Annan Shogi: Rules and How to Play
Annan shogi is shogi for 2, about 20 minutes, where a piece with a friendly piece right behind it moves like that piece instead. Free in your browser, no sign-up.
Objective
Annan shogi is a shogi variant with one added rule about how pieces move. You still win by checkmating the enemy king, but working out how each piece can move takes more care than in ordinary shogi.
Setup
- Use a 9×9 shogi board and the usual 40 pieces, set up as in shogi.
- Black moves first and the players alternate. When you play again, Black and White swap (you can turn this off).
How to play
- On your turn, move one piece on the board or drop one piece from your hand. Moves, promotion and drops are exactly as in shogi.
- When one of your own pieces sits directly behind another of your own pieces (the neighbouring square nearer your own camp), the front piece moves exactly like the piece behind it. If the square behind is empty or holds an enemy piece, the piece moves as usual.
- Whether a piece can promote and the two-pawn rule are always decided by the piece's own type, even when its movement has changed. A pawn or lance on the last rank, or a knight on the last two, is allowed — by drop or by move — as long as the piece behind it lets it move from there (a setting bans these by the piece's own type instead). You may not leave your king open to capture.
Winning and scoring
- Checkmate the enemy king to win.
- You also win if your opponent has no legal move.
- If the same position appears four times the game is a draw and is replayed. Repeated checks lose for the checking side.
Defaults on this site
| Item | Default on this site |
|---|---|
| Players | 2 players (set automatically by the party size) |
| Turn time limit | None by default (the host can set 30 or 60 seconds) |
| If someone drops mid-game | Reopening on the same device returns you to your seat. If you do not return, the CPU plays in your place. |
| Draws | In ranked play, a draw counts as halfway between a win and a loss for your rating. |
| Source of the rules | Based on the standard reference rules |
Rules supervised by Qdan, Inc. (based on the standard reference rules)
House rules
Defaults follow the standard reference rules. The party can change these.
| Name | Description | Default | Changeable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pieces with no further movePieces with no further moveIn Annan shogi, a piece with one of your own pieces directly behind it moves like that rear piece. "Allowed if the support lets it move" lets you drop or move a pawn, lance or knight onto the far ranks as long as its current support gives it a move (if the support leaves, it may be stuck). "Banned by the piece's own type" follows regular shogi: those squares are off limits even with support. | How to judge a drop or move to a square where the piece, by its own type, could never move again (a pawn or lance on the last rank, a knight on the last two). | Allowed if the support lets it move | Yes |
| Show legal squares | Mark the squares a selected piece can reach. | On | Yes |
| Swap who starts | Swap who plays Black after each game. | On | Yes |
| Move limit | Draw the game once this many moves have been played. For tables that want to cut a long game short. | None | Yes |
Terms
- The piece behind
- The piece, if any, on the square directly behind a given piece (the neighbouring square nearer that piece's own camp).
- Movement change
- When a friendly piece is directly behind, the front piece takes on that piece's movement.
- Supporting
- Placing one of your pieces directly behind another to change how the front piece moves.
FAQ
Which square counts as "behind"?
The square directly behind a piece, nearer that piece's own camp — not diagonally, and not two squares away.
What if the square behind holds an enemy piece, or is empty?
The piece moves as usual. Movement only changes when a friendly piece is directly behind.
What if the king is the piece behind?
The king follows the same rule, so the piece in front of it moves like a king (one square in any direction).
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-09-25 · Run by Qdan, Inc.