Pawn Race Shogi: Rules and How to Play
Pawn race shogi is shogi for 2 players, about 8 minutes, where the first player to capture five enemy pawns wins — no checkmate needed. Pieces move as in shogi. Free in your browser, no sign-up.
Objective
Pawn race shogi is a shogi variant where the first player to capture five of the enemy's pawns wins. There is no need to checkmate.
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.
- Count the enemy pawns you capture. Capturing a tokin (promoted pawn) also counts as one pawn. Dropping a captured pawn does not lower your count (the number beside each player's name above the board shows their total out of 5).
- You may not leave your king open to capture. Two pawns on a file and pieces with no further move are illegal, as in shogi.
Winning and scoring
- The moment you have captured five pawns, you 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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
- Pawn
- The most numerous piece. Here, how many of the enemy's pawns you capture decides the game.
- Tokin
- A promoted pawn. Captured, it reverts to an ordinary pawn in your hand and counts as one captured pawn.
- Pieces in hand
- Captured pieces on your stand. Dropping a pawn lowers the pawns in hand, but not your captured-pawn count.
FAQ
Do I need checkmate?
No. The moment you have captured five pawns, you win.
Does capturing a tokin count?
Yes. Capturing a tokin counts as one captured pawn.
Does dropping a pawn lower my captured-pawn count?
No. Your capture count stays the same, but your hand loses one pawn. If your opponent captures the dropped pawn, their capture count increases by one.
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-09-25 · Run by Qdan, Inc.