shogi

Shogi, often called Japanese chess, is a two-player strategy board game in the chess family. It is played on a 9-by-9 grid, with each side starting with 20 pieces. The primary objective is to checkmate the opponent’s king, meaning the king is placed under attack with no legal escape. A distinctive feature of shogi is the ability to reuse captured pieces by dropping them back onto the board as part of a player’s next move.

Each side begins with a king, two gold generals, two silver generals, two knights, two lances, a bishop, a rook, and nine pawns. On each turn a player moves a piece according to its rules; when an opponent’s piece is captured, it becomes a captive that may be dropped later on any empty square. Drops must not leave the player’s own king in check, and pawns cannot be dropped on a file that already contains an unpromoted pawn of the same player. Drops for other pieces are generally allowed on any empty square, subject to the rules of movement and promotion. A dropped piece is usually unpromoted; it may promote later if it moves into or within the promotion zone.

Promotion in shogi occurs when a piece enters or moves within the enemy’s promotion zone, the furthest three ranks. Most pieces may promote, though promotion is optional for many; pawns, lances, and knights face forced promotion if they would have no legal moves otherwise. Promoted pawns, promoted lances, promoted knights, and promoted silvers move like a Gold General, while a promoted bishop becomes a horse and a promoted rook becomes a dragon.

Shogi originated in Japan and has since spread worldwide, supported by clubs, online platforms, and AI opponents. Variants and smaller-board versions exist, but standard shogi remains the core form of the game.