Shogi Rules: How Every Piece Moves, Drops and Promotes
Shogi, also called Japanese chess, is a two-player board game in which Sente and Gote each move 20 pieces on a 9×9 board and try to checkmate the opposing king. Unlike chess, captured pieces are not out of the game: they join the captor's hand and can be dropped back onto the board. On Ttakji you play the standard Japanese rules (本将棋), including sennichite and the 24-point impasse rule.
- Standard Japanese rules (本将棋) on a 9×9 board; Sente moves first.
- Captured pieces are yours: drop one instead of moving (no second unpromoted pawn on a file, no pawn drop that mates at once).
- Promotion is optional in the last three ranks and forced only when a piece could never move again.
- Sennichite: the same position for the 4th time is a draw — unless one side checked on every move, then that side loses.
- Impasse: when both kings have entered the enemy camp, either player may declare; fewer than 24 points loses, both 24 or more is a draw.
The board and setup
The board has 9 × 9 = 81 squares, and the pieces stand inside the squares. Both sides use the same pieces; you tell them apart by the direction the pentagon points. Files are numbered 1 to 9 from Sente's right and ranks a to i from Gote's side, so a square is named like 7f. The four dots only help you find your way.
How the pieces move
There are eight kinds of pieces. Every piece except the king and the gold can promote; a promoted piece is turned over and shows a red character. The diagrams show each piece on 5e with dots on every square it can reach on an empty board.
| Kanji | Piece | Moves | When promoted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 王 玉 | King | One step in any direction | Does not promote |
| 飛 → 龍 | Rook | Any distance along a file or rank | Dragon: also one step diagonally |
| 角 → 馬 | Bishop | Any distance diagonally | Horse: also one step orthogonally |
| 金 | Gold general | One step orthogonally or diagonally forward (6 directions) | Does not promote |
| 銀 → 全 | Silver general | One step diagonally or straight forward (5 directions) | Promoted silver: moves like a gold |
| 桂 → 圭 | Knight | Jumps two squares forward and one sideways; only forward | Promoted knight: moves like a gold |
| 香 → 杏 | Lance | Any distance straight forward | Promoted lance: moves like a gold |
| 歩 → と | Pawn | One step straight forward, and captures the same way | Tokin: moves like a gold |
How to play, step by step
- Set up the 20 pieces of each side as in the diagram. Sente moves first.
- On your turn, either move one of your pieces on the board or drop one piece from your hand onto an empty square.
- Capture by moving onto a square held by an enemy piece. The captured piece goes to your hand, unpromoted, and is now yours.
- When a move starts or ends in the three ranks nearest the opponent, you may promote the piece; a pawn, lance or knight that could never move again must promote.
- You may drop a piece on any empty square, except where it could never move, as a second unpromoted pawn on a file, or as a pawn that checkmates at once.
- Never leave your own king in check.
- Checkmate the enemy king to win.
- A game also ends by resignation, by running out of time online, by sennichite or by the 24-point impasse rule.
Promotion
The three ranks nearest your opponent are your promotion zone (for Sente ranks a–c, for Gote ranks g–i). When a rook, bishop, silver, knight, lance or pawn moves into, inside or out of that zone, you choose whether to promote it. A promoted rook becomes a dragon and a promoted bishop a horse; the other four move like a gold.
Promotion is forced only when the piece could never move again: a pawn or lance on the last rank, a knight on the last two ranks. A piece that is dropped is always placed unpromoted, even inside the zone.
Drops: captured pieces come back
Every piece you capture goes to your hand, on the stand beside the board. On any later turn you may, instead of moving, drop one of them onto any empty square as your own piece. A dropped piece starts unpromoted and can move from the next turn; a drop may give check.
Drops you may not make
A drop is illegal where the piece could never move: a pawn or lance on the last rank, a knight on the last two ranks. Two more rules apply to pawns only.
Nifu: two pawns on one file
You may not drop a pawn on a file that already has one of your unpromoted pawns. A tokin (promoted pawn) does not count.
Uchifuzume: no pawn-drop mate
You may not drop a pawn that checkmates at once. A pawn drop that gives check is fine if the king can escape, mating by moving a pawn already on the board is fine, and mating by dropping any other piece is fine.
Ttakji never lets you make an illegal move. In over-the-board play, an illegal move such as nifu loses the game at once.
Check and checkmate
A king that is attacked is in check, and its owner must answer at once: move the king, capture the attacker, or block the line (a drop can block too). If no answer exists, it is checkmate and the game is over.
How a game ends
Most games end by checkmate or resignation. A game can also end in these ways:
- Checkmate: the player who is mated loses.
- Resignation: you may resign at any time.
- Time (online): if all your time runs out, you lose.
- Sennichite: the same position for the 4th time is a draw (perpetual check loses).
- Impasse: a declaration under the 24-point rule.
- Agreement: both players accept a draw offer.
- Move limit: at 400 moves the game is a draw, or decided by the 24-point count if both kings are in their zones.
A player who has no legal move while not in check loses; with drops this almost never happens.
Sennichite (repetition)
If the same position — the board, both hands and the player to move — appears for the fourth time, the game is drawn. Ttakji detects it automatically.
If one player gave check with every move since the position first appeared, that player loses instead (perpetual check).
Impasse: both kings in the enemy camp
When both kings have entered their promotion zones, checkmate is often impossible. Then either player may, on their turn and when not in check, declare impasse.
Count the points on the board and in hand: rook and bishop (also promoted) 5 each, every other piece except the king 1 each — 54 in all, 27 per side at the start. A player with fewer than 24 points loses; if both have 24 or more, the game is a draw. Other places sometimes use a different impasse rule; on Ttakji this one always applies.
The "Declare" button appears only while both kings are in their zones. Before you confirm, it shows both counts and the result.
Reading the move list
Ttakji writes moves in Western notation: the piece letter, then - for a move or x for a capture, the target square, and + (promote) or = (declined); a drop is the letter, * and the square. The starting square is added only when two identical pieces could go to the same square. P-7f is a pawn moving to 7f; S*5b drops a silver on 5b. In Japanese the move list uses the ▲７六歩 style.
Basic strategy
Five ideas that help beginners win:
Build a castle first
Before you attack, move your king away from the centre and surround it with golds and silvers. Two common shapes are the Yagura castle, used when the rook stays on its starting file, and the Mino castle, used when the rook swings to the other side.
Use the rook and bishop
They are your strongest pieces. Open the bishop's diagonal early (the common first move P-7f does that) and aim the rook at the file you attack. Trading bishops is common, but a bishop in your opponent's hand can be dropped anywhere, so check the squares near your king first.
Keep pawns in hand
A pawn in hand lets you block an attack or start your own attack. Run out of pawns and your defence gets thin — and remember nifu: you cannot drop a pawn on a file where you already have one.
Count attackers and defenders
An attack works when more of your pieces reach the enemy king than defend it. Every piece you capture is one more drop for you, and every piece you lose is one more drop against you.
Promote at the right time
Promoting a rook, bishop or pawn is almost always good. A silver or knight sometimes works better unpromoted — a promoted silver loses its diagonal backward steps — so you may decline.
Shogi vs janggi, xiangqi and chess
Shogi, janggi, xiangqi and chess all come from the same ancient family and are won by checkmate, but they play very differently:
| Rule | Shogi | Janggi | Xiangqi | Chess |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Board | 9×9, 81 squares | 9×10 lines, 90 points, with a palace | 9×10 lines, 90 points, river and palace | 8×8, 64 squares |
| Pieces | 20 each, in the squares | 16 each, on the intersections | 16 each, on the intersections | 16 each, in the squares |
| First move | Sente (▲) | Cho (楚) | Red | White |
| Captured pieces | Go to your hand and can be dropped back | Leave the game | Leave the game | Leave the game |
| Promotion | Most pieces, in the last three ranks | None | None (soldiers gain a sideways move after the river) | Pawn on the last rank |
| King | Anywhere, one step | Stays in the palace | Stays in the palace; generals may not face each other | Anywhere, one step; castling |
| No legal move | Loss (almost never happens) | No stalemate: the player passes | Loss | Stalemate is a draw |
| Game without checkmate | Sennichite draw, 24-point impasse, 400-move limit | Decided by points (Han +1.5) | Draw by repetition or agreement; on Ttakji perpetual check loses | Draw by repetition, agreement and other rules |
Janggi, xiangqi and makruk (Thai chess) are on Ttakji too: Janggi · Xiangqi · Makruk
Playing on Ttakji
- Against the AI there is no clock, you can take back moves, you choose Easy, Normal or Hard, and you play Sente, Gote or a random side.
- Move dots: small dots on each tile show where it can go. They are on by default against the AI except in Japanese, off in online games, and you can switch them anywhere; your choice is saved on this device.
- Online and friend games use 5 minutes of main time plus 3 byo-yomi periods of 30 seconds. Once main time is up, you have 30 seconds per move, and each period you let run out is used up.
- If all your time runs out, you lose. Your clock keeps running while you are disconnected.
- Sente and Gote are assigned at random and swap on every rematch.
- You can resign, offer a draw (3 times per game) or declare impasse when it is allowed. Sennichite is detected automatically. Undo is only available against the AI.
- Ranked shogi games use their own Elo rating, starting at 1,200, and require a Google sign-in.
Frequently asked questions
Is Shogi on Ttakji free? Do I need to install anything?
Yes. It is free and runs in your browser with nothing to install. Choose a nickname to play the AI, a random opponent or a friend by link. Sign in with Google only for ranked games and the leaderboard. When no other player is available, some random-match opponents may be AI.
How do drops work in shogi?
A piece you capture goes to your hand and changes sides. On any later turn, instead of moving, you can drop one hand piece onto any empty square, unpromoted — even right next to the enemy king.
Can I drop a pawn to give checkmate?
No. A pawn drop that checkmates at once is illegal (uchifuzume). You may drop a pawn to give check if the king can escape, mate by pushing a pawn already on the board, or mate by dropping any other piece. You also may not drop a pawn on a file where you already have an unpromoted pawn (nifu).
When do pieces promote, and do I have to?
A rook, bishop, silver, knight, lance or pawn may promote when a move starts or ends in the three ranks nearest the opponent. It is your choice, except that a pawn or lance on the last rank and a knight on the last two ranks must promote. Kings and golds never promote, and dropped pieces are placed unpromoted.
How does a game of shogi end?
Usually by checkmate or resignation. It can also end by running out of time online, by sennichite (a draw by repetition), by the 24-point impasse rule when both kings have entered the enemy camp, by an agreed draw, or as a draw at the 400-move limit.
What is sennichite?
Sennichite is a draw by repetition: when the same position — the board, both hands and the player to move — appears for the fourth time, the game is drawn. If one player gave check on every move of the repetition, that player loses instead. Ttakji detects it automatically.
What happens when both kings enter the enemy camp?
When both kings stand in their promotion zones, either player may declare impasse on their turn if not in check. Rook and bishop count 5 points each and every other piece except the king 1 point, on the board and in hand. A player with fewer than 24 points loses; if both have 24 or more, it is a draw.
Is shogi the same as chess?
No. Both descend from the same ancient Indian game and are won by checkmate, but shogi uses a 9×9 board and 20 pieces each, captured pieces come back as drops, and promotion happens in the last three ranks. A player with no legal move loses instead of drawing, which almost never happens.
How is shogi different from janggi and xiangqi?
Janggi and xiangqi are played on the intersections of a 9×10 board with a palace (xiangqi also has a river), and captured pieces leave the game. Shogi is played inside the squares of a 9×9 board, has no palace, lets pieces promote, and returns captured pieces as drops. All three are on Ttakji.
I can't read the kanji on the pieces. Can I still play?
Yes. Select a piece and its legal squares light up, and the "Move dots" option prints small dots on every tile showing the directions it can move. Move dots are on by default against the AI (except in Japanese) and can be switched anywhere. The table on this page lists every piece with its kanji.
Can I play shogi alone against the computer? How strong is the AI?
Yes. The AI runs in your browser on three levels and needs no account. Easy and Normal suit beginners; Hard is strong for beginners and casual players, but not for experienced club players. You can take back moves against the AI.
Who moves first, and what are sente and gote?
Sente (先手, ▲) moves first and Gote (後手, △) second. Both sides' pieces look the same and are told apart by the direction they point. Online, sides are assigned at random and swap on every rematch.