Dojo Kakugen 81 is the first shogi club in Cyprus.
Here beginners can learn the rules, while experienced players can find new opponents.
Shogi, also known as Japanese chess, is part of Japanese culture and often appears in anime and manga.
Kakugen 81 holds online classes, in-person meet-ups, and tournaments. Anyone aged five or over can play.
Shogi develops concentration and strategic thinking. To win, players need to think several moves ahead, adapt their strategy as the game unfolds and find creative solutions.
Welcome to the world of shogi!
History
Shogi, or Japanese chess, originated in Japan around the 15th–16th centuries. It is believed to have developed from the Indian game chaturanga, which spread across Asia and gradually evolved local variations. The earliest surviving shogi pieces date from the 11th century.
Over time, the rules changed and different forms of the game emerged. The standard 9×9 board used today had become established by around the 16th century.
In the 20th century, the Japan Shogi Association was founded, and today the game is becoming increasingly popular in other countries. Shogi Day is celebrated in Japan every year on 17 November.
Shogi Rules
Shogi Etiquette
- Onegai shimasu
- At the start of the game
- At the start of the game, both players say “Onegai shimasu”, a polite expression roughly meaning “Please play a good game with me”.
- Makemashita
- The moment of defeat
- When a player realises that they have lost, they say “Makemashita”, meaning “I have lost”.
- Arigato gozaimashita
- The end of the game
- At the end of the game, both players say “Arigato gozaimashita”, meaning “Thank you very much”, and bow to one another.
Setting Up the Game
The senior player (the more experienced player) opens the box containing the shogi pieces.
The senior player places their king on the board. After that, the junior player places the other king. The players then take turns placing the remaining pieces.
Once all the pieces have been set up correctly, the senior player returns any spare pieces to the box.
To decide who goes first, the senior player takes five pawns, shakes them in their hands and drops them onto the board or table.
If three or more face-up pawns are showing, the senior player goes first. If three or more flipped pawns are showing, the junior player goes first.
Shogi has four possible actions: moving a piece, promoting a piece, capturing an opponent’s piece, and dropping a captured piece.
Piece Names and Movements
Promoting Pieces
Shogi pieces can be promoted by turning them over. The opponent’s camp is the promotion zone. Promotion is usually optional, so the player may choose whether or not to promote the piece. Once promoted, a piece cannot be flipped back.
However, a pawn or lance must be promoted when it reaches the furthest row from its starting point. A knight must be promoted when it reaches either of the two furthest rows.
Capturing Pieces
Dropping Pieces
Instead of moving a piece already on the board, a player may drop one of their pieces in hand onto an empty square.
The game ends in a draw if the same position is repeated four times, or each king has entered the opponent’s camp and neither player has a realistic chance of checkmating the other.
Illegal Moves
Dropping a pawn in order to immediately checkmate the opponent’s king
Dropping or moving a piece to a square from which it could have no legal move
Dropping a pawn into a file that already contains another pawn belonging to the same player
Moving a piece in a way that is not permitted by its movement rules
Playing out of turn
If a player makes an illegal move, they lose the game.
Tidying Up
After the game, both players count all the pieces to make sure that none are missing and return them to the box.
Useful Links
- 81Dojo — international online shogi server
- Lishogi — free, open-source online shogi server
- Shogi Wars — mobile app for playing shogi
- Federation of European Shogi Associations
- HIDETCHI — shogi tutorial videos on YouTube