Board games
How to play Hasami Shogi
Trap it, take it.
On the board you played as a child.
A traditional game on a shogi board. Move your pieces up, down or sideways and trap an opposing piece between two of yours to capture it. First to capture five wins. Few rules, quick to start.
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
- 5-15 min
- Ages
- Ages 5+
- Equipment
- A 9×9 shogi board and pieces
What is Hasami Shogi?
Hasami Shogi is an old Japanese game played with a shogi board and pieces. You line up your nine pieces (pawns) on the nearest row, and your opponent (marked と) lines up on the far row. A piece moves any number of squares up, down, left or right. Trap an opposing piece between the piece you moved and another of your own, and you capture it. The first to capture the agreed number wins. Children who have never played shogi pick it up quickly, and between adults it is a real battle of reading ahead.
Playing Hasami Shogi at Kirakuken
- Shogi board and pieces: you play the pawns, your opponent the と pieces
- Pick a piece to see where it can move and which squares capture
- Choose how to win, row captures and corner captures when you set up a table
- Choose the CPU's strength: Easy, Normal or Strong
Rules of Hasami Shogi
These rules always apply at our tables.
- Setup
- on a 9×9 board, the first player lines up nine pieces marked 歩 along the nearest row, and the second player nine marked と along the far row. Players then alternate moves, first player first.
- Movement
- a piece moves any number of empty squares straight along a row or column, like a rook in shogi or chess. It can't jump over pieces or move diagonally.
- Capturing
- if the piece you move and another of your pieces sandwich an enemy piece along a row or column, it is captured. Moving into the gap between two enemy pieces is safe.
- Whole lines
- a straight line of enemy pieces is captured all at once when you close both ends.
- Corners
- an enemy piece in a corner is captured when you block both squares next to it, along the row and along the column.
- Winning
- the first to capture five enemy pieces wins. You also win if your opponent is left with no legal move.
- Draws
- the same position (board and side to move) appearing three times is a draw. At 300 moves, whoever has captured more wins; equal counts are a draw.
Optional rules
You choose these when opening a table.
- Win condition
- besides "first to five captures", you can choose "capture every enemy piece" or "first to lead by three" when opening a table.
- Whole lines
- you can turn off line captures, so that only a single sandwiched piece is taken.
- Corners
- you can turn off corner captures, so pieces are taken only when sandwiched in a straight line.
FAQ
- How many players can play Hasami 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 Hasami Shogi suitable for?
- We suggest Ages 5+. 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 5-15 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