Basic Shogi Openings and Standard Moves for Beginners
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When starting out with Shogi, understanding the overall flow of the game will put you at ease. Beginners who learn the victory conditions and forbidden illegal moves first can enjoy their matches without confusion.
Victory Conditions and Essential Illegal Moves to Know
Shogi is played on a 9×9 board with 81 squares. Players take turns moving pieces, and whoever traps the opponent's king so it cannot escape—achieving checkmate—wins. Captured pieces become pieces in hand and can be dropped freely onto empty squares on the board.
Figure 1 as text
Gote: 5a king
Gote in hand: none
Sente: 5g pawn, 5i king
Sente in hand: pawn
To move: Sente
Highlighted squares: 5g 5e
SFEN: 4k4/9/9/9/9/9/4P4/9/4K4 b P 1
Be mindful of illegal moves when dropping pieces. As shown here, dropping a pawn in hand on 5e in the same file 5 when your pawn already sits on 5g results in Two Pawns (nifu), which is a loss by illegal move. Placing 2 of your unpromoted pawns on the same vertical file is not the only violation; drop pawn mate, where a dropped pawn delivers checkmate to the opponent's king, is also a loss by illegal move. In addition, dropping a piece that only moves forward onto a square where it has piece with no moves is forbidden.
Play in the app
Putting concepts into practice is the fastest way to learn. Play complete games against the on-device AI even without an internet connection.
Basic Opening Patterns: Joseki and Castles
Beginners who have just learned the rules will find direction by studying joseki, the standard opening patterns. Joseki is the accumulated wisdom passed down through generations representing rational ways to develop your pieces.
In the opening, rather than launching an immediate attack, focus on building a castle to protect your king. Gather your gold general and silver general around the king to solidify your defense before fighting. Keep these core points in mind:
- Push pawns to clear diagonal and straight paths for major pieces like the rook and bishop.
- Move the king away from its starting square and build a solid castle shielded by gold and silver generals.
- Maintain a balance between attack and defense, expanding your formation steadily without overextending.
Figure 2 as text
Gote: 9a lance, 8a knight, 7a silver, 3a silver, 2a knight, 1a lance, 8b rook, 5b gold, 4b king, 3b gold, 2b bishop, 9c pawn, 7c pawn, 6c pawn, 5c pawn, 4c pawn, 2c pawn, 1c pawn, 3d pawn, 8e pawn
Gote in hand: none
Sente: 7f pawn, 9g pawn, 8g pawn, 6g pawn, 5g pawn, 4g pawn, 3g pawn, 2g pawn, 1g pawn, 8h bishop, 6h rook, 5h gold, 3h silver, 2h king, 9i lance, 8i knight, 7i silver, 6i gold, 2i knight, 1i lance
Sente in hand: none
To move: Gote
Last move: 4i→5h
Highlighted squares: 2h 3h 5h
SFEN: lns3snl/1r2gkgb1/p1pppp1pp/6p2/1p7/2P6/PP1PPPPPP/1B1RG1SK1/LNSG3NL w - 14
Aim for a setup like this diagram, moving your king to 2h and fortifying it with a silver general on 3h and a gold general on 5h. Securing your king before attacking establishes a steady rhythm and lets you calmly expand your position.
Practice with AI Matches While Preventing Illegal Moves
Beginners who just learned the rules can build intuition by playing with smartphone Shogi apps. In apps like Shogi: The Grand Court, the system prevents you from making illegal moves, so you can play without worrying about mistakes like Two Pawns (nifu).
Because the AI thinks directly on your device, you can play full matches offline. Start by choosing an introductory-level daimyo opponent and test your newly learned joseki at your own pace.
After a game, open the saved game record to review the match move by move. Checking whether you built your intended castle during the opening will naturally guide your improvement.
Frequently asked questions
Can I always choose whether to promote a piece or keep it unpromoted?
Whenever a move allows promotion, you may choose whether to promote. However, this only applies when entering, moving within, or exiting the promotion zone. In addition, when moving a forward-only piece to a square where it would otherwise have no legal moves, you must promote; leaving it unpromoted is an illegal move.
Which pieces should I move first during the opening?
In the opening, it is best to push pawns to open lines for your rook and bishop, and move pieces to safeguard your king. Standard Shogi joseki emphasizes opening diagonals and files for major pieces while gathering gold and silver generals around the king to form a protective castle, rather than rushing into an immediate attack.
Must I always move the king when placed in check?
You can deal with check in ways other than moving the king directly. When checked, in addition to stepping the king to an empty safe square, you can capture the checking piece or drop a piece in hand between the king and the attacker as an interposition to block the check.
How is a game resolved if sennichite occurs?
When the same position repeats, sennichite is reached and the game is ruled a draw. However, if this repetition is caused by continuous checks—known as perpetual check—the game does not end in a draw, and the player giving check suffers a loss by illegal move.
Play in the app
Become a mechanical daimyo and battle through 50 Sengoku court matches in the Shogi app Shogi: The Grand Court. Free to start, with in-app purchases available.