![Saikousoku Shikou Shougi Mahjong [Model SHVC-ASYJ-JPN] screenshot](images/game/62112_2.png "Saikousoku Shikou Shougi Mahjong [Model SHVC-ASYJ-JPN]")
Saikousoku Shikou Shougi Mahjong © 1995 Varie
Saikousoku Shikou Shougi Mahjong (Ultra-Fast Thinking Shogi & Mahjong) is a high-performance traditional tabletop compilation. The cartridge brings together two of Japan's most deeply institutionalized board games—Shogi (Japanese chess) and four-player Riichi Mahjong—into a single competitive package.
Rather than focusing on flashy anime presentation or arcade gimmicks, Varie designed the software with a clean, distraction-free interface tailored specifically for serious hobbyists and tactical enthusiasts who wanted to test their skills against a highly competent, analytical opponent.
GAME ID: SHVC-ASYJ-JPN
The Power of the SA1 Co-Processor: The title's claim of Saikousoku Shikou (Ultra-Fast Thinking) was not just marketing fluff—it was a literal hardware breakthrough. To combat the notorious AI calculation lag common in 16-bit strategy games, Varie engineered the cartridge with Nintendo's advanced SA1 (Super Accelerator 1) coprocessor chip. Running at 10.74 MHz (triple the speed of the stock console CPU), this specialized RISC chip cut the AI's turn-calculation time down to mere seconds, even on the highest difficulty tiers.
A Rare Use for Expansion Hardware: While Nintendo's enhancement chips were famously utilized to push advanced 3D polygon graphics (like the Super FX chip in Star Fox) or complex sprite-scaling (like the SA1 in Kirby Super Star), this title is one of the exceptionally rare instances where expensive co-processor hardware was deployed strictly to calculate raw mathematics and artificial intelligence branch-prediction arrays.
Comprehensive Analytical Saving: Taking advantage of the premium internal board layout required for the SA1 chip, Varie integrated a robust battery-backed SRAM architecture. This allowed players to not only save ongoing, mid-turn Shogi matches, but also to build up an exhaustive personal profile in Mahjong Mode, tracking long-term win/loss ratios, scoring histories, and preferred Yaku hand combinations.