Shogi Rules: 8 Piece Moves and Basic Play

For those just starting Shogi, here is a summary of the essential rules. Let us look step by step at how pieces move on the board and how to trap the opponent's king.

Conclusion: Shogi is a game where you learn the movements of 8 kinds of pieces, reuse captured pieces, and win by being the first to checkmate the opponent's king.

Shogi Rules and the 8 Basic Pieces

The basic rules of Shogi are the set of regulations for moving 8 kinds of pieces on a 9x9 board to capture the opponent's king.

Figure 1 as text

Gote: none

Gote in hand: none

Sente: 5e king

Sente in hand: none

To move: Sente

Highlighted squares: 5e 4d 4e 4f 5d 5f 6d 6e 6f

SFEN: 9/9/9/9/4K4/9/9/9/9 b - 1

This diagram shows the 9 squares reachable by the king located at 5e in the center of the board. The king can move 1 square in any direction—forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally—but cannot move to a square covered by an opponent's piece.

Basic Move Procedure and Defense Against Attacks

The basic flow of playing a Shogi match consists of advancing a pawn to open paths, establishing defenses, and then attacking the opponent's camp.

1. On move 1, advance a pawn to open the bishop's or rook's path, making it easier for pieces to move forward.
2. Move the king from its initial square to a safe location, and build a castle with gold and silver generals for defense.
3. Advance silver generals and knights to the frontline, aiming to break through the opponent's camp and start an attack.
4. Promote pieces that enter the promotion zone to increase fighting strength and close in on the opponent's king.

This diagram shows the position after Sente pushes the pawn at 7f on move 1. Pushing the square at 7f opens the diagonal line for the bishop at 8h, making it easier to seize the opening initiative.

Countermeasures When Under Attack

When opponent pieces approach your camp, do not panic into attacking; receive them with defensive pieces. Leaving the king on its starting square invites focused attacks, so build a solid formation like the Mino castle and use your gold and silver generals to firmly meet enemy offensive pieces.

Try this procedure in the computer matches (offline) of Grand Court. The opponent offers 6 levels from beginner to master, and because it thinks inside the device, you can play through to the end even without a signal.

Play in the app

The fastest way to understand concepts you read about is to test them in play. You can play against the computer, which thinks on the device, all the way to the end without an internet connection.

Role Comparison and Features of the 8 Pieces

Comparing piece roles means understanding differences in mobility and direction, using each piece appropriately according to the board situation.

This diagram shows the Hon-Mino castle setup where Sente moves the king to 2h, protected by the silver general at 3h and gold generals at 5h and 4i. Commonly used with swinging rook when moving the rook to 6h, keeping the king toward the edge with coordinated defenders makes it resilient against enemy attacks.

Piece Setup and Initial Position

Conclusion: Pieces are arranged across the 3 ranks closest to you. Place the king on 5i in the center of rank 1, then expand outward on both sides with gold, silver, knight, and lance in order. On rank 2, place the bishop at 8h on the left and the rook at 2h on the right, and line up 1 pawn on each of the 9 squares from 9g to 1g on rank 3 to complete the 20 pieces.

• Rank 1 (closest): Lance, Knight, Silver, Gold, King, Gold, Silver, Knight, Lance
• Rank 2: Bishop (left 8h) and Rook (right 2h)
• Rank 3: 1 Pawn on each of all 9 squares

There is no official rule for the order of placement, but traditional methods like the Ohashi style, placing pieces outward from the king, are widely used. The opponent sets up the same formation facing you, and after determining Sente and Gote, the game begins.

How to Memorize Piece Movements

Conclusion: You will learn piece movements quickest by pairing similar pieces and remembering only the differences. First, use the king, which moves 1 square in all directions, as the baseline; learn by subtraction that the gold general cannot move to the 2 diagonally backward squares, and the silver general cannot move sideways or directly backward (3 squares). Next, pair the rook, which advances any distance orthogonally, with the bishop, which advances any distance diagonally. For the pawn, lance, and knight, which can only move forward: the pawn moves 1 square, the lance goes straight forward any distance, and the knight jumps to the front left or right 2 squares ahead.

Upon promotion, pawn, lance, knight, and silver general move like gold general, while rook becomes dragon and bishop becomes horse, each adding 1-square steps to its original movement. Practicing with real puzzles reinforces these movements. Try Today's Tsume Shogi 1-Move Puzzle (No.001) to see which piece gives check so the king cannot escape.

Good Moves for Improvement and Pitfalls Beginners Fall Into

Evaluating moves in a match means contrasting good examples that advance while maintaining balance against bad examples that result in illegal moves or isolated pieces.

In Shogi, observing fundamental rules, avoiding fouls, and coordinating pieces is the fastest route to improvement. Verify where your pieces can move and proceed calmly, move by move.

Play in the app

Become a mechanical daimyo and conquer 50 Sengoku court matches in the Shogi app Shogi: The Grand Court. Free to start (with in-app purchases).