and Mitre gives a SUBCALIPH.
Fusing Camel and Helm gives a CAMAN.
Fusing Wing and Silver in SBFM, or Wing and Ferz in SCFM, gives the SILVERWING.
Fusing Mitre and Gold in SBFM, or Mitre and Wazir in SCFM, gives the GOLDMITRE.

Fusion pieces in both variants, forward-only:
Fusing Wing and Mitre gives the PRINCESS.
Fusing Wing and Helm gives the MARSHRUNNER.
Fusing Wing and Hump gives the CANVARUNNER.
Fusing Mitre and Helm gives the CARDIRUNNER.
Fusing Mitre and Hump gives the CALIPRUNNER.
Fusing Helm and Hump gives the HANDYMAN.

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Fusion pieces in SCFM only:
Fusing Wing with Wazir gives the SOWON, meaning Wazir+Poker as an extension of Sow as Wazir+Dabchick.
Fusing Mitre with Ferz gives the BOARON, meaning Ferz+Piker as an extension of Boar as Ferz+Tusk.
Fusing Knight with Wazir gives the MARSHLANDER.
Fusing Knight with Ferz gives the CARDILANDER.
Fusing Knight with Point gives the UNDERMARSHAL.
Fusing Knight with Cross gives the UNDERCARDINAL.
Fusing Camel with Wazir gives the CANVALANDER.
Fusing Camel with Ferz gives the CALIPLANDER.
Fusing Camel with Point gives the UNDERCANVASSER.
Fusing Camel with Cross gives the UNDERCALIPH.
Fusing Wazir with Helm gives the MINIMARSHAL.
Fusing Wazir with Hump gives the MINICANVASSER.
Fusing Ferz with Helm gives the MINICARDINAL.
Fusing Ferz with Hump gives the MINICALIPH.
Fusing Helm with Point gives the MARSHCHICK.
Fusing Helm with Cross gives the CARDICHICK.
Fusing Hump with Point gives the CANVACHICK.
Fusing Hump with Cross gives the CALIPCHICK.

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Fusion pieces in SBFM only:
Fusing Wing with Gold gives the GOLDSOWON.
Fusing Mitre with Silver gives the SILVERBOARON.
As yet I do not allow fusing of either general with oblique pieces as I have not coined suitable names for the resulting pieces.

Rules

There is no initial double-step move, En Passant, Castling, or promotion.

Fusion involves an unfused piece using its usual move to reach a square occupied by an unfused ally and the two becoming a piece having the moves of both. If the destination square is in the enemy camp, at least one piece must possess a backward move.

A fused piece can move as single unit exactly like an unfused piece, except that it cannot fuse any further and a forward-only fused piece cannot enter the enemy camp.

Fission involves one component of a fused piece making a noncapturing move and the other staying still. The move must be a usual move of the moving component. If the original pieces had any move in common they both retain that move. Thereafter the two can then continue as separate pieces. A fused-piece move into the enemy camp must be fission.

A captured piece enters the capturing player's Reserve, separating out into its components in the case of a fusion piece. That player can then introduce simple pieces as part of their own army in place of a later move. Players cannot combine pieces in Reserve, or even preserve fusion pieces as captured, to reintroduce fusion pieces.

Check, Checkmate, and Stalemate are as usual.

Notes

Pieces can be represented by two distinguishable directionalised novelty FIDE sets - large/small Q as Gold/Silver, large/small P as Camel/Hump, other large/small pieces as themselves/their FO versions.

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By Charles Gilman.
Web page created: 2007-02-02. Web page last updated: 2016-03-24