Untakeable Silver
Untakeable silver is a handicap shogi game for 2 players, about 15 minutes: one side drops its rook, bishop, golds and lances, but its silvers can never be captured. Free, no sign-up.
Untakeable Silver in 30 seconds
- Set upThe silver side: a six-piece handicap. The challenger: the usual 20.
- UntakeableThe silver side's starting silvers cannot be captured.
- Take turnsThe silver side moves first. Otherwise as in shogi.
- WinCheckmate the enemy king.
At a glance
| Item | This game |
|---|---|
| Players | 2 players |
| Play time | About 15 min |
| Type | Board |
| Ranked play | No |
| Practice against the CPU | Yes |
| Price | Free (no account needed) |
| Rights holder | A public-domain classic game |
| Last updated | 2026-09-25 |
How to play Untakeable Silver online with friends
- Tap "Play with friends"A party is created with a 6-character code. No account is needed.
- Send a link or QR codeShare it on LINE, or just read the code aloud.
- Everyone opens it in a browserOnce 2 players have joined, the host taps "Start".
Rule highlights
Setup, play, winning, and house rules
Setup
- The silver side (starting at the bottom, moving first) plays a six-piece handicap: no rook, bishop, golds or lances — king, two silvers, two knights and nine pawns. The challenger sets up the usual 20 pieces.
- When you play again, the sides swap (you can turn this off).
How to play
- The silver side's starting silvers (marked ∞) cannot be captured by the challenger. They can capture as usual.
- An untakeable silver may promote, but the promoted silver loses its power and can be captured. Declining promotion is always allowed.
- A silver the silver side captures and drops is an ordinary silver.
- Every other move, promotion, drops, two pawns on a file, pawn-drop mate and pieces with no further move are as in shogi.
Winning
- You win by checkmating the enemy king. A king checked by an untakeable silver cannot escape by capturing it.
- 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.
House rules
| Name | Description | Default | Changeable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver side's piecesSilver side's piecesTorazu-gin is a handicap game where the challenger cannot capture the silvers the stronger player sets up at the start. An untakeable silver loses that power once it promotes. Going from the six-piece to the nine-piece and eighteen-piece handicap, the silver side has fewer pieces and the handicap grows. The silver side moves first. | Choose what the silver side sets up. The untakeable silvers are the silvers placed at the start. | Six-piece | Yes |
| Show legal squares | Mark the squares a selected piece can reach. | On | Yes |
| Swap who startsSwap who startsHere the first player is the silver side, so with this on the silver side and the challenger switch each time you play again. If one player is clearly stronger and should always take the silver side, turn it off. | 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 |
Recommendations
Play this game once to write one.
Send feedback or a bug about this game
Request a setting for this game
We publish the feedback you send and what we do about it here
FAQ
How many players?
Two. Playing alone, you can take on the computer.
How long is a game?
About 15 minutes.
Which side is stronger?
Between equal players it is said to be close to even. If the six-piece handicap feels easy, take more pieces off the silver side in the settings.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes. No app is needed — just open it in a browser. You can join the same party as people on a PC or tablet.
Can two people play?
Yes. This game supports 2 or more players.
Rights holder and physical edition
This is a public-domain classic game. The rules follow the standard reference rules.
Related games
Same type (Board)
Same player count
Last updated 2026-09-25 · Run by Qdan, Inc.