How to play Shogi

Each side has one king, one rook, one bishop, two golds, two silvers, two knights, two lances and nine pawns. Pawns fill the third rank; the other pieces occupy the back two ranks. Both hands start empty.

• 玉

  King

  The king moves one square in any direction, without moving onto an attacked square.

• 飛

  Rook

  Move straight; promotion adds a one-square diagonal step.

• 角

  Bishop

  Move diagonally; promotion adds a one-square straight step.

• 金

  Gold & silver

  Gold moves one square in any direction except diagonally backward. Silver moves one square diagonally or straight forward; a promoted silver moves as gold.

• 桂

  Knight & lance

  The knight jumps two squares forward and one sideways. The lance slides forward along a clear file. After promotion, either piece moves as gold.

• 歩

  Pawn & drops

  The pawn moves and captures one square straight forward; a promoted pawn moves as gold. Captured pieces return unpromoted to the captor's hand and may be dropped on a legal empty square.

Promotion is offered when a move touches the final three ranks. It is compulsory when the unpromoted piece would be unable to move again. Select a held piece to choose a legal drop square.

Do not drop a second unpromoted pawn on the same file, an immobile piece, or a pawn delivering immediate mate. Fourfold repetition draws unless one side perpetually checks. The entering-king declaration uses the 27-point profile: Sente needs 28, Gote 27.

Checkmate or having no legal move loses. An entering-king declaration also wins when the king is safely in the enemy camp with at least ten other friendly pieces there and enough camp-and-hand points: 28 for Sente or 27 for Gote. Rooks and bishops count five each, other non-king pieces one, regardless of promotion.

A captured piece in hand is still a threat. Before moving your king, inspect legal drops as well as attacks from pieces already on the board.