Shogi, for players coming from outside Japan
Japan’s chess, played on a battlefield where captures never leave the game.
Shogi shares chess’s DNA — a king to protect, an army to command — but adds an idea chess never had: the pieces you capture become your own. This guide starts from zero and builds up the rules, the board, and the mindset, one page at a time.
The full starting position — every piece explained in Board & Setup.
Captured pieces come back to life
Take an opponent's piece and it joins your army. Drop it back onto almost any empty square, on your turn, as your own. Nothing in chess prepares you for how this changes the game.
Weak pieces become strong ones
Push a piece into enemy territory and it promotes — a plodding pawn becomes a general, a bishop becomes a piece that threatens the whole board.
No draws to hide behind
Shogi has no equivalent of stalemate. Games are decided by checkmate almost every time, which makes the endgame the most exciting part.
Everything you need, in order
Nine short guides, from your first look at the board to the phrases you’ll hear at a dojo. Read them in sequence, or jump straight to what you need.
What Is Shogi
History, and how it differs from chess.
Board & Setup
Reading the board and the starting position.
How Pieces Move
All eight piece types, one at a time.
Promotion
Turning weak pieces into strong ones.
Rules of Play
Turns, captures, drops, and winning.
Beginner Strategy
Castles, opening ideas, first tactics.
Etiquette & Culture
The manners that surround the game.
Glossary
Japanese terms you'll hear at the board.
Keep Learning
Apps, books, and where to play next.