Shogi — Japanese Chess
Shogi is Japanese chess: the same idea of trapping the enemy king, but captured pieces change sides and can be dropped back onto the board as your own. New to shogi? Switch to Simple pieces, which show how each piece moves.
How to play Shogi
- Two players, Sente (☗, moves first, at the bottom) and Gote (☖, at the top), each have 20 pieces on a 9×9 board. Pieces point toward the opponent; there are no colours.
- King (王/玉): one step in any direction. Rook (飛): any distance straight. Bishop (角): any distance diagonally. Gold (金): one step straight or diagonally forward — not diagonally back. Silver (銀): one step diagonally or straight forward — not sideways or straight back.
- Knight (桂): jumps two squares forward and one to the side — forward only. Lance (香): any distance straight forward. Pawn (歩): one step straight forward, and it also captures that way.
- Promotion: the last three rows on the far side are the promotion zone. A piece that moves into, inside or out of it may promote (it is flipped). Rook becomes Dragon (龍: rook + one diagonal step), Bishop becomes Horse (馬: bishop + one straight step); silver, knight, lance and pawn become gold-movers. Kings and golds never promote. A pawn or lance on the last row, or a knight on the last two rows, must promote.
- Drops: a piece you capture goes to your hand, unpromoted. Instead of moving, you may drop a piece from your hand onto any empty square, as your own. A drop never promotes at once.
- Drop limits: no piece may be dropped where it could never move again; you may not have two unpromoted pawns on the same file; and you may not give checkmate by dropping a pawn.
- Checkmate (tsumi) wins — in shogi a player with no legal move loses. If the same position with the same hands and side to move appears four times, the game is a draw.
Controls
- Tap a piece, then a highlighted square. To drop, tap a piece in your hand, then an empty square.
- When a move may promote, choose Promote or Keep.
- Pieces switches between traditional kanji and simple pieces whose dots and bars show every move.
- Undo takes back your last move and the computer’s reply; Resign ends the game.
Tips
- Captured pieces come back to fight for the capturer, so trades are never “even” the way they are in chess — think about what each side gains in hand.
- Build a castle: move your king to one side and surround it with golds and silvers before attacking.
- Pawn drops are a cheap, powerful tool: drop one to block an attack, to fork two pieces or to attack a piece that cannot step back.
- Promoted pawns (と) cost the opponent almost nothing to give up but move like golds — push pawns into the zone late in the game.
FAQ
How do you play shogi?
Move one piece per turn, or drop a captured piece back onto the board. Each piece has its own move, most pieces promote in the far three rows, and you win by checkmating the opposing king.
What is the difference between shogi and chess?
Shogi has a 9×9 board, more pieces with mostly short moves, promotion for most pieces, and above all drops: captured pieces join the capturer’s army. That keeps the endgame sharp, and draws are rare.
What do the shogi pieces mean?
The kanji name each piece: 王/玉 king, 飛 rook, 角 bishop, 金 gold general, 銀 silver general, 桂 knight, 香 lance and 歩 pawn. Promoted pieces show other characters in red, such as 龍 dragon, 馬 horse and と tokin. Choose Simple pieces to see letters and move dots instead.
Why can’t I drop a pawn here?
Pawns cannot be dropped on the last row, onto a file that already has one of your unpromoted pawns, or to give an immediate checkmate.
Can I play shogi online with a friend?
Yes, on one device: choose 2 Players and take turns. Against the computer you can pick Easy, Medium or Hard and play either side.