Shogi
Shogi is Japanese chess, and its most famous rule is the drop. When you capture a piece, it switches to your side and waits in your hand. Later you can place it back on almost any empty square as your own.
This edition is one of the games in Christopher Müller's PaperGames project. The pieces are classic five-sided tiles marked with kanji, each pointing toward the enemy. Play either side against a three-level computer, or pass the screen between two people.
How to play Shogi
Play takes place on a 9x9 grid, and Black (Sente) opens from the lower side. You win by checkmating the opposing King, so that it is attacked and has no way to escape.
Each turn, either move one piece on the board or place a captured one from your hand on a free square. Pieces you capture lose their promotion when you take them. Each player.s hand is displayed in a strip next to the board, with a count for every piece type.
Most pieces have a short reach. The Gold and Silver generals each move a single square, in their own set of directions, a Knight leaps ahead two squares and over one, and the Lance runs straight ahead. Rook and Bishop slide long distances. When a piece enters, leaves or moves within the far three rows, the game asks whether to promote it.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move a piece | Tab to the board, arrows to a square, Enter on piece then target | Click a piece, then a square | Tap a piece, then a square |
| Drop from hand | — | Click a piece in your hand row, then an empty square | Tap a hand piece, then an empty square |
| Promotion choice | — | Click Promote or Don't promote | Tap Promote or Don't promote |
| New game, undo, resign | — | Use the side, level, New game, Undo and Resign buttons | Tap the same buttons |
Tips
- Guard your King early. Shift it a few squares toward one side and wall it in with Gold and Silver generals before you go on the attack.
- Pieces in hand are a threat by themselves. A captured Silver can appear right beside the enemy King, so trades are never just even.
- Promoting a Silver or Knight is not always best. The unpromoted version sometimes moves in a way that suits your attack better.
- Advancing and trading a pawn opens a file for your Rook and puts a pawn in your hand for later.
- Empty squares near your own King are drop targets for your opponent. Keep them covered.
If you like Shogi, try these
XiangqiAsian chess continues with a river across the board, a palace for the general and cannons that jump to capture.
Chess vs ComputerWestern chess has no drops, but this engine shows its thinking and offers hints while you play White.
Questions
What are the drop rules in Shogi?
You cannot drop a pawn or lance on the last row or a knight on the last two rows. You also cannot drop a pawn on a column where you already have an unpromoted pawn, or use a pawn drop to give checkmate.
Can a Shogi game be a draw?
Yes. If the same position, with the same hands and the same player to move, comes up a fourth time, it is a draw. If one player was checking on every move of that loop, that player loses instead.
Is promotion ever forced?
Yes, when a piece would have no legal moves left without it, such as a pawn reaching the last row. The game then promotes it for you.
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