Board games
How to play Gunjin Shogi
Read the pieces
you cannot see.
Only you can see what your pieces are. When pieces meet, the referee announces only which one fell. A two-player game of deduction and bluff, racing for the enemy headquarters.
No sign-up, nothing to install. Enter a name and you're at the table. No opponent? Play the CPU right away.
- Count
- 2
- Play time
- 15-30 min
- Ages
- 8+
- Equipment
- An 8×6 board and pieces
What is Gunjin Shogi?
Gunjin Shogi is a two-player game fought with hidden pieces. Each piece faces only its owner, so you never know what your opponent's pieces are. When two pieces meet, the referee looks at both and removes only the loser. The winner stays hidden, so you work out your opponent's pieces from the results. In the old days you needed a third person as referee; at Kirakuken the parlour is the referee, so two players are enough.
Playing Gunjin Shogi at Kirakuken
- Enemy pieces stay hidden to the end. The parlour acts as referee
- Tag enemy pieces with your guesses, like "General?" or "Mine?"
- Set up quickly: pick a template, go random, or reuse your last setup
Rules of Gunjin Shogi
These rules always apply at our tables.
- Board
- 8 rows by 6 columns; the four rows nearest you are your camp. The middle two squares of each back row form the headquarters, which counts as a single square.
- Setup
- both players at once place their pieces on 23 squares of their camp, hidden from the opponent. You have 3 minutes; any squares still empty are filled at random.
- Pieces (23 each)
- the breakdown, strength order and movement are in the “Gunjin Shogi pieces” table below.
- Movement
- one square forward, back or sideways (never diagonally). Tanks and Cavalry may go up to two squares forward. Planes fly any distance along a column, over other pieces (one square sideways). Engineers move any distance in a straight line but can't jump. Mines and the Flag never move.
- Battles
- moving onto an enemy piece starts a battle, and the weaker piece is removed. Equal ranks remove each other. You are told only which piece disappeared, never what it was.
- Exceptions
- the Spy beats only the General. A Mine loses only to Planes and Engineers; it beats everything else and stays on the board. The Flag takes the strength of the friendly piece directly behind it, and loses to anything if that square is empty.
- Winning
- move an officer of Major or above (General, Lieutenant General, Major General, Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel or Major) into the enemy headquarters. You also win if your opponent has no movable pieces left.
- Draws
- the game is drawn if both sides lose all their officers of Major or above, after 300 moves in total, or when the same position appears four times.
Gunjin Shogi pieces
Each player has 23 pieces. Higher in the table is stronger, and the stronger piece wins; equal pieces take each other off.
| Piece | Movement | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Strongest first | ||
| General | One square in any of four directions | 1 |
| Lieutenant General | One square in any of four directions | 1 |
| Major General | One square in any of four directions | 1 |
| Plane | Any distance straight ahead or back, jumping over pieces; one square sideways | 2 |
| Colonel | One square in any of four directions | 1 |
| Lieutenant Colonel | One square in any of four directions | 1 |
| Tank | Up to two squares forward; one square otherwise | 2 |
| Major | One square in any of four directions | 1 |
| Captain | One square in any of four directions | 2 |
| Cavalry | Up to two squares forward; one square otherwise | 1 |
| Lieutenant | One square in any of four directions | 2 |
| Second Lieutenant | One square in any of four directions | 2 |
| Engineer | Any distance in four directions (no jumping) | 2 |
| Spy | One square in four directions; beats only the General | 1 |
| Pieces that do not move | ||
| Mine | Cannot move; loses only to the Plane and the Engineer | 2 |
| Flag | Cannot move; as strong as the friendly piece right behind it | 1 |
FAQ
- How many players can play Gunjin Shogi?
- 2 players. If you're short of players, the host can add CPU players, so you can start a table on your own.
- What age is Gunjin Shogi suitable for?
- We suggest 8+. There's no age check, so treat it as a guide.
- Does it cost anything?
- Nothing at all. No account and no app to install: enter a name and you're straight in.
- How long does a game take?
- About 15-30 min.
- Can I play on a smartphone?
- Yes. It runs in the browser, so the same URL opens on iPhone and Android alike.
- How do I invite friends?
- Open a table and press "Invite link" to get its URL. Anyone you send it to comes straight to your table.
Done reading? Take a seat.
Last updated: 2026-11-03