Japanese Chess

Shogi

Play the ancient Japanese strategy game with piece drops and promotions

Games: 0 | Wins: 0
Moves: 0
Click Start Game to play Shogi!
AI Captured
香
桂
銀
金
王
金
銀
桂
香
飛
角
歩
歩
歩
歩
歩
歩
歩
歩
歩
歩
歩
歩
歩
歩
歩
歩
歩
歩
角
飛
香
桂
銀
金
王
金
銀
桂
香
Your Captured

Click a piece to select, then click a green square to move. Click captured pieces to drop them.

About Shogi

Shogi, meaning "general's chess," is the Japanese variant of chess and one of the most popular board games in Japan. Dating back over 400 years, it has evolved into a game of incredible strategic depth that rivals Western chess in complexity.

What makes Shogi unique among chess variants is the "drop" rule: captured pieces change sides and can be placed back on the board as your own pieces. This mechanic prevents simple exchanges from simplifying the game and ensures intense battles until the very end.

Professional Shogi players in Japan are highly respected, with matches broadcast on television and prize money in the millions of yen. The game continues to grow internationally, with tournaments held worldwide.

How to Play Shogi

1

Select and Move

Click on one of your pieces (black characters at bottom) to see valid moves highlighted in green. Click a green square to move there.

2

Capture and Collect

When you capture an opponent's piece, it goes to your "captured" area. You can drop these pieces back onto the board on your turn.

3

Promote Your Pieces

When a piece reaches the opponent's territory (top 3 rows), you can promote it for enhanced movement. Red characters indicate promoted pieces.

4

Checkmate the King

Win by checkmating the opponent's King (王). Use drops, promotions, and coordinated attacks to trap the King with no escape.

Tips & Strategies

  • •Control the center of the board early - it gives your pieces more mobility
  • •Don't trade pieces carelessly - in Shogi, captured pieces come back as enemy drops
  • •Promote your Rook and Bishop early - Dragon and Horse are extremely powerful
  • •Keep some pawns in hand for defensive drops to block attacks
  • •Build a "castle" formation around your King for protection before attacking

Why Play Shogi?

Deep Strategy

More complex than Western chess with piece drops

Cultural Experience

Learn a cornerstone of Japanese gaming culture

Mental Exercise

Improves tactical thinking and planning

No Draws

Games always have a decisive winner

Shogi, also known as Japanese Chess, is a two-player strategy board game native to Japan. It's played on a 9x9 board with 20 pieces per player. The most distinctive feature is that captured pieces change sides and can be 'dropped' back onto the board.
Each piece has unique movements: King moves one square any direction, Rook moves straight lines, Bishop moves diagonally, Gold General moves one square orthogonally or diagonally forward, Silver moves one square diagonally or straight forward, Knight jumps in an L-shape forward, Lance moves any squares forward, and Pawn moves one square forward.
When a piece reaches or moves within the opponent's territory (last three rows), it can be promoted. Promoted pieces gain enhanced movement abilities. Rook becomes Dragon (adds diagonal adjacent), Bishop becomes Horse (adds orthogonal adjacent), and Silver, Knight, Lance, and Pawn all promote to move like Gold Generals.
When you capture an opponent's piece, it becomes yours and can be placed (dropped) on any empty square on your turn instead of moving a piece. This unique rule adds deep strategic complexity to Shogi.
The goal is to checkmate your opponent's King, meaning the King is under attack and cannot escape capture. Unlike Chess, there is no stalemate in Shogi - if you cannot move, you lose.

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