Cylinder Shogi: Rules and How to Play
Cylinder shogi is shogi for 2, about 20 minutes, where file 1 and file 9 are joined, so lines cross the edge. Everything else is ordinary shogi. Free in your browser, no sign-up.
Objective
Cylinder shogi is shogi played on a board where file 1 and file 9 are joined. Checkmate the enemy king to win.
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.
- Treat the board as a cylinder rolled along its files. Any move whose file changes wraps around: past file 1 comes file 9, and past file 9 comes file 1. This includes a rook's rank line, a bishop's diagonal, and a knight's jump. The board's top and bottom edges (ranks) do not wrap.
- A check along a rank can sometimes not be blocked at all: block one side and the attacker may still reach your king by going around the far side.
- Two pawns on a file, pieces with no further move, and mating with a dropped pawn are all illegal, as in shogi. You may not leave your king open to capture.
Winning and scoring
- You win by checkmating the enemy king.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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
- Cylinder
- The board rolled into a tube from side to side — file 1 and file 9 are joined.
- Line
- The squares a piece attacks. In cylinder shogi a line can cross the edge and reach the far side.
- Block
- Placing your own piece on the checking line. In cylinder shogi, blocking one side of a rank check does not always stop it — the attacker may come around the other way.
FAQ
How do lines across the edge work?
Past file 1 comes file 9, and past file 9 comes file 1 — the count just continues. A rook's or bishop's line really does reach the far side.
Which pieces' moves cross the edge?
Any move that changes file: a rook's rank line, a bishop's diagonal, and a knight's jump among them. A pawn's or lance's straight move, and any move up or down the ranks, stay ordinary — as in shogi.
Can I always block a rank check?
Not always. Block one side and the attacking piece may still reach your king by coming around the other side.
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-09-25 · Run by Qdan, Inc.