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Learn to play shogi, free

Shogi is Japanese chess, with one big twist: the pieces you capture become yours to drop back on the board. These short lessons on a real board teach it one rule at a time, each with a challenge to solve.

Learn the pieces and their Japanese names, promotion, drops and the rules against them, then your first checkmates. Leo, our AI tutor, can explain any idea on a call.

Start the first lesson5 units · 18 short lessons

What you’ll learn

  1. Unit 1

    The board and the pieces

    • The board · 81 squares, two players and twenty pieces each
    • The king · One square, any way
    • The gold · Six ways: everywhere but diagonally back
    • The silver · Five ways: forward, and every diagonal
    • The rook · Straight lines, as far as it likes
    • The bishop · Diagonals, as far as it likes
    • The lance · Straight ahead only, as far as it likes
    • The knight · Two forward, one to the side, jumping
    • The pawn · One square forward, and it takes the same way

  2. Unit 2

    Promotion

    • Promoting · The last three rows turn pieces over
    • When you must promote · Pieces that could never move again

  3. Unit 3

    Captured pieces and drops

    • Pieces in hand · What you take is yours to put back on the board
    • The drop rules · Two pawns, nowhere to go, and the pawn-drop mate

  4. Unit 4

    Check and checkmate

    • Check · Attacking the king, and getting out of it
    • Mate in one (1手詰) · Trap the king in a single move
    • Mate in three (3手詰) · Check, their answer, then mate

  5. Unit 5

    Playing a game

    • Starting a game · Open lines, choose your rook, build a castle
    • How a game ends · Mate, resigning, and two rare draws

Stuck? Ask Leo

Our AI tutor explains any lesson on a voice call, in English or Japanese.

Meet Leo

Questions

Is it really free?

Yes. Every lesson and challenge is free, and you can start without an account. Sign up (also free) to keep your stars on any device.

Do I need to know chess first?

No. The course starts from the board and the pieces. If you know chess, you will recognise some moves, and the lessons point out what is different.

Are the pieces shown in Japanese?

Yes. The board uses the real pieces with their kanji, and the lessons show each piece’s kanji next to its English name.

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