What is Shogi?

Shogi, sometimes called Japanese Chess, is a strategy board game invented and played in Japan. It is based on Chaturanga, an ancient Indian board game that eventually became chess in Europe. Shogi developed in its first form over 1,000 years ago, and its modern form was played as early as 400 years ago, with the oldest recorded game between Sansa Honinbou and Soukei Ohashi dating to June 1607!

Shogi is played between two players on a 9?9, or 81 squared, board with 20 pieces, 8 different types of pieces, per player. The objective of the game is to checkmate, or in some cases capture, the opponent?s king before he or she does the same to yours.

In shogi, pieces that have been captured can be dropped, or put back into play, so the board rarely ever becomes empty like it does in chess. This means that maneuvering pieces correctly requires the same amount of care throughout every phase of the game. It also means that losing material doesn?t just mean you lost it ? it means your opponent has gained it.

Hopefully with this information, you are interested enough to click the links to the right and dive into the 81-square universe.