Introduction to Shogi 
 
Will Maynard 
South Bay Shogi Club 

   
 Introduction to Shogi

Introduction 
Shogi (将棋 ) is the Japanese variant of chess. Western chess and shogi share a common ancestor 
from India, Chaturanga. Consequently, shogi shares many of the game mechanics of Western 
chess.One unique feature of shogi allows captured pieces to return to the board: the drop rule. 
This key difference means that a material advantage is less impactful than in chess; trading a 
powerful piece for a weaker one may be advantageous for a player. 
 
The drop rule became a core component of shogi in the 16th century and marks the last major 
change to the game. Since its addition, the outcome of a match is more likely to be uncertain until 
the endgame. 

Setup 
Board, Pieces, and Accessories 
 
Players sit on opposite sides of a board of 9 ranks (rows) and 9 files (columns), resulting in an 
81-space area. Unlike chess, pieces are not identified by color but rather by their orientation. Each 
piece has a pointed pentagonal shape aimed away from its owner. Each player has 20 pieces. 
Listed by ascending value, these are: 9 pawns, 2 lances, 2 knights, 2 silver generals, 2 gold 
generals, 1 bishop, 1 rook, and 1 king. 
 
A small stand (“komadai”) sits next to the board on each player’s right side to hold captured pieces. 
In casual games, players often use the wooden box that stores the shogi pieces instead. 
 
Initial Board State 

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 Introduction to Shogi

Figure 1. Representation of the board before the game starts. 

 
Pictured in Figure 1, players arrange their pieces in radial symmetry using the following rules: 
● The player places their king in the center file of the rank closest to their seat. 
● Starting from the king to the edge of the board, the player places in order: a gold general, a 
silver general, a knight, and a lance. The player repeats this for the other side. 
● In the second rank, the player places their bishop above the left knight and their rook above 
the right knight. 
● Finally, the player fills the third rank with pawns. 

Determining Player Order 

A piece toss (“furigoma”) determines player order. To do this, one player collects the five central 
pawns and rolls them onto the board. Players reroll pieces that land on their side. If three or more 
pawns land in their unpromoted state, the player who performed the toss is first (“sente”). 
Otherwise, the player is second (“gote”). 
 
Once the player returns the pawns to their starting position, the game proceeds. Players alternate 
turns either moving or dropping pieces until the end of the game. 

Rules 

Goal 
As in chess, players aim to checkmate the opponent's king. Players use their pieces to attack in 
such a way that their opponent cannot move or protect their king. 

Moving Pieces 
There are three types of movement in shogi: 
● Step: a piece moves to an adjacent square. 
● Jump: a piece moves to a space regardless of obstacles. Only an unpromoted knight 
may do this. 
● Range: a piece moves any number of spaces in a particular direction. 
 
Piece promotions alter available movement. Most pieces promote to share the same move set as 
a gold general. The rook and bishop, however, add one step to each direction they cannot 
otherwise move to. Table 1, below, details each piece’s available move sets both before and after 
promotion. 
 
 
 

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Table 1. Detailed information about each piece. 
Promoted 
Piece  English  Kanji (pronunciation)  Movement  Movement 

Pawn  歩兵 (fuhyō) 
と⾦ (tokin) 
 
   
Lance  ⾹⾞ (kyōsha) 
成⾹ (narikyō) 
 
   
Knight  桂⾺ (keima) 
 
成桂 (narikei) 
   
Silver General  銀將 (ginshō) 
成銀 (narigin) 
 
   
Gold General  ⾦將 (kinshō)   

 
 
King  王將 (ōshō)   

 
⽟將 (gyokushō) 
 
Rook  ⾶⾞ (hisha) 
 
⿓王 (ryūō) 
   
Bishop  ⾓⾏ (kakugyō) 
 
⿓⾺ (ryūma) 
   
 

Capturing Pieces 
When a player moves a piece onto a space occupied by an opponent's piece, they capture that 
piece. The player removes the captured piece and places it on their komadai in its unpromoted 
state. The player may later use this piece as a drop. 

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 Introduction to Shogi

Dropping Pieces 
Drops are the driving force behind the complexity and excitement of a shogi game. Because pieces 
are never lost, unlike western chess, draws are rare. Furthermore, a piece’s true value varies 
depending on the board state. Players often trade high-value pieces for minor pieces, saving 
material for drop attacks. 
 
Rather than move a piece on the board, players may instead “drop” a captured piece. To do this, 
players remove a piece from their komadai and place it on a vacant space on the board. A piece 
drop must adhere to the following restrictions: 
 
● Two Pawns (“nifu”): No file may contain two unpromoted pawns for any given player. 
● Drop Pawn Mate (“uchifudzume”): Players may not checkmate opponents with a pawn drop. 
● No legal move: A dropped piece must be able to move on a future turn. For example, a pawn 
dropped on the last rank can never move later, so this is not a legal drop. 
 
Any vacant space is valid as long as a player follows these rules. Additionally, a piece may not 
promote the same turn the player drops it. 

Promotions 
Most pieces in shogi may promote; only the gold general and king do not. When a piece enters, 
exits, or moves within the enemy camp (the furthest three ranks from the player), that piece is 
eligible to promote. To promote a piece, its owner flips it over, keeping the piece pointed at their 
opponent. This piece then remains promoted until captured or the end of the game. 
 
In a situation where a piece would no longer be able to move on any future turn, it must promote. 
For example, when a lance advances to the last rank, it cannot have a valid move on any 
subsequent turn, so it forcefully promotes. 

Check 
When a piece threatens the opposing king, that king is in "check". The king's owner must use their 
next move to protect it if they are able. Options include: 
● Capturing the attacking piece 
● Moving the king to a space where it is no longer in danger 
● Blocking the attacking piece with a friendly piece or a drop 
 
It is not required to disclose check during a shogi game. Contrary to popular belief, chess does not 
require players to say "check", either! 
 
When a player is in check and unable to make a move that would remove all threats to their king, 
they are in "checkmate" and have lost the game. 

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Winning, Losing, and Ties 

Most games end with a checkmate or resignation. Players may resign at any time if they believe 
victory is impossible. This is frequently the case when a player realizes they are on the losing side 
of a tsume, a forced mate sequence. In these cases, one player is able to threaten the opposing 
king with every move until checkmate. Players announce their resignation with the phrase 
"makemashita" (“I lost”). It is impolite to continue playing when loss is inevitable. 

Illegal Moves
Should a player make an illegal move at any point in the game, the game may be an automatic loss 
for that player. This occurs when their opponent notices the illegal move, even if gameplay 
progressed past the error. However, if a match ends with the illegal move unnoticed, the result of 
the game stands. Illegal moves include: 
● Dropping a piece where it would never have possible movement 
● Dropping a piece in its promoted state 
● Dropping a pawn in a file that already has an unpromoted pawn 
● Dropping a pawn to checkmate an opponent 
● Moving a piece to a space that it cannot legally move to 
● Ending a turn with the king in check 
 
Of course, during casual play, it's encouraged to allow players to undo illegal moves! 
 
In tournament settings, each match employs a timer. Like chess, a player who has completely run 
out of time loses the game. There is a short grace period, or byōyomi, once the main timer has 
expired. The byōyomi duration varies depending on tournament rules, but it grants players a short 
secondary timer that resets with every move. Should a player fail to make a move once the byōyomi 
expires, the game ends in their defeat. 

Repetition
The Rule of Repetition prevents moves repeating indefinitely. If a board state repeats on any four 
separate occasions, the game is usually considered to be a draw. If one player is in perpetual 
check, however, the player giving check loses the game. 

Impasse
If both kings cross into their respective enemy’s camp, the game stops and each player calculates 
a score. Each rook or bishop awards 5 points and each other non-king piece awards 1 point. This 
count includes pieces on the komadai. A player scoring less than 24 points in this way loses the 
game. If both players have 24 or more points, the game is a draw. This prevents a long, drawn-out 
game; kings in enemy camps are very difficult to attack. 

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 Introduction to Shogi

Draws in Professional Games

In professional matches, draws are not recognized as valid results. If a game ends in a draw, 
players switch the starting turn order and play a second game using their remaining match time. 

Handicaps 
Handicaps give weaker players an advantage against stronger opponents. Handicaps involve 
removing pieces from the game corresponding to strength differences. For a greater handicap, the 
stronger player removes more pieces. 
 
Typically, a one-piece handicap involves removing either the bishop or rook. A two-piece handicap 
removes both, a four-piece handicap removes the lances, and so on. Handicaps larger than two 
pieces are only used in teaching shogi to new players. 
 
When playing a handicap game, players skip the furigoma and the stronger player is sente. 

Beginning Strategies 
Learning proper openings ("senpō") is essential to improvement when first learning shogi. Once a 
player can recognize each piece and memorize its movement, it is important to study castles. Even 
basic castles reinforce understanding of piece interactions and strengthen early defenses. 

Minōgakoi 

 
Figure 2. The Minō castle 

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 Introduction to Shogi

 
A great castle for beginners, the Minō castle is fast to develop and malleable later in the game. 
Requiring only 7 moves, the Minō is easy to memorize and allows for both offense and defense in 
the early game. This flexibility enables players to adapt quickly to hostile threats. 
 
Players should transition to Minō variants in response to their opponent's attacks. There are 
dozens of common variations to compensate for various weaknesses. 
 
As pictured in Figure 2, a frequent weakness is the pawn in front of the silver general. A cunning 
opponent can threaten the pawn with a bishop and apply more pressure with a knight drop to 
check the king. Unable to capture the knight, the Minō player's king must then retreat. This creates 
a gap in the castle's defense, enabling dangerous drop attacks. 
 
The Minō castle is weak to frontal attacks. 

Anagumagakoi

 
Figure 3. The Anaguma castle 
 
Figure 3 shows a dense castle, the Anaguma. Originally considered an amateur castle, Anaguma 
provides excellent protection for the king. It recently gained popularity among professionals to 
hinder advancing pawns. 
 
It is very difficult to attack the king directly and is also difficult to pin pieces. Unlike the Minō, 
knights are unable to attack the king without breaching the defenses. 
 

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 Introduction to Shogi

Should an Anaguma fall, the king has nowhere to flee. While tough to break, the castle is very rigid. 
Once weakened, an Anaguma's defenses have little hope for recovery. The most attractive 
response tends to be an all-out counterattack. 
 
Finally, due to the compact nature of the castle, adversaries have more opportunities to drop 
pieces in their promotion zone. 

Yaguragakoi

 
Figure 4. The Yagura castle 
 
One of the most common castles, the Yagura is popular for its strength and versatility. Yagura 
players should advance on the right side with pawns and a silver general. The bishop’s diagonal is 
an important offensive support. 
 
The Yagura excels in defense against frontal attacks but has a weak flank. The first rank is 
particularly susceptible to enemy rooks and drops. Another common assault uses a knight to 
force the silver general forward. 
 
Another downside is that the castle takes 13 moves to build. Opportunistic opponents may forgo 
defenses and instead attack the flank immediately. Fast assaults compromise defenses against 
Yagura players focusing only on building a castle. 

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 Introduction to Shogi

Further Improvement 
Every castle listed above has variations which have different strengths and weaknesses. This 
introduction only covers the basic implementation. Aspiring players should seek out more detailed 
documentation or theory related to their favorite castles. 
 
Players should also study recommended move sequences ("jōseki”). Jōseki feature explanations 
for how to add pressure, plan an attack, or avoid blunders. For advanced strategy development, a 
mix of practice and studying tactics is helpful. 
 
Few English resources for shogi exist. Luckily, some prominent figures discuss advanced concepts 
on YouTube. One such popular uploader is Hidetchi (https://www.youtube.com/user/HIDETCHI). 

Manners & Proper Etiquette 

Shogi is not a game as much as it is a form of Japanese art and is an important component of the 
culture. As such, players should remain courteous and respectful at all times. This applies not 
only to their opponent, but also to the board, pieces, and the room itself. 
 
Players greet each other with the phrase "onegaishimasu" ("let's have a good game"). Additionally, 
when a player realizes they cannot win, they announce defeat by saying "makemashita" ("I lost"). 
 
Players avoid touching a piece unless they intend to move it. Further, players should always plan 
their moves well. Making moves that are intentionally poor or ill-planned is insulting. 

Post-game Review
Once the game ends, the winning player leads a post-game review. Discussion should begin from 
the start of the game and include: 
● Weaknesses in both players' attacks and defenses 
● Turning points 
● Blunders 
● Missed opportunities 
 
Players should never boast or otherwise taunt their opponent during the post-game review. The 
goal of the review is a cooperative reflection that helps each player improve. Afterwards, both 
players should thank each other for the game.   

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Glossary
anaguma,  ⽳熊, ⽳熊囲い  “Bear in the hole” castle 
anagumagakoi 
ban  盤  Shogi board 
byōyomi  秒読み  Secondary timer, used when the first timer expires; 
resets every move 
file  筋  Columns of the board 
fuhyō, fu  歩兵, 歩  Pawn 
furigoma  振り駒  The piece toss; determines player order 
ginshō, gin  銀將, 銀  Silver general 
gote  後⼿  Second player 
gyokushō, gyoku  ⽟將, ⽟  King of the challenger (weaker player) 
hisha, hi  ⾶⾞, ⾶  Rook 
jōseki  定跡  Recommended sequence of moves for a particular 
board state 
kakugyō, kaku  ⾓⾏, ⾓  Bishop 
keima, kei  桂⾺, 桂  Knight 
kinshō, kin  ⾦將, ⾦  Gold general 
koma  駒  Piece, generic 
komadai  駒台  Small stand for holding captured pieces, placed to the 
right of the board from each player 
kyōsha, kyō  ⾹⾞, ⾹  Lance 
makemashita  負けました  “I lost.”; phrase to announce resignation 
minō, minōgakoi  美濃, 美濃囲い  Mino castle 
narigin  成銀  Promoted silver 
narikei  成桂  Promoted knight 
narikyō  成⾹  Promoted lance 
nifu  ⼆歩  “Two pawns”; rule resulting in instant loss for having 
two unpromoted pawns on the same file 
onegaishimasu,  お願いします,  “Let’s have a good game.”; greeting exchanged before 
yoroshiku  よろしくお願いします  starting a game 
onegaishimasu 
ōshō, ō  王將, 王  King (higher-ranked player) 
ōte  王⼿  “Check”; Westernized habit for casual play or teaching
rank  段  Rows of the board 
ryūma, uma  ⿓⾺, ⾺  Promoted bishop 
ryūō, ryū  ⿓王, ⿓ or ⻯  Promoted rook 
senpō  戦法  Opening sequence 
sente  先⼿  First player 
shōgi  将棋  Japanese chess 
tokin, to  と⾦, と  Promoted pawn 
uchifudzume  打ち歩詰め  “Drop pawn mate”; rule resulting in instant loss for 
checkmating with a pawn drop 
yagura, yaguragakoi  ⽮倉, ⽮倉囲い  “Fortress” castle 

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