Shogi (Japanese Chess): Rules and How to Play
Shogi is a board game for 2 players that takes about 20 minutes. Captured pieces change sides and can be dropped back on the board; checkmate the opposing king to win. Free. In-browser. No account.
Setup
- Two players. You need a 9×9 board and 20 pieces each.
- Fill the three ranks nearest you. The back rank runs lance, knight, silver, gold, king, gold, silver, knight, lance.
- On the second rank, place the bishop second from your left and the rook second from your right. The third rank is nine pawns.
- Whoever sat down first plays Black and moves first. Players then alternate, one move each.
How to play
- Choose one of your pieces and move it exactly as that piece moves.
- Move onto a square held by an opposing piece to capture it; it joins your hand. You may never move onto your own piece.
- When a move starts or ends in the far three ranks — your opponent's camp — you may flip the piece over to promote it. Promoting is your choice.
- A pawn or lance reaching the last rank, or a knight reaching the last two ranks, must promote: otherwise it would have no move left.
- Instead of moving, you may drop one piece from your hand onto any empty square. Dropped pieces always arrive unpromoted.
- You may not drop a pawn onto a file that already holds one of your unpromoted pawns.
- You may not drop a pawn so that it checkmates immediately. Dropping any other piece for mate is fine.
- You may never leave your own king capturable. In check, you must escape, capture the checking piece, or block.
Winning and scoring
- Check the opposing king so that nothing saves it — checkmate — and you win.
- A player with no legal move at all also loses, and either player may resign.
- If the same position appears four times, the game is drawn by repetition and is played again.
- The exception: if one player reached that repetition by checking every time, that player loses.
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 | For games that allow a draw, ratings do not change. |
| 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
- Promote
- Flipping a piece over on a move into or out of the far three ranks, which gives it a stronger move.
- Hand
- The pieces you have captured. On your turn you may drop one onto any empty square.
- Check
- A threat to capture the king next move. The player in check must answer it.
- Checkmate
- A check with no answer. The player who is checkmated loses.
- Two pawns
- Two of your own unpromoted pawns on one file. Dropping a pawn to make that is illegal.
- Repetition
- The same position appearing four times. The game is drawn and played again.
FAQ
Do I have to promote?
Not usually — you are asked each time a move starts or ends in the far three ranks. Only a piece that would have no move left (a pawn or lance on the last rank, a knight on the last two) must promote.
What happens to pieces I capture?
They join your hand, and on your turn you may drop one onto any empty square. A promoted piece reverts to its plain form when captured.
Where can I not drop a piece?
Onto a file that already holds one of your unpromoted pawns, onto a square where the piece would have no move, and a pawn drop that gives immediate checkmate.
Can I ignore a check?
No. You must escape, capture the checking piece, or block it. With no answer available you are checkmated and lose.
What happens on a repetition?
The game is drawn, and Play again starts the replay. If one player checked on every move of the repetition, that player loses instead.
Is there an entering-king (impasse) count?
Not yet. Tables that want to end a long game can set a move limit instead.
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-09-13 · Run by Qdan, Inc.