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Annan Shogi Strategy and Tips

Here is how to think about winning at Annan Shogi, split into short lessons. Each one reads on its own, and each one comes with a real position: press Try it on the board and you play the move yourself.

Borrow the movement of the piece behind you

Lesson 1

The core rule of annan shogi: when a friendly piece sits directly behind another, the front piece moves exactly like the piece behind it. A pawn normally moves only one square, but with a rook right behind it, it can slide forward any distance, just like a rook.

Here a pawn sits on 5e with a rook right behind it on 5f. Borrowing the rook's movement, the pawn can slide all the way to 5b, right in front of the king on 5a — check.

Only the square directly behind matters, never a diagonal or a square two away. Get in the habit of checking which of your pieces is supporting which before you move.

Move a piece into a supporting square

Lesson 2

To borrow a piece's movement, you first need a supporting piece directly behind the one you want to move. Support takes effect the instant it is placed, so one move is all it takes.

Here a silver sits on 5e. A silver can normally only move diagonally or straight ahead and straight back. Move the gold from 5g to 5f, right behind the silver, and from that moment the silver moves like a gold — including sideways.

When you choose which piece to place behind another, also think about whether that supporting piece can itself be captured easily. If it is taken, the front piece's movement reverts at once.

Even the king can be the piece behind

Lesson 3

The rule has no exceptions for piece type. If the king is the piece behind, the piece in front moves exactly like the king — one square in any of the 8 directions.

Here your own king sits on 5f, directly behind the silver on 5e. A silver can never normally move sideways, but borrowing the king's movement, it can step sideways to 4e.

Sending the king to the front line is usually dangerous, but simply keeping it one square behind a piece to support it leaves the king itself in a safe spot. Remember this as a way to widen a piece's options while staying solid.

An enemy piece or an empty square behind changes nothing

Lesson 4

Movement only changes when the square directly behind holds a friendly piece. If it holds an enemy piece or is empty, the front piece keeps its own ordinary movement. Misreading this leads to misjudging how far a piece can actually reach.

Here an enemy pawn sits on 5f, right behind the silver on 5e. Because it belongs to the opponent, the silver's movement is unchanged — it still cannot move sideways. Following its own normal movement, it can step diagonally forward to 6d.

When reading the board, always check the colour of the square behind a piece. Only a friendly piece grants support — an enemy piece is neither a support nor a wall, it simply sits there.

Try it on the board

Pick a lesson and the board starts from that position. Start over as often as you like.

Now put it to work

Play with friendsLearn how to play (3 min)

Last updated 2026-09-25 · Run by Qdan, Inc.