Masked Shogi: Rules and How to Play
Masked Shogi is a 2-player shogi variant, about 20 minutes: a piece you secretly chose (your mask) replaces the king, and if it is captured you lose. You cannot see your opponent's. Free, no sign-up.
Objective
In Masked Shogi each side protects a piece it chose itself — the mask — instead of the king. The first to capture the opponent's mask wins.
Setup
- Set up the pieces as in shogi.
- Before the game, tap one of your pieces other than the king to make it your mask, then tap Done. Your opponent cannot see it. Your mask carries an M badge that only you can see.
- When both players are done, Black moves first. In the next game the players swap sides and choose again.
How to play
- The mask takes the king's role: if it is captured, you lose. You may move it into attack or leave it there. When your mask is attacked, only you are told (check).
- The king is an ordinary piece. Losing it does not lose the game, and a captured king goes to the capturer's hand and can be dropped.
- A mask that promotes is still the mask.
- You may give check to a mask by dropping a pawn (there is no pawn-drop mate rule). Everything else — piece moves, promotion, drops, two pawns on a file, pieces with no further move — is as in shogi.
Winning and scoring
- Capture the opponent's mask to win. At the end both masks are revealed.
- You also win if your opponent has no legal move.
- If the same position appears four times, the game is drawn (repetition). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treat the mask as a kingTreat the mask as a kingThe mask is the piece you secretly pick before the game to stand in for your king. Normally (the source rule) you lose when your mask is captured, but you may leave it or move it where it can be taken. Turn this on to treat the mask like a shogi king: you may not leave it open to capture, and the game ends by checkmate, so nobody loses to a careless oversight. | You may not leave your mask under attack, and a checkmated mask loses (like check in shogi). Not in the source (Wikipedia); a house rule that plays closer to regular shogi. | 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
- Mask
- The piece you chose to play the king's role: if it is captured, you lose. It carries an M badge and stays hidden from your opponent until the end.
- Kagemusha
- Another name for Masked Shogi (a 'body double').
- Check
- Your mask is attacked. Only the mask's owner is told. Leave it, and it can be captured on the next move. If it is captured, you lose.
FAQ
Can I leave my mask under attack?
Yes, but if it is captured you lose. A setting makes the mask behave like a shogi king instead (it may not be left in check, and checkmate decides).
Which pieces can be the mask?
Any piece except the king — even a pawn or a rook.
What happens when the mask promotes?
It is still the mask.
Do I lose if my king is captured?
No. The king is an ordinary piece and goes to the capturer's hand.
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-09-25 · Run by Qdan, Inc.