[pbmserv] Broadcast from edi.werner via PBM Server

[pbmserv@gamerz.net]

Hi Richard,

as I yesterday found out there is a mistake in the tenjiku rules file.

Note Fi (Fire Demon)

The Fire Demon moves any number of squares in the directions shown. It may 
also move as a 3-step area mover. Which means it may make a move consisting 
of 1-3 steps, where each step is like a king move, but only the last move may 
be a capture, and it may not end up on its starting square.

Any pieces in the 8 squares adjacent to the destination square are burned 
(captured). Any opposing piece ending its move adjacent to a Fire Demon is 
burned (a suicide move). If a Fire Demon moves adjacent to an opposing Fire 
Demon, all pieces adjacent to the moving Fire Demon are burned except for the 
stationary Fire Demon, and the moving Fire Demon is itself burned.

This last sentence is incorrect: It is not the TSA rules either, but had been 
added as a later afterthought, so you only find it it Colin's book and 
implemented in ShogiVar. It is a very bad idea IMHO since this means there is 
no defence against a FiD. The TSA rules and our implementation (that is the 
tenjiku engine on PBeM) explicitly only burn the attacking FiD in this case, 
so the last sentence of the note should be:

If a Fire Demon moves adjacent to an opposing Fire Demon, only the moving Fire 
Demon is burned.

I would also advise to add after "For complete rules and strategy (attention: 
different rule set!), see the online book on Tenjiku Shogi by Colin Adams.":  
But be aware of a rule change sure to read note JG before playing. 

The "little" rule change of the JGs affects the game strategy very much. 
Colin's book and analyses were mostly the motivation for this change to the 
jumping generals because we found the game so unbalanced that Colin would 
refuse to play any more. To all we know, this change is completely in line 
with the historical information on the game and it seems to give a more 
balanced (and more exciting) game. All of the rule sets are only 
reconstructions based on sparse and cryptic information - we can't even be 
sure the game was played the same way everywhere (so maybe the sources 
describe different games actually) and there are no historical game scores.

Sorry for the inconveniences, especially sorry for you, gsears, but we can 
simply have another game.

Edi