GAN Examples

Quick implementation guide for General Actor Notation v1.0.0.

Single-Style Games

Western Chess

GAN	Interpretation
`CHESS:K`	White chess king
`CHESS:Q`	White chess queen
`CHESS:+R`	White chess rook, castling eligible
`CHESS:-P`	White chess pawn, en passant vulnerable
`chess:k`	Black chess king
`chess:q`	Black chess queen
`chess:+r`	Black chess rook, castling eligible
`chess:-p`	Black chess pawn, en passant vulnerable

Japanese Shōgi

GAN	Interpretation
`SHOGI:K`	Sente shōgi king
`SHOGI:+R`	Sente promoted shōgi rook
`SHOGI:G`	Sente shōgi gold general
`SHOGI:+P`	Sente promoted shōgi pawn
`shogi:k`	Gote shōgi king
`shogi:+r`	Gote promoted shōgi rook
`shogi:g`	Gote shōgi gold general
`shogi:+p`	Gote promoted shōgi pawn

Capture Mechanics and Style Mutations

Scenario 1: Chess vs. Chess

In a traditional chess match where both players use the same style, captures follow standard chess mechanics. When White captures a Black piece, the captured piece is moved to White’s reserve according to the Sashité protocol, even though chess rules prevent it from being reintroduced into play.

Example capture:

Before: chess:p (Black chess pawn on the board)
After capture: chess:p (Chess pawn now in first player’s reserve)

The GAN identifier remains unchanged (chess:p) since the piece retains its original side and style attributes. However, the piece’s physical location in White’s reserve means that Black loses operational control over it, even though the piece still belongs to Black’s side. The piece remains permanently inactive since chess rules don’t allow dropping captured pieces back into play.

Scenario 2: Shōgi vs. Shōgi

In a traditional shōgi match, captures work differently from chess. When Sente captures a Gote piece, the captured piece not only changes ownership but also changes side according to shōgi rules, allowing it to be dropped back into play later.

Example capture:

Before: shogi:+p (Gote shōgi promoted pawn on the board)
After capture: SHOGI:P (Shōgi pawn became sente, now in first player’s reserve)

Notice the double mutation: the GAN changes from shogi:+p to SHOGI:P reflecting the side change from gote to sente (case change) and the loss of promotion (PIN changes from +p to P). This reflects shōgi’s capture mechanic where pieces switch allegiance, lose any promotions, and can be reintroduced into play fighting for their new owner.

Scenario 3: Ōgi vs. Chess

In a cross-style match between Ōgi and Chess players, captures follow unique mechanics where captured pieces undergo complete transformation. When the Ōgi player captures a Chess piece, it not only changes ownership and side but also transforms into a different piece type according to Ōgi rules.

Example capture:

Before: chess:q (Black chess queen on the board)
After capture: OGI:P (Transformed into ōgi pawn, now in first player’s reserve)

This demonstrates complete transformation: the GAN changes from chess:q to OGI:P reflecting the side change from second to first player (case change), the type transforms from queen to pawn, and the style changes from chess to ōgi tradition. This reflects Ōgi’s transformation mechanic where captured pieces are converted into the capturing player’s piece tradition and can be reintroduced with their new identity.