About the Game

Shogi (Japanese Chess) is a two-player strategy board game from Japan. Similar to Western chess but with a unique twist: captured pieces can be dropped back onto the board as your own. This mechanic makes draws extremely rare and ensures dynamic, aggressive gameplay.

Basic Rules

1. 1Each player starts with 20 pieces on a 9x9 board: 1 King, 1 Rook, 1 Bishop, 2 Gold Generals, 2 Silver Generals, 2 Knights, 2 Lances, and 9 Pawns.
2. 2Pieces move differently: the King moves one square in any direction, the Rook moves along ranks and files, the Bishop moves diagonally.
3. 3Gold and Silver Generals move to specific adjacent squares. Knights jump in an L-shape (forward only). Lances move straight forward only.
4. 4Most pieces can promote when entering the opponent's three back ranks, gaining new movement abilities.
5. 5Captured pieces switch sides and can be "dropped" onto any empty square on your turn instead of moving a piece.
6. 6Pawns cannot be dropped on a file that already contains your unpromoted pawn (nifu rule).
7. 7You cannot drop a pawn to deliver immediate checkmate (uchifuzume rule).
8. 8The goal is to checkmate the opponent's King. Perpetual check is not allowed.

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