Dai Shogi: Rules and How to Play
Dai shogi is a 2-player, 15×15 shogi with 65 pieces of 29 kinds each and about 90 minutes of play. Captured pieces leave the game; take the enemy king and any prince to win. Free in your browser.
Objective
Dai shogi is played on a 15×15 board; you win by capturing your opponent's king (and prince, if a drunk elephant has promoted). It was played in the Kamakura period and is thought to be the ancestor of chu shogi. The rules here follow the Japanese Wikipedia article; where the historical record is thin and sources disagree, you can choose a table rule.
Setup
- Each side sets 65 pieces of 29 kinds: the 21 chu shogi pieces (king, drunk elephant, gold, silver and copper generals, ferocious leopard, blind tiger, kirin, phoenix, lance, reverse chariot, bishop, vertical mover, side mover, rook, dragon horse, dragon king, lion, queen, pawn and go-between) plus iron general, stone general, knight, evil wolf, angry boar, cat sword, violent ox and flying dragon.
- The far five ranks are the promotion zone. There are no pieces in hand.
How to play
- On your turn, move one piece. Moving onto an enemy piece captures it; captured pieces leave the game and are never dropped.
- The lion makes two king steps in one turn. It can jump straight to any square two away, capture a neighbour and return (igui), capture two pieces, or stay put and pass. The horned falcon has this power straight ahead, the soaring eagle diagonally forward.
- The violent ox moves up to two squares orthogonally and the flying dragon up to two squares diagonally (neither jumps). The knight jumps two forward and one across.
- A piece may promote when it enters the zone from outside, or when it captures while in (or leaving) the zone. A piece that entered without promoting must capture, or leave and re-enter, before it can promote. Pawns, lances, iron and stone generals may also promote on reaching the last rank, and knights on the last two. Promotion is optional. The eight extra pieces promote to gold; the pawn promotes to tokin, as in chu shogi; the rest promote as chu shogi pieces. The king, queen and lion never promote.
- You may not play a move that repeats a position for the fourth time, unless you are in check.
Winning and scoring
- Capture the enemy king and any prince to win. You may move another piece when in check, but losing your last king or prince loses the game.
- A player with no legal move loses. You may resign.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Promotion rulePromotion rulePromotion flips a piece in the enemy zone (the far five ranks) into a stronger piece. Like chu shogi lets you promote only when entering the zone from outside, or when capturing inside or on the way out of it; enter without promoting and you must wait for the next chance. Like shogi lets you promote on any move into, within or out of the zone, so timing matters less. | The Japan Chu Shogi Association's promotion rule, which the Japanese Wikipedia article takes as the original: a piece that entered the zone without promoting cannot promote until it captures or re-enters. Choose Like shogi to allow promotion on any move into, within or out of the zone (common in online dai shogi). | Like chu shogi | Yes |
| Lion tradingLion tradingThe lion moves twice per turn and is the strongest piece. A lion is "protected" when another piece of its owner covers its square, so it could be recaptured. With this rule, a protected lion two squares away cannot be taken by a lion, and right after your lion is taken by a non-lion you may not take a protected enemy lion (counterstrike). Chu shogi players may turn it on; Off (default) suits newcomers. | Whether to use chu shogi's lion-trading rules (a protected lion two squares away cannot be taken by a lion; right after your lion is taken by a non-lion you may not take a protected enemy lion). Off is the default — records are unclear, and English Wikipedia states that chu shogi's capture rules do not apply in dai shogi. Protected lions only applies counterstrike only when the enemy lion you would take is protected; Always applies it whether or not that lion is protected. | Off | Yes |
| Bare king winsBare king winsA bare king means only the king (and prince) is left with no working pieces. On: leave your opponent bare and, if their next move does not leave you bare too, you win (both bare is a draw). Dai shogi has many pieces and long endgames, so this suits tables that want a quicker finish. | Win after your opponent's next move once you leave them with only a king or prince (the chu shogi Association's rule; an unpromoted pawn or go-between must promote first). Not in the dai shogi record, so off by default. | Off | 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
- Lion
- The strongest piece: it moves twice per turn. A promoted kirin is a lion too.
- Igui
- The lion captures a neighbouring piece and returns to its square.
- Pass
- A lion-type piece steps out and back, ending the turn without moving.
- Prince
- A promoted drunk elephant. It moves like the king and counts as a second king.
- Violent ox / flying dragon
- Pieces unique to dai shogi: up to two squares orthogonally / diagonally. Both promote to gold.
FAQ
How is it different from chu shogi?
The board is 15×15, the zone is five ranks deep, and eight pieces are added: iron and stone generals, knight, evil wolf, angry boar, cat sword, violent ox and flying dragon. These promote to gold; the pawn promotes to tokin, as in chu shogi. Chu shogi's lion-trading rules are off by default.
Can I drop captured pieces?
No. Dai shogi has no drops; captured pieces leave the game.
Must I answer check?
It is not illegal to ignore it, but you lose when your last king is taken. With a prince on the board, both must fall.
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-09-25 · Run by Qdan, Inc.