Shogi rules and how to play: AI, ranked games and rooms

Shogi modes

• Ranked (段位戦): random matches that affect your rank (kyu and dan), with 10 minutes of main time and 30-second byoyomi
• Casual (カジュアル): relaxed random matches that do not affect your rank
• Room match (ルーム対戦): share a room ID and play a friend (you can choose the time control)
• AI match (AI対戦): five strength levels from Novice to Expert (with hints and an evaluation display)
• Game record study (棋譜研究): replay past games and see how the evaluation changed

Basic rules of Shogi

• You play on a 9×9 board with eight kinds of pieces: king, rook, bishop, gold general, silver general, knight, lance and pawn.
• Sente (first player) and gote (second player) alternate one move at a time. You cannot pass (skip a move).
• You win by leaving the opponent's king with no escape (checkmate). A game also ends when a player admits defeat and resigns.
• When a piece enters the opponent's camp (the farthest three ranks), it can promote (成り) and become stronger. Gold generals and kings do not promote.
• Captured pieces become pieces in hand (持ち駒), and you can drop them on any empty square as your own.
• Some moves are forbidden, such as nifu: having two of your own pawns on the same file.
• If the same position appears four times, it is sennichite (a draw). However, if one player caused the repetition by giving check on every move, that player loses.
• If your king has entered the enemy camp, you have 10 or more pieces in the enemy camp, and you have 24 or more points (5 for a rook or bishop, 1 for any other piece), you can declare a win (入玉宣言).

How to play on Asobi Lounge

• Click (tap) a piece to select it, then click a square it can move to. To drop a piece in hand, select it from your piece stand.
• In AI games, the AI judges the position and shows the evaluation, the winning chances and a graph of the game (you can turn this display on or off). In online games, these are hidden from the players for fairness and shown only to spectators.
• When you can promote, the board shows a choice: promote or do not promote.
• For a room match, create a room and give your friend the room ID, or send a friend a game invite. To invite a friend, they also need to create an account and register as your friend.

The five AI levels

• Lv.1 Novice: reads only 2 moves ahead and does not look past exchanges of pieces. For players who have just learned how the pieces move.
• Lv.2 Beginner: reads 3 moves ahead and makes basic attacks.
• Lv.3 Intermediate: reads 4 moves ahead and judges positions by giving them a score.
• Lv.4 Advanced: reads 6 moves ahead and remembers positions it has already examined to read faster. It thinks for up to about 4 seconds per move.
• Lv.5 Expert: reads a little deeper on each pass (iterative deepening) and thinks for up to about 6 seconds per move.

Choosing a time control

In a room match, you can choose no limit, 30 seconds per move, 60 seconds per move, 10 minutes of main time (then 30 seconds per move once it runs out) or 15 minutes of main time (then 10 seconds per move). For your first games with a friend, "no limit" is a good choice. Once you are used to it, try 10 minutes with 30-second byoyomi, the same as ranked games.

Tips

• In the opening, build a castle around your king early (such as Mino or Yagura). Your king will be harder to attack in the endgame.
• Keep material in mind (holding more valuable pieces than your opponent), and think ahead about where to drop your pieces in hand.
• Get used to the piece moves against the Novice AI before you try ranked games.
• After a game, look at the evaluation graph in game record study to find the move where the game turned.

Frequently asked questions

Can I play without knowing the rules of shogi?

If you know how the pieces move, you can play. Start with the Novice AI to get used to piece moves, promotion and drops.

Is there a time limit?

In room matches you can choose no limit, 30 seconds per move, 60 seconds per move, 10 minutes (30-second byoyomi) or 15 minutes (10-second byoyomi). Ranked games use 10 minutes with 30-second byoyomi.

Is Shogi free to play?

Yes, it costs nothing. Games against the CPU and solo modes work right away without signing in. Online play (random matches and private rooms) and saving stats or leaderboard scores require signing in with a Google account. To play with a friend, your friend also needs to create an account and register as your friend.

More board games

• Chess
• Reversi
• Gomoku
• Go
• Connect 4
• Minishogi