Flanking Shogi: Rules and How to Play
Flanking shogi is a shogi variant for 2 players, about 15 minutes: two moves a turn, and you take pieces by trapping them between two of yours. Trap the king to win. Free, no sign-up.
Objective
Flanking shogi is a shogi variant in which you capture by trapping enemy pieces between two of your own, and the first to trap the enemy king wins.
Setup
- Use a 9×9 shogi board and the usual 40 pieces, set up as in shogi.
- When you play again, Black and White swap (you can turn this off).
How to play
- Each player makes two moves a turn — the same piece twice or two different pieces.
- Moves, promotion, two pawns on a file and pieces with no further move are as in shogi, but you may not move onto an enemy piece; there is no capture by displacement.
- When the piece you move and another of yours trap enemy pieces between them in a straight line across or down, those pieces are captured — a whole row at once. A piece in a corner is captured by occupying both squares beside it.
- Captured pieces go to your hand and can be dropped, but a drop never captures. A piece that moves between two enemies is not captured.
Winning and scoring
- You win the moment you trap the enemy king. There is no check or checkmate.
- 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.
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
- Flank
- To trap an enemy piece between the piece you move and another of yours, in a straight line across or down. The trapped piece is captured.
- Corner capture
- Taking an enemy piece in a corner by occupying both squares next to it.
- Hasami shogi
- A different game played with pawns only. Flanking shogi uses every shogi piece with its usual move.
FAQ
How do I capture?
Trap the enemy piece between the piece you move and another of yours, across or down. You cannot capture by moving onto a piece as in shogi.
Can I flank diagonally?
No. Only straight lines across or down count.
Does a drop capture?
You may drop pieces, but a dropped piece never captures. Only a piece moved on the board does.
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-09-25 · Run by Qdan, Inc.