How many players can play 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 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.

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.

Board games

How to play Shogi

Your strategy decides
the fate of every piece.

Yesterday's enemy is today's ally. Capture pieces, then drop them back into play. The traditional two-player game of Japan.

Play Shogi free Play vs CPU

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: 20-60 min
Ages: 8+
Equipment: A 9×9 shogi board and pieces

What is Shogi?

Up is forward (toward your opponent). A piece can move to each red dot. Along an arrow it can go any number of squares until another piece blocks it (only the knight, 桂, can jump over pieces). Entering the opponent's camp lets a piece promote, and a promoted piece (red character) moves as shown in the bottom row.

Shogi is Japan's traditional board game: two players take turns moving pieces, and the first to checkmate the opponent's king wins. Its defining feature is that captured pieces become yours, ready to be dropped back onto the board. Attack and defence swing back and forth in a game of real depth.

Playing Shogi at Kirakuken

Full rules including drops (with piece stands)
Illegal moves that leave your king in check are blocked automatically
Choose whether to promote or not
Three CPU strengths. Undo is available against the CPU

Rules of Shogi

These rules always apply at our tables.

Winning: checkmate the opponent's king to win. A player who has no legal move on their turn also loses.
Pieces in hand: captured pieces become yours, and on a later turn you can drop one onto any empty square. A dropped piece always comes back unpromoted.
Promotion: when a piece moves into, within or out of the promotion zone (the far three ranks), you may promote it. A pawn or lance reaching the last rank, or a knight reaching the last two ranks, must promote, since it could never move again.
Two pawns (nifu): you may not drop a pawn on a file that already has one of your unpromoted pawns.
Pawn-drop mate (uchifuzume): you may not give checkmate by dropping a pawn. Checkmating by moving a pawn already on the board is fine.
Dead pieces: you may not drop a piece where it could never move again. Pawns and lances can't be dropped on the last rank, nor knights on the last two.
Leaving the king in check: you may not make a move that leaves your king open to capture. When you pick a piece, the board shows only its legal moves.
Repetition (sennichite): if exactly the same position (pieces in hand and side to move included) appears four times, the game is a draw. But if one side was giving check every move throughout, that side loses (perpetual check).

FAQ

How many players can play 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 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 20-60 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.

Open a Shogi table Play vs CPU

Last updated: 2026-11-03