All About the Shogi Pieces

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Cover Page.
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All About the Shogi Pieces
Articles from Shogi magazine.
March 2021
Table of Contents
[3] Introduction.
[8] All About the King.
[31] All About the Bishop.
[66] All About the Gold.
[89] All About the Silver.
[105] All about the Lance.
[117] All About the Knight.
[148] Glossary of Shogi Terms.
[154] Computer Shogi.
[165] Shogi Equipment.
[169] Bibliography and other Shogi Resources.
Introduction.
This document is an edited compilation of a series of
articles about the individual Shogi pieces from Shogi
magazine.1,2 The articles are by by Teruichi Aono and
Harada Yashou (trans. John Fairbairn). The articles
concentrate on acquiring a feel for a piece rather than
rote learning of difficult and unnecessary details.
I am grateful to the copyright owners for granting
permission to make this compilation available to a wider
audience.
The rationale for creating the document in the first place
was that I wished to gather together in one convenient
place, otherwise scattered material in order that I could
easily carry the material around with me when traveling.
My editing has been as 'light' as possible:
In order to achieve a consistent and 'sensible' layout in
this document, I have made some changes in the
numbering and position of the diagrams in the original
texts – within each section, diagrams are numbered:
Figure 1, Figure 2, etc. In some cases, I have introduced
additional diagrams (in particular where alternatives to
1 Material adapted from Shogi magazine issues 16-20, 30. Originally published by
George Hodges from 1976-1987. Shogi magazine is available as a zipped download.
Details from: https://tinyurl.com/ShogiPriceList.
2 As far as I can see, there were no articles in this series dealing with the Rook or with
the Pawn.
the main line are explored) – these are usually labeled:
Figure 1a, Figure 1b, etc. I have also introduced a little
more Japanese terminology than in the originals, though
not I hope to excess (see p.i148 for a glossary of
Japanese terms). 
For the purposes of clarity, I have taken some long
sequences of moves out of the text, numbered them, and
presented them separately. I have numbered sequences
of moves individually, in order to facilitate playing
through the sequences with a Shogi program such as
Shogidokoro (p.i154). Playing through sequences of
moves using Shogidokoro enabled me to detect some
errors in the diagrams in the original texts (see next
paragraph).
Where sequences of moves are left in situ, (usually
alternatives to the main line), they are usually flagged
with a (Sente), or a (Gote) rather than numbered. I
have (silently) made some textual changes in order to
clarify the meaning while at the same time trying to
retain the sense of the original text. I have corrected the
very few textual errors I discovered, and also corrected
a few mistakes in the accompanying diagrams (these are
usually explained in an accompanying footnote).
I have added some general information about Shogi –
Computer Shogi, Glossary, Bibliography, equipment
suppliers, etc.
A significant resource used to create this document has
been the Shogi diagram generator at:
http://wormz.free.fr/kifugen/
John Fairbairn's original brochure, Shogi – How to play;
his book Shogi for Beginners; and Tony Hosking's The
Art of Shogi were also consulted while compiling this
material. The book Shogi for Beginners is still in print,
and is a must for the library of any Shogi enthusiast.
This also applies to Tony Hoskings The Art of Shogi.
The late George Hodges published Shogi magazine from
1978-1986. A complete run of the 70 issues of the
magazine is now available as a zipped download. To get
details of how to access these magazines, go to:
https://tinyurl.com/ShogiPriceList
and use the contact details you will find there. 
This is a very valuable archive of Shogi material in
English.
Not used for this document, but also of great interest to
aspiring Shogi players is Tony Hoskings 'other' book – 4
Great Games – a survey of Shogi, Chess, Go and
Xiang-chi – highly recommended!
http://wormz.free.fr/kifugen/
Full details of all sources can be found in the
bibliography (p.i169).
I have used Open Office to prepare the document in
PDF format as this is likely to afford the greatest
portability across devices. The document should be
easily readable on Windows PCs, Android tablets, Apple
laptops iPads, and e-book readers such as the Amazon
Kindle. Whichever PDF reader you elect to use,3 it will
almost certainly have a 'View Bookmarks' facility which
will display a Table of Contents at the side of the
display window, allowing easy navigation through the
document. The 'hand-crafted' (partial) Table(s) of
Contents are provided for the benefit of anyone who
chooses to print the document,4 but they are 'active', and
clicking on a page number from within a PDF reader
will navigate you to the desired page. 
If you read this document and find any errors, typos, or
other schoolboy howlers, please let me know at: 
rjhare@outlook.com.
3 I use Sumatra – it is small and fast. Available from the PortableApps web site.
4 Try printing 4-up, double sided to save paper...
Finally, the image on the cover page is a French
advertising card from the early 20th century depicting
'Geishas playing Shogi'.
Roger Hare
August 2020
All about the King.
(Shogi 17, John Fairbairn)
All the King's men and all the King's horses couldn't put
Humpty together again – think of your King as Humpty
Dumpty, take good care of him, and you're well on the
way to being a better-than-average Shogi player.
Despite the assertions of some, the King is the most
important piece on the board. But that does not mean he
has to run away all the time – just most of the time.
Occasionally (as befits the aristocrat) he may actually
do some work himself and contribute to an attack on the
enemy King.
Of course these Scarlet Pimpernel activities require
more than a modicum of skill. Let's see therefore how
the masters exploit the full range of one of the most
mobile pieces while at the same time wrapping him in
cotton-wool.
In Fig.i1, Gote has just played the drop R*6h, Sente
has to answer this because of the threat of
N*5f, but as he has no pieces in hand, the question is
how?
Figure 1 – up to R*6h
A clever move is called for. Think about this yourself,
because if you understand this thoroughly you will
probably understand all you need to know about the
King's move.
The correct move for Sente is K3i. This is the only
move that frees his Gold (see Fig.i2).
Figure 2 – up to K3i
If Sente plays K2h (see Fig.i3), the Gold remains
pinned, and after N*4e the Silver cannot move
without losing the Gold.
In Fig.i2 N*5f can be met with G3h (followed by
K2h when necessary), and R6i+ is met by K2h,
which works now because N*4f does not tie up the
Silver.
Figure 3 – up to K2h
Figure 2 – up to K3i
The essential points about the King's move in Fig.i2 are:
 It takes the King out of the direct line of fire of the
major piece (a Rook here), and
 It allows the generals to move
The King's move in Fig.i3 does not allow this.
Fig.i4 is another example. Gote's threat here is the
joining Pawn attack of P4h; Kx4h, P*4g; Kx4g
and Sente's Gold is lost (nb: if Sente answers
P*4g with K3i then Rx4i+!).
Figure 4
Sente's move is therefore K3h!
Now what if Gote plays R6h+? Fig.i5 supplies the
answer.
Figure 5 – up to R*4h
Gote has just played R*4h. In such a position novices
tend to play G*6h, no doubt feeling safe with more
generals on the board. However, this loses to P5f+.
The proper move is K7g!, getting out of the Rook's
line of fire.
Admittedly Sente's position is not particularly inspiring,but we are talking about best moves in unusual
situations.
Understanding the King's move on the basis of the two
points above will help you in more difficult situations,
for instance, as in Fig.i6 where Gote has just played
B*5g.
Figure 6 – up to B*5g
Gote's Bishop and Rook are trained on the Gold at 7i
and the threat is Bx7i+; Gx7i, +Rx7i; Kx7i,
G*7h mate.
The main point is that all of Gote's moves are check.
This is the same as being in the line of fire of the major
pieces, so the remedy again is to get the King out of the
way.
The best move is K9h!
Now in the event of Bx7i; Gx7i, +Rx7i the King
is not in check and this gives Sente the chance to mate
with S*9c! ( Kx9c; B*8b, K9b; Bx9a+,
Kx9a; L*9c etc.). Note this mate at one side of the
board is the direct result of a King move at the other
side.
In Fig.i7 it is Sente to move – where?
K1g gets out of the Rook's path and stops G3g with
mate next move. But, as in the previous example, there
is a mate against Gote's King: S*1c, Kx1c; B3a+,
K2d; S*3e, K2e; P2f – look how the King is
used in the mate!
Figure 7
 
Of course in practice, things do not usually fall out as
easily as this...
...Consider Fig.i8. Gote's next move is an example of
the great skill of the 14th Lifetime Meijin, Kimura
Yoshio. Gote has to decide what is the best way to
attack, or of course, if there is no attack how he should
make good shape to block an attack by Sente.
With the advantage of knowing what we are talking
about you may not find this so difficult, but you should
try to work out the true reasons for Gote's next move,
which is – K2b!
Figure 8
Gote does not have an immediate attack, especially as
his opponent is Oyama, who is famous for conjuring up
brilliant defensive moves.
But K2b thoroughly scotches any attack Sente may
have had. Besides taking the King out of the firing line,
though, this move also places it in such an impregnable
position that Sente found it impossible even to know
how to start mounting an attack.
You should now understand the value of the proverb
“Early escape by the King is worth eight moves.”.
Fig.i9 is a position from a 4-piece handicap game Gote
is Iso Kansu, the composer of the famous 611-move
mating problem known as 'Smoke'.
Sente has just played P7e, which has various threats:
if Px7e then R8f and Sente breaks through. If
Gx7e then N7g traps the Gold ( P*7f is next).
Figure 9 – up to P7e
But Gote came up with a famous move worthy of
Kanu's brother the Meijin Sokan: K6b. This single
move demolishes Sente's prospects on the left.
In all likelihood this example will not make a great
impression on you unless you study it deeply, in which
case you should learn a lot. You will see that the King is
being used positively as a piece in its own right. Of
course this is commonplace in handicap openings, and
this is why it is right to suspect that the example may
lack impact. But some-one had to invent this way of
playing, and that was Kansu.
We have got through nine diagrams and a fair amount of
text without mentioning the dreaded sitting King, but
despite admonitions to avoid him he is still a frequent
sight in the London Shogi Club, so we have to drag this
skeleton out of the closet once again...
A sitting King is a King left on or near its original
position uncastled. It is not just a King left on the centre
file, as is commonly thought, for there are some
openings (admittedly rather difficult ones) in which the
King stays near his original square in the centre. He also
has to be unprotected by generals to qualify as a SKFC
(Sitting King First Class!).
Figure 10
In Fig.i10 Sente is about to play P2d, Px2d;
Sx2d, Sx2d; Rx2d, bringing us to Fig.i11:
Figure 11 – up to Rx2d
This looks promising but Sente has left himself exposed
to an elementary counter punch: Gote drops his Bishop
on 1e. This is the Rook-and-King fork (otebisha), which
has the same degree of notoriety in Shogi as the
scholar's mate in Chess. Bishops tend to be exchanged
off very early so that a sitting King can be very prone to
forks. Indeed the power of the Bishop is such that the
King's position in a castle, or his method of moving into
it, is often influenced by what is going to happen to the
Bishops.
A sitting King is also weak against generals or tokins on
the third rank or Rooks on the second rank, but we won't
labour the point. Just avoid a sitting King!
Castles were mentioned in passing two pages back, but
you won't find them discussed in detail in this
document, though they are clearly relevant. Castles are
discussed in detail in another of my reprises of Shogi,
Shoten and Shogi World material – space here does not
allow duplication.
Let's consider a a couple of proverbs:
First, “Keep the King and Rook apart.”. The Rook is
your main attacking piece. Fighting, and therefore,
breakthroughs, come wherever the Rook is. It makes
sense then to keep your King out of that area.
So far so good. But a question Chess players often pose
is why it is alright to place your King on the same side
as the opponent's Rook. Possibly the main point they
overlook is that there are many more castles in Shogi
than in Chess. In Chess, the King is bound by a rigid
and weak Pawn structure and the King's movement is
limited to one or two spaces. In Shogi, however, it is
possible to take advantage of the flexibility to defend
more than adequately against a Rook. In fact, in general
it is not the head (the front) of the King that is weak, but
its ears (the points diagonally forward of it). Only pieces
on the ears can be effectively pinned (by the Bishop)
and of course it is possible to protect the head with
pieces on both sides of the King, whereas the ears can
be protected on one side only. There are other reasons
that you may like to think about yourself.
Another useful proverb is “Drive the King back.”. This
is dealt with in detail elsewhere but to summarise, the
King is most easily mated on the back ranks because
(a) there is less room for him to escape, (b) he is in the
opponent's promotion zone; (c) Shogi pieces are
powerful going forwards but weak going back.
Another piece of sound advice is: “Tie the King up.”, or,
if you prefer, to squeeze the King. Briefly, the King is a
very mobile piece and difficult to catch once it starts
running. Rather than keep on checking the King and
thus encouraging him to start running away from your
then stranded pieces you should try to place obstacles in
the way of the King's escape, gradually narrowing his
range of movement. Kill him with a bear hug instead of
a clout on the head. As an illustration of this, Fig.i12 is
an easy hisshi problem...
Figure 12
The answer is G*3b. Moves such as G*6b are
vulgar!
There is more to say about the King, but as it relates to
the King and the Wall Gold, it is deferred to the next
section 'All about the Gold'.
Finally, some linguistic points.
First, some players object to using the term castling in
Shogi – in fact, the very same term (nyūjō) has long
been used in Shogi. Western Shogi players are not really
borrowing from Chess.
Second, the difference between ō and gyoku. Until just
after WWII both Kings were invariably called, and
marked, gyoku ( ), that is the character has an extra
dot. This character means jewel, but the full name
gyokushō, can aptly be translated as jade general. 
After WWII newspapers began to use ō, without the dot,
for Gote apparently as aid to identification. Sets marked
thus began to be used soon after and where used the
following rules of etiquette apply.
The player of senior status (ie: in a title match, the
holder of the title, otherwise the player with the higher
grade or, if the grades are equal, the elder – but in some
cases other factors may prevail) takes the kamizaor
upper seat, that is the best seat furthest from the door.
He also gets the ō ( ) whether he is Sente or Gote.
However, irrespective of who took gyoku in the actual
game, newspapers and magazines will always show
Sente having gyoku.
There is an exception. In the Ōi tournaments, where the
word ō comes in the title, ō is used for both Kings on
the board.
To round off this section, it might be added that that the
rule for nyugyoku (entering Kings) is that in even games
once both players have nyugyoku, they may at any time
count up according to the conventions of jishogi. What
is not clear is is what to do if one person refuses to
count up and insists on playing on, even though there is
no chance of a win for either player. There are no rules
covering this. In professional games it would be
unthinkable for one player to be just downright stroppy
(Shogi is not Chess!) but in the last entering King draw
between Nakahara and Ouchi, Ouchi refused the first
request from Nakahara to count up and agreed only after
another dozen or so moves.
In handicap games there are again no rules covering
entering Kings but the convention is for it to be a draw
irrespective of the count – provided of course that both
players agree.
Other useful proverbs arising from the discussion:
 A King in front of his Pawn is easy meat.
 Against the Ranging Rook put the King on the 2nd
rank.
 A King in front of a Knight is hard to attack.
 Keep the King off the Bishop's diagonal.
Remember finally to choose your castles with care.
In some amateur tournaments in Japan there is a rule
that the minimum score to achieve a draw in entering
Kings is 27 instead of the usual 24. This is to make it
even harder to get a draw.
In professional games if entering Kings results in a draw
the match is played again. Rules of the different
tournaments vary but normally the re-match is played
with Sente and Gote reversed and with the amount of
time left on the clock from the first game. This also
occurs in the case of draws caused by sennichite.
Summary.
Remember, the King is the most important piece. Keep
it out of the line of fire of the major pieces and give the
generals room to move.
Proverbs covered:
 A sitting King is a sitting duck.
 Drive the King back.
 Early escape is worth eight moves.
 Keep the King and Rook apart.
 Squeeze the King.
 Against an edge King push the edge Pawn.
All about the Bishop.
(Shogi 16, John Fairbairn)
[33] In openings with early fights the Bishop is better
than the Rook
[37] Oppose Bishop with Bishop.
[41] The Bishops diagonal is hard to close
[44] In delayed fights the Bishop is the main performer
[50] The exchange of Bishops is bad for the Ranging
Rook side
[54] The watchtower Bishop is often a good move.
[58] The Peeping Bishop
[60] Wrong-diagonal Bishop
[63] The promoted Bishop see-saw.
[65] Summary
“A weak player loves his Bishop more than his King.”.
That is something you never hear, even though the
Bishop is just as much a major piece as the novice's
favourite piece, the Rook. Novices in fact tend to ignore
the Bishop altogether. Yet if they were to learn to use it
properly they would only be a short step from Shodan.
To help on the way to this magic goal, here is a collec-
tion of several maxims and comments from professional
games which aim to present a comprehensive picture of
what the Bishop can do. Although this picture is pre-
sented in a manner which that is suitable for Western
novices, a lot of what is said here is based on articles by
Harada Yashuo (8-dan).
Let's start by reminding ourselves of a very important
point: The head of the Bishop is its weak point.
Every piece has its weak point (or points). With the
Rook and the King it is the 'ears' (kobin), the squares
diagonally forward of them. In the case of the Bishop it
is the square in front, the head, that is weak. As you
probably know already, many opening lines are based
on attempts to exploit this defect. But once the Bishop
promotes, this defect effectively disappears, which is
why it is so valuable to get a promoted Bishop (or
Rook) in the opening.
Now for the detail:
In openings with early fights the Bishop is better
than the Rook.
This is a very important proverb. Note its full and
correct form, although we usually just say: “In the
opening the Bishop is better than the Rook.”.
Fig.i1 is a Double Ranging Rook opening. Sente has just
played 1iP7d, 2iPx7d; 3iRx7d which Gote has answered
with 4iP*7c.
Figure 1 – up to P*7c
Normally Sente would complete this standard little
pattern by pulling the Rook back to 7f or 7h, but in this
case there is a chance for him to start an early fight to
his advantage. Why? Because he will get a Bishop for a
Rook.
5iRx4d! 6IBx4d │ 7iBx4d see Fig.i2:
Figure 2 – up to 7iBx4d
Although Sente has given up a Rook for a Bishop – a
loss in most novices eyes – he has gained a Pawn
already, and is forking a Lance and yet another Pawn.
Promotion, of course, follows next move – if 8iS2b
Sente plays 9iBx5c+, 10iR*5e; 11i+Bx6c: very good for
Sente – see Fig. 3: 
Figure 3 – up to 11i+Bx6c
Compare how flat-footed Gote's Rook seems.
Another way of looking at this proverb is to say that the
Bishop is better than the Rook if the generals are still on
the back rank. If there is a hole at which the Bishop can
drop it has two paths for promoting into or out of the
promotion zone compared to the Rook's one.
You would do well also to learn an extension of this
proverb: that it is generally dangerous for a Ranging
Rook side to exchange Bishops. Moving the Rook tends
to leave too many holes for a Bishop drop. The Bishop
of course, is a powerful forking piece.
Incidentally, in the example above Gote's 4iP*7c is
obviously misguided. You probably wonder, therefore
what he should do. The normal move at that point would
be 4iS4b to be followed in due course by S3c and
R2b.
Oppose Bishop with Bishop.
In Fig.i1 Sente has just dropped his Bishop at 5c.
Figure 1 – up to B*5c
The most obvious replies (for novices) would be
S6b, G4b or R5b. But all of these allow Sente to
promote his Bishop on 7e or 8f. A promoted Bishop is
reckoned to be worth three generals, especially in
defence, where it is the most useful piece of all. What
else can Gote do?
1i… 2iB*4b
3iBx4b+ 4iGx4b see Fig.i2:
Figure 2 – up to 4iGx4b
Gote can oppose the Bishop with a Bishop: 2iB*4b. If
Sente then exchanges Bishops he can no longer drop at
5c because of the Gold on 4b.
Consider Fig.i2 a little longer:
Figure 2 – up to 4iGx4b
It should be clear that Sente has, in effect, made only
two moves ( P7f and P2f) whereas Gote has made
four (two Pawns, Gold and Silver). In this open type of
opening and at this stage of the game it is bad to lose
even one tempo.
Sente's proper move in the example above would be not
to exchange Bishops after the opening moves 1iP7f,
2iP3d; 3iP2f,5 4iP5d; but to play 5iP2e or 5iP5f.
5 The original text has P2e here – I have assumed P2f was meant.
Note the full form of the proverb is, “Oppose a Bishop
drop with a Bishop drop.”.
The Bishops diagonal is hard to close.
Fig.i1 is a position from a two-piece handicap game.
Sente has just played P4e.
Figure 1 – up to P4e
This is one of Sente's most important moves. If he omits
it and lets Gote get S4d, Sente's Bishop is almost
certainly out of the game and the two-piece handicap is
cut to just over one piece before the game has really
begun.
Indeed Sente will want to use his Bishop actively. Let's
skip a few moves to Fig.i2. This is a standard
development from Fig.i1 in which Sente has adopted the
gintanden strategy (Silvers doubled on the 4th file).
Figure 2 – up to S2c
Notice the half-open Bishop's diagonal and Gote's
Lance on 1b to forestall complete opening of the
diagonal. However,because Gote cannot keep the
Bishop's diagonal closed indefinitely, Sente can win
from here by sacrificing his Bishop to break through
(this is a standard tactic):
Moves from Fig.i2:
1iP5e 2iPx5e │ 11iBx5c+ 12iKx5c
3iP4d 4iPx4d │ 13iS*4e 14iG4c
5iSx5e 6iP*5d │ 15iP*4d 16iGx4d
7iSx4d 8iSx4d │ 17iSx4d 18iKx4d
9iBx4d 10iS*5c │ 19iG*4e see Fig. 3:
Figure 3 – up to 19iG*4e
Of course this proverb does not apply only to two-piece
games.
In delayed fights the Bishop is the main performer.
Fig.i1 is a position from the double (or mutual) Yagura.
Sente has just pushed P4e. This position favours him.
Figure 1 – up to P4e
The reason Sente stands better is that he has a natural
attack flowing from his Bishop on 2f, Knight on 3g and
Pawn on 4e. Gote, on the other hand, has his Silver on
6d and Knight on 7c in poor positions: he cannot attack
with P7e; Px7e, Sx7e because of the Pawn drop at
the head of his Knight.
What is most distinctive about Sente's Bishop is its
position on the right-hand side of the board. There is in
fact another proverb: “In delayed fights, switch the
Bishop to the right.”, which is simply an alternative to
the proverb heading this section. The Bishop has arrived
at 2f in this case by means of a manoeuvre christened by
Kaneko (9-dan) the 'four move Bishop' (yontekaku),
which is common in the Yagura opening. In this the
Bishop goes from 8h in four moves to 2f via 7i, 6h, 5i,
(the first move, to 7i, is called the retreating Bishop –
hikikaku).
A slight digression may be useful here for western
readers. Shogi openings culminate in 'early fights' or
'delayed fights' depending on how long players spend
on their development before initiating the middle game
(usually signalled by Pawn pushes onto the fifth rank
against opponent's Pawns on the fourth rank). Generally
the nature of the opening chosen dictates the kind of
fight, although it is often a feature of Static Rook
openings that they can easily lead to either kind of
game. The Yagura is a long drawn-out opening where
both players are hesitant to attack until the opponent
makes a slip. The middle game has started in Fig.i1 with
1iP4e. 
If Gote takes this Pawn he suffers 3iB7a+,
4iR8d; 5iNx4e, 6iS4d; 7iS4f – see Fig. 2:
Figure 2 – up to 7iS4f
with P3e, Px3e; P*3c to follow.
Therefore Gote has to think of something better. Oppose
a Bishop with a Bishop!
Moves from Fig.i1:
1i… 2iB5c │ 5iBx5c+ 6iSx5c
3iR2i 4iPx4e │ 7iNx4e see Fig.i3:
Figure 3 – up to 7iNx4e
Still better for Sente.
Sente's 3iR2i: it is a common technique to pull the Rook
back to the first route. This is to prevent drops, which of
course are now imminent because middle game
exchanges are in the offing.
It is a golden rule to attack with Rook, Bishop, Silver
and Knight, but in practice this is not always possible.
To be able to achieve this kind of attack, as in Fig.i1,
implies success. 
Let's look at the probable continuation of Fig.i3:
7i… 8iB*4g │ 15iS*4a 16iR5a
9iR2h 10iBx3f+ │ 17iSx3b+ 18iKx3b
11iNx5c+ 12iGx5c │ 19iB6b+ and wins.
13iB*7a 14iR5b │ see Fig.i4:
Figure 4 – up to 19iB6b+
If you can carry out this attack properly all the way
from Fig.i1, you would be at least a strong middle-kyu
player.
The exchange of Bishops is bad for the Ranging
Rook side.
It was mentioned above (p.i35) that it is usually bad for
a Ranging Rook player to exchange Bishops. That
advice has acquired the status of a proverb. But there is
a catch here.
In Fig.i1, Sente is the Ranging Rook side (Central
Rook), whereas Gote has a Static Rook. Gote has just
played P*5d.
Figure 1 – up to P*5d
Although the Bishops are off Sente has nothing to fear.
He has a Pawn in hand, his King is safely castled and
his Silver and Knight on the left are well placed for
attack. On top of that Sente can actually use his Bishop
more profitably than Gote.
Moves from Fig. 1:
1iR8i 2iP6d │ 9iP9e 10iPx9e
3iP8f 4iPx8f │ 11iP*9b 12iLx9b
5iP*8e 6iP3e │ 13iB*9a see Fig.i2:
7iRx8f 8iP*8c │
Figure 2 – up to 13iB*9a
Sente would probably win from here. Although this kind
of attack would probably spring to the mind of most
novices, you should note that switching the Rook's file
is common in Ranging Rook openings and that the
techniques you see here for gaining control of a file with
a Rook and for dropping the Bishop are standard and
should be learned.
So we have seen an example where the proverb doesn't
work. The point is, until about the late 1960's, this
proverb, although obviously never fool-proof, was for
most practical purposes quite correct. Since then
however, Ranging Rook openings have dominated the
professional scene and have been subjected to intense
re-scrutiny. As a result ways have been found of
combating Bishop drops, and the proverb is thus no
longer strictly accurate. Nevertheless, novices would do
well to heed it.
The watchtower Bishop is often a good move.
A watchtower Bishop is a Bishop dropped in one's own
camp but aiming at points within the opponent's zone.
In Fig.i1 Gote is playing the left-side fourth file Rook
with Bishops off. Sente has a Static Rook. This is a case
where the proverb discussed in the previous section
does not apply, but Gote has made life worse for himself
by having just played P7d.
Figure 1 – up to P7d
Although P7d is bad, it is interesting to consider why.
One reason is that it exposes the King's ear (7c) to
attack from a Bishop drop, as we shall see in a moment.
But another factor is that over the past decade (1970's),
as the Ranging Rook openings have blossomed, the
Static Rook side, thrown onto the defensive and thus
forced to find better defensive measures, has generally
come up with better ways of making good shape.
Inevitably then the Ranging Rook side finds it difficult
to start an attack and is prone to zugzwang like moves
such as P7d. The Static Rook sides better shape refers
mainly to the more secure position of his King. The left-
side Mino adopted by Sente in Fig.i1, is a recent
development along these lines. The general principle is
that if the Static Rook side can weather the middle game
satisfactorily, the better position of his King will ensure
his victory in the endgame.
You can possibly guess that Sente's next move in Fig.i1
will be the watchtower Bishop; B*3g (followed by
B*7c; N8e or by G6c; P6e). But had you been
able to spot that move without any clues you would be
regarded as 5-kyu or better. This is a semi-standard test
you can try in the club.
It is worth thinking about the merits of the Watchtower
Bishop and when you have done that, you may well be
able to appreciate the connoisseur's move in the
following figure (Fig.i2). But before leaving Fig.i1,
consider another proverb “If the Bishops are off don't
push the fifth-file Pawn.”. Gote has quite correctly kept
his Pawn on 5c. Had he played P5d he would have
made possible the drop B*3a. This proverb is easy to
overlook but is more useful than novices realise.
Now the connoisseurs move. What is Sente's next move
in Fig.i2? The answer is given in the following text.
This position is from a game played in 1774 between
Amano Sofu (Sente) and Itō Soin. It was one of the
ceremonial 'castle games' played in front of the Shogun
every November.
Figure 2
Sofu's next move was 1iB*1h!
Play continued:
1i… 2iG4b │ 5iS5f 6iG6b
3iS4h-5g 4iK3b6 │ 7iR5h see Fig. 3:
Figure 3 – up to 7iR5h
with a winning advantage.
6 Given as K3g in the original. I have assumed K3b was meant.
The Peeping Bishop.
'Peeping' (nozoki) is a technical term used only of the
Bishop. It refers to a Bishop on the edge file probing
into the opponent's camp. It is of course rather like a
Watchtower Bishop.
In Fig.i1, Sente has just played a Peeping Bishop,
1iB9g (from 8h).
Figure 1 – up to 1iB9g
This is now a standardopening move discovered by the
late Yamada (9-dan). The likely continuation is: 2iR4a;
3iB8f, 4iS4c; 5iS6f, 6iG4b; 7iB6h, 8iG3b; 9iP2d, see
Fig. 2:
Figure 2 – up to 9iP2d
One of the many reasons for pushing the edge Pawns is
to prevent a Peeping Bishop on 1e or 9e. But of course
pushing the edge Pawns allows a Bishop to peep at 1c
or 9g!
Wrong-diagonal Bishop.
A Bishop dropped so that it can never return as a plain
Bishop, to its original square (8h or 2b) is called a
Wrong-diagonal Bishop (sujichigai-Kaku).
It is not especially important except in the wild
openings called after it, eg:
1iP7f 2iP8d │ 9iS8h 10iBx7g+
3iP2f 4iP8e │ 11iSx7g 12iS2b
5iP2e 6iG3b │ 13iB*4e see Fig.i1:
7iB7g 8iP3d │
Fig. 1 – up to 13iB*4e
Sente is grabbing an early Pawn at the expense of his
development.
Fig.i2 shows the start of the Wrong-diagonal Bishop
line of Sakata's Opposing Rook opening. These
openings are out of fashion at the present time (late
1970's).
Figure 2 – up to B*6e
The promoted Bishop see-saw.
Fig.i1 is a tsume-shogi problem. Try it before looking at
the answer: ignore the circles for the time being.
Figure 1
Sente starts with S*7b, K9a; P*9b, Kx9b;
Sx8c+, K8a; B7b+, K9a; +B7c ( P*9b is
illegal), K8a; +B6c, K9a; +B6d, K8a;
+B5d, K9a; +B5e, K8a; +B4e, K9a;
+B4f, K8a; +B3f. 
Using the promoted Bishop like this in a zig-zag see-
sawing motion, Sente captures the Knight on 2g and
then retraces his steps over the circled squares in exactly
the same way. Gote can interpose any number of Pawns
between the Bishop and the King and Sente has to
interrupt his see-sawing motion to capture them, but he
can always eventually resume the see-saw and will, in
the course of time, end up with the position in Fig.i2.
Figure 2
Mate then follows with +S7b, K9b; N*8d,
Sx8d; +B8b. The see-sawing Bishop appears only in
tsume-shogi, of course. There is a similar theme using a
zig-zagging promoted Rook.
Summary.
Here is a list of proverbs which have been encountered
in this section, plus a couple of others which are no
more than corollaries of those already given:
 The head of the Bishop is its weak point.
 In openings with early fights the Bishop is better
than the Rook.
 Oppose Bishop with Bishop.
 A promoted Bishop is worth three generals.
 Withdraw a promoted Bishop to your owb zone.
 The Bishop's diagonal is hard to close.
 Don't put the King on the opposing Bishop's
diagonal.
 Against the Ranging Rook put the King on the
second rank (where it is safer against Bishop
checks).
 In delayed fights the Bishop is the main performer.
 In delayed fights switch the Bishop to the right.
 The exchange of Bishops is bad for a Ranging Rook
side (but not always).
 The watchtower Bishop is often a good move.
 If the Bishops are off don't push the fifth-file Pawn.
Learn also the four-move Bishop, the peeping Bishop
and the wrong-diagonal Bishop.
All about the Gold.
(Shogi 18, John Fairbairn)
[78] Hisshi
[80] Shepherding Finesse
[81] Soft-shoe shuffle
[82] The Flying Gold (Takokin)
[83] The Climbing Gold (Bokin)
[86] The Wall Gold (Hekikin)
[87] The Anchored Gold (Hekikin)
[87] Kintaden
[88] Summary
The Gold is the defender par excellence. The reason it is
superior to the Silver in defence is not just because it
covers one more square – it is also because it covers
two more squares.
Figure 1
Consider the Gold and Silver at the top of Fig.i1. Here,
the Gold covers two more squares. The Gold also
provides complete cover all around it.
But if, as at the bottom of the diagram, the Gold and
Silver move forward one square, the Gold increases its
range by only one square and leaves two weak squares
behind it. In contrast the Silver improves its position
considerably. In short, the ratio of squares covered falls
from 5:3 to 6:5 so that, bearing in mind the weaknesses
behind, away from the back rank the Gold is worth little
more than the Silver. To be exploited fully the Gold
often has to be kept back.
Figure 2
This gives a useful rule of thumb: For good shape keep
the Gold behind the Silver. In Fig.i2 therefore, position
A is normally superior to position B, and C is superior
to D.
There are even deeper implications exemplified by these
two proverbs:
 Pulling back a Gold is often the best move.
 A rear rank Gold is strong against Rook drops.
A perfect illustration of the first proverb can be seen in
the situation from the Bishop handicap game Sakurai vs.
Nakahara in Fig.iA:
Figure A – up to G5c 
Sente's next move was 57iG6g-6h. It is possible to see
many such moves in games of Oyama. His predilection
for pulling back Golds in defence when other players
would probably attack was a talking point when he was
playing.
The second proverb is very important. The position of
the Golds determines whether it is good to exchange
Rooks or Bishops or one for the other. An example will
be given below.
Gold as a defender – yes, that's straightforward, even if
we don't always know how to create good shape. Gold
as an on-the-board attacker – that's much harder to
grasp. But the Gold does indeed have many uses in
attack without having to rely on the drop, and the use of
the Golds in this way is a sure sign of the higher class of
play.
Fig.i3 shows a position from a game between Mori
(Sente) and Tsukuda. We are about to see a perfect use
of the Gold in attack but also an example of very long
range strategy.
Gote's Gold has recently moved from 4a to 5b where it
prevented a Rook drop, and this allowed Sente to drop
his Rook at 4a and promote out to 4d. But Gote has in
mind an attacking role for his Gold on 5b and this
involves harassing Sente's Rook.
Figure 3 – up to R4d+
First, Gote plays Px3g+ then, after Kx3g, G4c.
We now skip a few moves. Suffice it to say that Sente's
Rook was driven back inside his own territory by Gote's
Gold coming up to 3d. It is easy to see how this
occurred. Eventually the position of Fig.i4 was reached.
Figure 4 – up to P6d
The Gold on 3d has done its job of chasing away the
Rook to a useless position (despite its promotion), but
now seems idle. However, Gote's plan enters its second
stage: This Gold next moved via 4d~5d~6e to 74iG7f.
Thus, we come to Fig.i5:
Figure 5 – up to 74iG7f
Moves from Fig. 5:
75iLx7f 76iPx7f │ 85iK5i 86i+Px6g
77iG8g 78iL*8f │ 87iS*6e 88i+Px5h
79iK7i 80iLx8g+ │ 89iKx5h 90iS*6g
81iK6h 82iP6g+ │ resigns see Fig.i6:
83iBx6g 84iP7g+ │
Figure 6 – up to 90iS*6g; Resigns
The reasons Sente resigned were:
1 If Kx6g: B*4i; X5h, N7g; K6f G*7e
mate
2 If K4h: B*5i; Kx5i, G*5h mate
3 If K4i: +Rx6e; Nx6e, G*5h; K3i, S4h;
K3h, B*4i mate
Note that in each variation the Gold is decisive. There
would be no mate if this Gold were a Silver. Note also
that Gote, who was never in danger has not moved his
other Gold off the back rank!
The sequence above exemplifies these proverbs:
 Without Golds there is no defence.
 Without a Gold there is no mate.
 Save a Gold for the last (as in alternate lines 1 & 2
above).
The last of these proverbs is supremely important. In
Fig.i6, Gote was able to win with just one Gold in hand.
Had this been even a Rook or a Bishop he could not
have delivered the coup de grace. You will see
applications of this proverb too in many mating
problems. A Gold is so useful in mating nets that it often
pays, of course, to promote another piece to a Gold.
Accepting that the Gold can also be an attacking piece,
let us now look at three specific ways of using the piece
in this way:
Hisshi.
Figure 1
In Fig.i1 Sente's King is in danger from +Px6h, but
this is not check so that he has time to find a hisshi. You
might think he has mate, but after B4b+,
K2b; G*3b, K1c; +B3a, Gote's King escapes to
1d, exploiting the fact that Sente's Pawn on 2e is over-
extended(play this through on the board to see this).
The right move is G4a! Clearly Gote cannot capture:
K4a loses to G*4b. Gote therefore runs away to
avoid the threatened mate: K2b. Then
B3a+, K1b; G*3b, is hisshi.
Fig.i2 shows another application of this principle. It is
Sente to move. Obviously he has to think about the mate
against his own King.
Figure 2
Here, you must know how to defend against a Gold (a
+P in this case). The only move is P*5h, to gain time.
Gote only has P*6g to maintain his threat but that
gives Sente a breathing space, and he gets hisshi with
G*3b Note the power of Gote's +P on the third rank
even though Sente wins. It is impossible for the King to
run behind it, and it is this kind of Gold that often
defeats a sitting King.
Shepherding finesse.
In Fig.i1, Sente can force a mate by using the Golds as
sheep dogs. 
Figure 1
G*7b is the shepherd's move (okuritesuji) and it wins.
Gote has to take ( Kx7b) but then he is escorted to his
doom in the corner as follows: Rx5b+, G*6b;
G*8b, Kx8b; +Rx6b, G*7b; S*9c, Lx9c;
G*9b, Kx9b; +Rx7b, X*8b; and mate next
move.
Soft-shoe shuffle.
The type of Gold move illustrated here does not have a
special name in Japanese, which is surprising as it is
very common.
Figure 1 – Soft-shoe shuffle
Sente starts with G*4a, K3b; G3a, then he starts
shuffling along the back rank with continuous checks,
gobbling up pieces simply to clear the way for his Rook
to promote and mate: K2b; Gx2a, K1b;
Gx1a, K2b; R2a+ mate.
There are some special terms to do with Golds which
should be explained:
The Flying Gold (Takokin).
This refers to a unique Gold move against the Third-file
Rook Ishida variation (ie: Rook on 7f – it can also
develop from the Twisting Rook via 2f). It is so
unexpected that an amateur would never be expected to
find it. It is the Gold on 5d in Fig.i1.
Figure 1 – up to G5d
This is just one of those moves that has to be learnt.
There is no message behind it that can be applied to
other positions (it is called a Flying Gold because it is
like a kite on a string held by the Bishop – the Gold has
in fact come from 3c).
The Climbing Gold (Bokin).
By analogy with the Climbing Silver (Bogin) there is a
Gold of that ilk, ie: a Gold that climbs up the Rook file.
Figure 1 
The position in Fig.i1 arose in a game Nakahara (Sente)
vs. Oyama in the 9th 10-dan tournament. Sente has just
played 1iG2g which prevents 2iS7b for then: 3iG2f,
4iP9d; 5iP1e, 6iPx1e; 7iGx1e ++(?). See Fig. 2: 
Figure 2 – up to 7iGx1e
Oyama chose therefore to continue with 2iP2d; 3iPx2d,
4iRx2d; 5iG2f (the Climbing Gold), 6iP4e; 7iPx4e,
8iR7d; 9iK7g, 10iR5d; 11iS5f with a close game. See
Fig. 3:
Figure 3 – up to 11iS5f
The Wall Gold (Hekikin).
A Gold that blocks the escape of the King towards the
edge is a Wall Gold. Wall Silvers exist too. They are
evidence of very bad shape and if you are ever forced to
make a wall general you will find that it pays to remove
it as soon as you get the chance, even before attacking.
The position in Fig.i1 is an example of a Wall Gold.
Sente would do well to play G7h as soon as he can.
Figure 1
The Anchored Gold (Sokokin).
A Pawn-anchored Gold is a Gold with a Pawn dropped
behind it on the first rank as in Fig.i1.
Figure 1
A Lance-anchored Gold is similar with a Lance
replacing the Pawn. Proverbially this is stronger than a
rock.
Kintaden.
In two-piece handicap games there are opening lines for
Sente where he creates a column of three generals on the
4th file. Normally there are two Silvers and this is
referred to as Gintaden, but if Golds predominate it
becomes Kintaden. It is not very common.
In conclusion, you are urged to study carefully the
aggressive lure of the Golds by Gote in handicap games.
There is plenty of material available for this study.
Summary.
Think of the Gold as a defender that likes to attack. Take
care in positioning it in relation to the Silvers and
always be prepared to move your Golds – even
backwards – to repair bad shape.
Learn these proverbs:
 Pulling back a Gold is often the best move.
 A back-rank Gold is strong against Rook drops.
 If your Golds are on the back rank consider a Rook
sacrifice (follows from the above).
 Gold and Silver the wrong way round is bad shape.
 Silvers before Golds.
 Without Golds there is no defence.
 Without a Gold there is no mate.
 Save a Gold for last.
 A Pawn-anchored Gold is more solid than a rock.
 Draw the Gold diagonally forward.
Learn also the 'shepherd's move' and the 'soft-shoe
shuffle'.
All about the Silver.
Shogi No. 19
The Silver as having an unusual way of moving. The
Japanese liken it to the plover – on land a plover walks
in zig-zags and likes to rest on the waves of an
incoming tide, rushing forward, then rolling back only
to come rushing in again. 
The plover is a good analogy for the Shogi Silver, which
finds it easy to push forward into confused attacking
positions and the to zig-zag back out again, before re-
entering the fray once more. At the same time its zig-
zag gait can make it look very cumbersome when not in
its natural environment, especially in defence.
The most distinctive feature of the Silver is, indeed, its
power to move diagonally, especially backwards. This is
seen in the opening. The right Silver often goes from 3i
via 4h and 3g to 2f and the left Silver from7i via 6h and
5g to 4f or 6f.
Unlike the Gold the Silver can return behind a Pawn and
can therefore out in front of the Pawns to join in an
attack. In addition if the Silver gets to the promotion
zone it has the option of becoming a Gold or staying as
a distinctive piece which is almost strong as the Gold
anyway. This extra power makes the Silver especially
useful for exposing weaknesses in the enemy camp.
It is possible therefore, to regard the Silver as primarily
an attacking piece. As such, it has three main roles:
• The Stab in the back.
• Flanking the enemy King
• Not promoting
Let's look at example of each of these:
The stab in the back.
Figure 1 – up to R5a!
Fig.i1 is from a novice's game – Sente has just played
P7f, to which Gote has responded R5a! This is an
important move for Gote. If the Rook stays on 5a and
Gote moves, say K7b, Sente will play Bx4d, and
after Px4d use the captured Silver to play S*4a!
This is the stab in the back, or the splitting Silver attack
(warifuchi). If Gote plays R5b7, he gets into trouble
after Sx3b+, Rx3b; P2d, see Fig.i1a.
7 R4b in the original, a mistake for R5b, I think?
Figure 1a – up to P2d
This is why R5a (or R5i) is such a common move in
the Central Rook opening. The stab in the back is to be
feared and guarded against at all times in the opening,
but it is a blunt tool in the endgame, as the following
example illustrates (see Fig.i2).
Figure 2 – Sente to play
Though Sente's Rook can be captured with S*7i;
K6g, Sx8h+; (and this is a great loss of material),
Sente has no fear of being mated. The stab in the back is
not specific enough here in the endgame.
Flanking the enemy King.
If, in Fig.i2 Gote captures the Rook, Sente will then play
S*3b hisshi – Fig.i2a. 
Figure 2a – up to S*3b
Flanking the King with a dropped Silver is a very
common tesuji and one that is easy to overlook.
Here, if Kx3b, G*3a leads to mate.
Alternatively if, S4b; then +Rx2a, K3c; +Rx2c
mate – Fig.i2b.
Figure 2b – +Rx2c, mate.
The value of the flanking Silver is well shown; its
effectiveness on the back diagonals where other pieces
are defective makes it so useful. If, for example a Gold
is dropped next to a King, the King will very easily be
able to dodge behind the Gold. Of course, a flanking
Silver drop is not check and that often seems a great
defect, but the power of the Silver once dropped is so
great that it gives enough scope to overcome thedefect.
In Fig.i3, Gote is threatening immediate mate with
+Px8h. In contrast, Sente has no immediate mate: the
flanking Silver S*3b is too slow. 
Figure 3
The obvious defending move S*7i fails to Nx8h;
Sx8h, N*7f, but, because of the hisshi power
inherent in the flanking Silver, Sente does have a way to
win – S7i! This apparently nonsensical move works
because it (a) defends 8h, (b) keeps a Silver in hand, (c)
tempts the promoted Pawn forward. If +Px7i, the lack
of backward power stumps Gote. +Px7i is answered
by S*3b, which now works.
Another application of this principle can be seen in
Fig.i4 – Sente to play, what is his next move...
Figure 4 – Sente to play in an Entering Kings situation.
Again, the answer is to drop a King-flanking Silver:
+R2b, Kx2b; S*3b.
After this we have: L1b; +B3a, K1a; +Bx2a,
mate.
To promote or not to promote?.
Now, a look at a more difficult situation invovinh not
promoting the Silver when the opportunity arises.
Figure 5 – to promote or not to promote?
Here, the difficulty for Sente is that his own King is in
more danger, on the face of it, than Gote's King. For
instance, if +R5a, then: +Bx7i; Kx7i, S*7h;
K8h, S*8g; K9i, S8i+; Kx8i, +P7h; K9i,
+P8h; mate.
Sente should play G*3c, then follows Nx3c;
Sx3c=, K2a; S3b=, K1b; +Rx2c, mate.
If either Sx3c+ or S3b+, no mate follows.
The unpromoted Silver is a common theme in Shogi.
Here is a famous old tsume-shogi problem.
Try it – solution on the next page:
1iS*4b 2iK2b │ 7iG*2b 8iGx2b
3i+Px3b 4iGx3b │ 9iSx2b+ 10iKx2b
5iS*3a 6iK1b │ see Fig.i5!
The position is exactly the same as Fig.i5, at least as far
as the upper right-hand corner of the board is concerned,
and the solution now is (obviously) exactly as for
Fig.i5.
Shape.
The discussion of the Silver so far has (effectively) been
a discussion of Silver tesuji. Now let us consider shape
(kokei).
Silver shape relative to the Gold was dealt with in 'All
about the Gold' (p.i66 et. seq.), so in this section we will
consider Silver shape in relation to Pawns (very
important) and Knights.
In many openings it is sensible to follow the proverb
which advises us to “Push the Pawns on the odd-
numbered files.”. The reason is that in this way, the
Silvers gain maximum mobility for retreating as well as
advancing. This is so straight-forward and is illustrated
so well well in virtually all openings that no further
illustration is necessary here, but do be aware of the
Fukoshigin and Fuuchigin.
Fukoshigin/Fuuchigin.
Fuuchigin refers to a Silver entrenched behind three
Pawns. Fukoshigin refers to a silver in front of a Pawn.
The two positions, which are highly significant in
opening theory are shown in the figure below.
Fuuchigin (bottom) and Fukoshigin
You should endeavour to master the pros and cons of
these apparently trivial shapes, and remember the useful
proverb “Oppose a fukogishin with a Pawn.”.
Of course, Silvers will not be allowed to move through
the Pawns in an unrestricted way. Reverting to tesuji for
a moment, consider the 'Silver pincer' tesuji, in which a
Silver is trapped between two opposing Pawns as shown
below – Pe4 traps the Silver on e5 – it cannot move
without being captured:
The Silver pincer tesuji – Pe4 traps the Silver on e5!
 
The next step here is to strike at the head of the Silver
by dropping a Pawn on f5 – the Silver will certainly be
captured
Proverbs.
The head of a Silver is a vital point.
Golds and Silvers the wrong way round is vulgar style.
Not promoting rarely hurts a Silver.
The Silver is the Rooks infantry.
Oppose a Reclining Silver.8
Attack with Rook, Knight, Bishop and Silver.
Defend against Knights with Silvers.
The Silvers are pivot pieces in both attack and defence.
To get a Gold in hand use the stab in the back.
A clumsy Climbing Silver attack gives the opponent a
free holiday.
Advance Pawns and Silvers side-by-side.
Use the Silvers on a zig-zag route.
Silver in front of Knight is joseki.
Oppose Vanguard Silvers with a Pawn.
The best Silver drop is often at the side of the enemy
King.
If the Silvers and Golds go high let the King go forward
with them.
8 A Reclining Silver is a Silver on 4e or 6e, and should be opposed with a Pawn or
another Reclining Silver.
All about the Lance.
We are sometimes puzzled by the strange collection of
tools in the workshops of old-style craftsmen. There
may, for instance, be an outlandish contraption of solid
iron with four six-inch prongs, all at different angles
which, we learn was used by blacksmiths for getting
seeds out of birds nostrils!
But no matter how much we might laugh, in the end we
have to admit that it is the ideal tool for the job.
The Lance is like that. It seems so unwieldy and useless,
yet set it to do the job it does best, and nothing can beat
it.
It has a specific job in defence. Not only does it defend
the edge Pawns (in for example, Rook and Lance
handicap openings), by covering it, but it also defends
by just being where it is.
A common middle-game tactic is to capture a Lance, for
use elsewhere, but just as important is the tactic of
displacing a Lance to create dropping points behind it
for Rook or Bishop.
But as a defensive piece a Lance is usually passive – it
just stays there. Its greatest value once in-hand is as an
attacking piece.
Drop the Lance as far back as possible.
A Lance obviously exerts more power, the more squares
it covers. The 'as possible' is important. In the tsume-
shogi problem below, Sente clearly cannot drop the
Lance further back than 2d.
Figure 1 – where to drop the Lance?
You may wish to try this problem. The kernel of the
solution is on the following page – don't peep.
The first move is L*2d but then you have to see that
Gote's best defence is S*2c. Then Sente wins with
P*2b. The final solution is 15 moves, Japanese style.
But – returning to the subject of Lance drops – that is
quite obvious. Less obvious is the corollary that the best
way to defend against the Lance is to pull it forward.
The next figure shows both aspects well. What is your
suggestion for Sente's best sequence?
Figure 2 – drop far back and pull forward...
Sente should play P1e, Px1e; P*1c (keep the
Lance on 1i back and pull the Lance on 1a forward),
Lx1c; P*1b and Sente wins.
The next example is a little harder.
Figure 3
S2f then P*1e is too slow an attack here, so a Lance
drop is called for. The beginner's instinct (since he loves
his Rook and doesn't want to expose it) is to play
L*1g.
This by no means a bad move, but L*1i is better,
L*1g is inferior – why?
Because of K2b followed by K3a.The Lance can
get in and promote, but by then the King will have
emigrated. It is common in amateur games to see
Lances promoted on the edge but stranded for the rest of
the play. If Sente plays L*1i, K2b is too slow
against a Promoted Rook. Gote's only defence is
B*1e but Sente then profits from S2f.
The Lance's worst enemy is an interposed Pawn.
Figure 1 – Lance drops on 8f and 2h
The Lance drops on 8f and 2h have their maximum
value in both cases in Fig. 1, because Gote's Pawns
cannot interfere. Dropping anything else to interpose
allows Sente to gain material profit.
The only point that needs stressing, however, is that it is
often best to drop a Pawn as near as possible to the
Lance – sometimes you will even drop several Pawns in
a row at the head of the Lance to drag it forward to
where it is weakest. Moreover, dropping a Pawn near or
in the promotion zone increases its potential, and for
that reason it is sometimes best to drop a Lance further
forward than usual.
The Lance is strongest in combination with other
pieces.
To say a piece's strength increases if it is used with
others sounds platitudinous,but we must remember that
a Lance is the least valuable piece except for the Pawn
(in general) and is therefore one of the most to be feared
in exchanges, and also that the Lance is one of the few
pieces exerting its power from a distance, which makes
defending against it particularly difficult.
First, an example with doubled Lances:
Figure 1 – doubled Lances
In this case, L*9h is an edge attack against a Mino
castle. This forces Gote to defend with S*8d.
Committing this Silver to the edge leaves Gote weak at
the back, so Sente can now continue with
P4a+. What if Gote refuses to defend with S*8d (or
any other move)? How does Sente continue then?
The winning move is then N*9c!
Next, the relationship between Lance and Rook.
Figure 2 – Lance-Rook relationship
The best move here is not P*1c, despite the legendary
power of a promoted Pawn – anyway, Gote would play
P*1a – but L*1i. The Lance is most useful as a
supporting piece. It is more important to promote the
mobile Rook (after K3a: R1a+) even though the
Lance may then seem to have become redundant. But
consider it in this way: Sente has promoted his Rook at
the cost only of losing a Lance out-of-hand.
As mentioned earlier, novices often want to drop a
Lance in front of their Rook, because they prefer to use
the Lance as cannon fodder while the Rook sits at the
back waiting to come in later and mop up the exhausted
enemy forces. What a waste of a Rook!
But of course there are many tactical sequences where a
Lance does precede a Rook. It is difficult to better the
following example from a Spearing the Sparrow attack:
Sente can capture the Rook.
Figure 1 – Spearing the Sparrow – up to N7c
Nx1c+ gives Sente a Lance in hand, so that he can
prepare a pin on 8h. This move – L*8h is the decisive
move. Saving the Bishop with B4b lets Sente capture
the Rook in return for his Bishop. 7
Do bear in mind that moving a Lance forward to get a
Rook behind it costs a move, and it can leave an ugly
hole...
Do not neglect the strategical implications of the
Lances.
Accepting that a Lance is especially powerful in
combination, this means that if, as a result a tactical
manoeuvre, you get a Lance in hand you should
seriously consider the type of attack where you
concentrate many pieces on one square. From this idea,
derives the proverb “L*8f is joseki.”. More of that later.
Similarly, of course, if you decide you can attack only at
one weak point you must consider a tactical diversion to
get a Lance in hand.
All about the Knight.
(Shogi 30)
[118] Joining Knights
[122] Three Knights
[125] Sacrifice hit
[130] The side-stepping Knight
[132] Achilles heel
[135] Kimura's Joseki
[138] Down with the demons
[142] Holding Back
[144] Double entendre
[146] Summary
Although the Shogi Knight may seem deplorably weak
to Western Chess players, in the hands of a good player
it is a powerful tool. It is no accident that the founder of
the greatest of the Shogi schools of Edo times, Ohashi
Sekei, had Knight (kei) in his name. He was so called
because of his fame in handling Knights.
The source of the Knight's power is not its ability to
fork as such – after all, most other pieces can fork too –
nor is its ability (again not unique) to attack a piece
without being under attack itself. Rather it lies in having
a combination of these abilities at close quarters... and
(most important) in that it is impossible to defend
against a Knight by interposing a piece.
Joining Knights.
These abilities are exemplified by the Joining Knights
attack, which refers to the case when a Knight in hand is
used in tandem with a Knight on the board. More
specifically, in order to bring the Knight on the board to
a square where it would be more effective, but where it
would be captured at present, a Knight is dropped on
that square as a sacrifice.
Figure 1
In Fig.i1 1iN*7d is the Joining Knights finesse. Then
will follow 2iPx7d; 3iNx7d (the point), 4iK7c; 5iN*6e,
6iK8d; 7iG*7e, 8iK9d; 9iP9e, mate. (see Fig. 2)
Figure 2 – up to 9iP9e mate
The Joining Knights attack is often the only way to
attack a Mino castle, where it is usually impossible to
check the King no matter how many pieces other than
Knights you have in hand.
Fig.i3 shows an example from a pro-amateur game.
Sente can unleash a decisive mating attack because of
his Knight in hand.
Figure 3
The game went: 1iN*4d (it doesn't have to be check),
2iP8i+; 3iP*5h, 4iG3b-4b; 5iS*3b, Gote resigns. (see
Fig. 4)
Figure 4 – up to 5iS*3b
Three Knights.
Whilst two Knights together can make a joust, with
three or more Knights you can launch a strong attack to
checkmate the opposing King. There is a Shogi proverb:
“With three Knights there is always a mate.”, and
though like all proverbs it is an exaggeration it does
often apply. It did in fact apply in Fig.i1 on page 118.
Fig.i1 shows an example with four Knights. This
example illustrates a very famous problem called 'The
four Knight mate.' from Edo times. 
Figure 1
In Fig.i1 we are already part way through the solution
but there is still a long way to go:
1iN*2f 2iK1c │ 9iN3d 10iK3a
3iN2e 4iK1b │ 11iN4c= 12iK4a
5iN2d 6iK2a │ 13iN3c= see Fig.i2:
7iP2b+ 8iKx2b │
Figure 2 – up to 13iN3c=, mate
It is of course unusual to mate with Knights alone.
Sacrifice hit.
Another common way to use a Knight is as a sacrifice
for the greater good of your game. Here is an example
of this when storming a Fortress.
Figure 1
Sente's first move here is almost standard: 1iN*2d. With
this the Fortress crumbles. If Gote answers by
withdrawing his Gold, 2iG4c-4b, he ends up brinkmated
after 3iNx3b+, 4iGx3b; 5iG*4c, 6iGx4c; 7iS*3b, see
Fig. 2 (the Flanking Silver, a standard brinkmating
technique). 
Figure 2 – up to 7iS*3b
 
There is no answer to 9i+B3a theni11iSx2a.
If however, Gote takes the Knight there are some
interesting variations. 2iPx2d is the only possibility and
Sente has to continue 3iPx2d. The danger from this
Pawn is so great that Gote now has to play 4iSx2d, but
then comes 5iRx2d, 6iP*2c; 7iS*3a (see Fig.i3).
Figure 3 – up to 7iS*3a
Now 8iGx3a clearly loses to 9iRx2c+, mate. 
8iK3c is better but after 9i+Bx3b, 10iKx3b; 11iG*2b,
12iK4a; 13iRx2c+, Sente has a highly satisfactory
position. See Fig. 4:
Figure 4 – up to 13iRx2c+ 
Instead of 9i+Bx3b Sente has another powerful attack in
9iS*2b, 10iKx2d; 11i+Bx3b. See Fig 5:
Figure 5 – up to 11i+Bx3b
The side-stepping Knight.
A very common technique is, when your Knight is
opposed by an enemy Knight, to side-step and move
your Knight to the square that is no longer protected by
the opponent's Knight.
Figure 1 – up to N3c
Gote has just played N3c. This should trigger in Sente
the automatic response of considering 1iNx1c+, the
Side-stepping Knight (rather than the novices'
1iNx3c+).
In fact, this move, as often happens, is well worth
considering – it wins!
1i… 2iLx1c │ 7iRx1c+ 8iSx1c
3iP1d 4iLx1d │ 9iBx1c+ 10iK2a
5iRx1d 6iP*1c │ 11iS*1b mate
Figure 2 – up to 11iS*1b mate
Achilles heel.
The Knight, though, is far from being all powerful. Just
as in war the cavalry were often foiled by humble foot
soldiers, so the Shogi Knight is often brought down by
the Pawn.
The Knight's weak point is its head. A piece at the head
of a Knight is quite safe from the Knight and we must
note in passing the very common technique of posting a
Silver there, not only to protect the Silver but also to
cover the only two squares attacked by the Knight (see
diagram below: a Bishop may replace the Silver).
But the Silver only occasionally captures the Knight it
confronts. How much better it is to oppose the Knight
with a Pawn, and then to capture it. Freeing the square
at the head of an advanced opponent's Knight so that
can be occupied by a dropped Pawn is a common theme
in theearly middle game.
Here is an example from a two-piece game:
Figure 1 – up to 1iP7e
Sente has just played 1iP7e. 2iPx7e now loses the
Knight to 3iP*7d. Letting Sente play 3iPx7d (after, say,
2iP1d) does the same. 4iK6c gives only a temporary
respite: 5iB*5a gets rid of the King.
It is probably worth mentioning that the object is not
really to win the Knight – Shogi is too subtle to allow
crude materialism to prevail – but to get a foothold in
the opponent's camp. Thus after 1iP7e, 2iPx7e; 3iP*7d,
(say 4iP*8e) the threat is 5iP7c+, to create a seed piece
for the mate (say 6iPx8f) 7iB*6c, 8iK4b; 9iG*4a, a
mate that makes no use at all of the Knight. See Fig.i2:
Figure 2 – up to 9iG*4a 
Kimura's Joseki.
There is a perfect illustration of this PxN theme in a
famous opening now known as Kimura's joseki.
Figure 1
It is a variation of the Bishop exchange line of the
Reclining Silver. Fig.i1 was thought for a long time to
favour Gote. The problem for Sente was that as soon as
he attacked, Gote easily found an opportunity, through
getting a Pawn in hand, to attack and win the Knight on
3g with P*3f.
But the 14th Lifetime Meijin found an immolation of
Pawn sacrifices which neatly turned the tables.
1iP4e, 2iPx4e; 3iP3e, 4iS4d (for a long time this was the
move that was felt to give Gote the advantage:
Px3d loses to P*3f); 5iP7e! (Kimura's move – it had
been tried before but no-one else had found the follow-
up), 6iPx7e; 7iP2d, 8iPx2d; 9iRx2d, 10iP*2c; 11iR2h,
12iB*6c; 13iP1e, 14iPx1e; 15iP*1c. See Fig.i2:
Figure 2 – up to 15iP*1c
By putting pressure on the head of Gote's Knight (7d)
Sente was able to find time to begin a skillful edge
attack. The sequence of five sacrifice Pawn pushes on
the 4th, 3rd, 7th, 2nd and then 1st files, gives this joseki
its other name: the 4-3-7-2-1 opening!
Down with the demons.
Though an advanced Knight is plagued by Pawns there
is an unusual opening where it can be a stunning
weapon. It is a trap, to which the answer just has to be
memorised, and is characterised by a Western Chess
player's kind of Knight move.
Figure 1 – up to 7iN6e
After the opening moves 1iP7f, 2iP3d; 3iN7g?!, 4iP8d;
5iP7e, 6iP8e; Sente plays 7iN6e.
The obvious reply, 8iS6b doesn't do very well: 9iR7h,
10iP6d; 11iBx2b+, 12iSx2b; 13iB*5e, ++ (see Fig.i2):
Figure 2 – up to 13iB*5e
threatening next both 15iBx6d and 15iP7d.
There are variations. For instance: 1iP7f, 2iP3d;
3iN7g?!, 4iP8d; 5iN6e, 6iS6b (even one move earlier it
doesn't help Gote); 7iP7e, 8iP6d; 9iBx2b+, 10iSx2b;
11iB*5e, 12iB*3c; 13iBx6d, 14iG6a-5b; 15iP7d (or
R7h), 16iG6c; 17iR7h, ++ (the threat is, after 18iGx6d
then: 19iPx7c+, 20iNx7c; 21iNx7c+, 22iSx7c;
23iRx7c+, and wins, see Fig. 3). 
Figure 3 – up to 23iRx7c+
In both cases, the correct answer to N6e is not to play
S6b but G6b. 
Thus, from Fig. 10: 8iG6b; 9iR7h, 10iP6d; 11iBx2b+,
12iSx2b; 13iB*5e, 14iG6c! This defends simultaneous-
ly against Bx2b+ and Bx6d, and against Nx5c+,
The Silver could not defend with such versatility.
Of course after this proper defence the Knight on 6e
goes the way of all advanced horse flesh.
This opening is called the Demon Slayer and its reputa-
tion when Gote makes a mistake in defending is so awe-
some that, it is said, even the great Sakata Sankichi,
famed for his back-to-the-wall fighting, would run away
bare footed.
Holding Back.
Since, as should be clear by now, an advanced Knight
can be a liability, it is often best to drop Knights with
restraint, that is near your own side of the board, and try
to give it an effective move on the board. Knight drops
that score bullseyes by forking two pieces tend to occur
only in novices games.
The Knight drop in Fig.i1 is typical good play.
Figure 1 – up to N*2f
This move is often used by the Ranging Rook side
against Static Rook. Rather than going for a quick kill
inside the enemy camp the Knight does its work from a
distance. The threat is Nx3d and Gote can defend only
by making bad shape with G3c (and then Sente can
play N4e).
Restrained Knight drops are typical features of
professional play. You can try to find the move that won
the following game for Futakami, 9-dan (Sente).
Figure 2 – up to S2f
All moves, even N*5f, leave the position unclear,
probably even. N*6f wins.
Double entendre.
So far we have looked at the Knight mainly as an
attacker, but it is a marvellous defender, as experience
as Gote in any handicap game will show. It is because of
its value in defending the edge just as much as because
of its weakness when advanced too far that the Knight is
commonly left at home.
But there is an interesting two-way proverb that
illustrates another facet of the Knights defensive power:
“A King at the head of a Knight is difficult to mate.”. A
King in front of its own Knight (a common position in
many castles) has its ears (its weak points on the
forward diagonals) covered.
But strangely the proverb works the other way too. A
King at the head of an opponent's Knight is also hard to
mate.
Figure 1 – up to N*3e
In Fig.i13 the correct response to N*3e is for the King
to go to the head of the enemy Knight: K3f. All other
moves allow mate.
Even if Gote had replaced his N*3e with N*1e, the
same principle applies: K1f is the only move to save
the King.
Hiding the King at the head of a checking Knight is
rarely a permanent escape, but it usually gives a one-
move breathing space which in the large number of
games that end in a mating race (semeai) is obviously
crucial.
Summary.
Knights are useful in both attack and defence. Their
power stems from the fact that pieces cannot be
interposed as a defence against a Knight's threat. In
attack Knights are often used in the Joining Knights
finesse, though if there are more than two Knights
available there may be some other unexpected resource.
Knight sacrifices are common, as is the side-stepping
Knight.
But Knights used in attack, through being advanced, are
susceptible to debilitating Pawn drops and they can
often be neutralised by a Silver at the head. It is often
wisest not to drop Knights very far forward.
Proverbs.
 Knights fork.
 The Mino is weak against Knights.
 Attack with Rook, Bishop, Knight and Silver.
 Knights like to be sacrificed.
 Don't run away from a fork.
 Knights and Silvers must always think twice before
promoting.
 The side-stepping Knight foils the best laid plans.
 Before dropping a Knight, move it back.
 A King in front of a Knight is difficult to mate.
 Bishops and Knights are weak in the head.
 Knights work well in tandem.
 An advanced Knight is at the mercy of Pawns.
Glossary of Shogi Terms.
I have shown the Romanised form (Rōmaji), (in a few
cases, the kanji) and the commonly-used Western term –
literal meanings are usually not given.
Shogi Pieces 
In this case, the kanji are shown also.
Sente (先手) Black
Gote (後手) White
Gyoku (玉將) Black King
O (王將) White King
Hi (飛車) Rook
Ryu (龍王) Dragon (promoted Rook)
Kaku (角行) Bishop
Uma (龍馬) Horse (promoted Bishop)
Kin (金將) Gold
Gin (銀將) Silver
Narigin (成銀) Promoted Silver
Kei (桂馬) Knight
Narikei (成桂) Promoted Knight
Kyō (香車) Lance
Narikyō (成香) Promoted Lance
Fu (歩兵) Pawn
Tokin (と金) Promoted Pawn
Piece quality
In ascending order:
kaki-goma kanji are painted directly onto the
surface of the piece, usually with
lacquer
hori-goma kanji are inscribed into the pieces
and lacquer is applied
hiriume-goma kanji are inscribed into the pieces
and lacquer is applied until it is flush
with the surface of the piece
moriage-goma kanji are inscribed into the pieces
and lacquer is applied until it stands
proud of the surface of the piece
Shogi Openings and Attacks (joseki)
Note that the same term is sometimes used to describe
both an opening strategy (joseki) and a castle(gakoi).
Ibisha Static Rook
Aiibisha Double Static Rook
Furibisha Ranging Rook
Aifuribisha Double Ranging Rook
Yagura Fortress
Sō yagura Complete Fortress
Kata yagura Incomplete/Half Fortress
Aiyagura Double Fortress
Shikenbisha 4th file Rook
Ai/Sankenbisha Double/3rd file Rook
Nakabisha Central Rook
Mukaibisha Opposing Rook
Hineribisha Twisting Rook
Chikatetsubisha Subway Rook
Tatefu Rook on Pawn
Bōgin Climbing Silver
Bōkin Climbing Gold
Aigakari (Double) Wing attack
Kakugawari Bishop exchange opening
Kakutōfu Bishop's Head Pawn, a.k.a.
Kakutōfuzuki Bishop's Head Pawn Push
Sujichigai-Kaku (primitive) Parallel Bishop
ai/Yokofudori Double/Side Pawn(capture)
Ukibisha Floating Rook
Sodebisha Sleeve Rook or Sidestepped Rook or
Sideways Rook or Right 3rd file
Rook
Suzumezashi Spearing the Sparrow
Koshikakegin Reclining Silver
Tsuno gin Horn Silver (Central Rook)
Gatchangin Clanging Silvers
Shogi Castles
Gakoi Castle – generic term
Yagura Fortress
Gangi Snow Roof Fortress
Ginyagura Silver Fortress
Kinyagura Gold Fortress
Anaguma Bear in the hole
Minogakoi Mino
Taka mino High Mino
Gin kanmuri Silver Crown
Kata mino Incomplete Mino
Funagakoi Boat
Hayagakoi Quick Yagura
Edo Quick Castle/Wall Castle
Kanigakoi Crab
Kinmusou Gold Excelsior which is the same as:
Nimaikin Twin Gold
Hishigakoi Lozenge Castle
General Shogi Terms
Aji potential
ajikeshi erasure/loss of potential 
akukei bad shape
atsumi thickness
boyomi countdown of time
shogi-ban the Shogi board
fugire with no Pawns in hand
furigoma Pawn-tossing (ritual to decide who
plays Sente; one player throws five
pawns and if a majority of five land
face up, he is Sente)
hisshi brinkmate problems
hoshi the four circular dots which divide
the board into 'camps'. Sometimes
known as 'the four stars'
igyoku sitting King
jishogi game deadlocked by impasse (ie:
both Kings have entered the enemy
camp and cannot be mated), leading
to a piece count to decide the winner
joseki established principles of Shogi,
'standard' opening sequences
kakugen Shogi proverbs
kakukokan Bishop swap or exchange
karanari empty promotion, ie: promoting
without a capture
katachizukuri making one's position look as good
as possible before resigning
kifuzu 'thorn-in-the-flesh' Pawn
kokei/ryoku good shape
koma the Shogi pieces
komada side table for the storing of captured
('in-hand') pieces
komafukuro piece bag
komahako piece box
kuraidori Vanguard Pawn
kuzushi castle-destroying techniques
narisute promotion sacrifice
nifu having two unpromoted Pawns on
the same file (which is illegal)
nimaigae exchanging one piece for two pieces
nozoki peeping (Bishop)
nyugyoku entering King(s)
nyūjō the process of castling
ougyoku Two Kings mating problem
okiritesuji shepherding finesse
onigorosho demon slayer
otebisha Rook-and-King fork
sabaki development resulting from
exchange of pieces
semeai mutual attack: attacking race
sennichite endless repetition
shitate the junior (less experienced) player
in handicap games. (a.k.a. Sente)
shōgi Shogi, General's chess
sujichigai-Kaku wrong-diagonal Bishop
tanegoma seed piece
tarashi/tarefu the act of dangling a Pawn; tarefu is
the dangled Pawn
tataki striking Pawn
teikijin promotion zone
tesuji sequence of 'clever' moves
tonshi sudden death by checkmate while
pursuing checkmate yourself
tsume-shogi mating problems
uwake the senior (more experienced) player
in handicap games. (a.k.a. Gote)
yoseai a position from which a final kill can
be administered
Computer Shogi.
Shogidokoro.
There are quite a few Shogi programs around. For the
English speaker, the best free one (in my opinion) is
Shogidokoro.
Shogidokoro is not itself a Shogi program, but rather a
scaffolding/interface which allows the incorporation of
Shogi game playing engines, the playing and recording
of games9, and the display of the board and game
statistics. You can even choose your own style of
calligraphy on the pieces!10 Users can play against the
computer, against another human player, or set the
program to play against itself using the engine(s) loaded
into the program. The program has the facility to play
using time limits (boyomi), and you can also set up and
solve tsumeshogi problems. It is also possible to set up
and play handicap games. 
The following page shows a screenshot showing what
the Shogidokoro program looks like in action.
You can see the board and the komada at the side with
the in-hand (captured) pieces displayed. It is also
possible to see the time taken for both Black and White
moves, and that it is Gote's (White) turn to move next. 
9 Games can be saved using different formats, including ones which use simplified
kanji for recording the moves.
10 Including pieces with single kanji, red promoted pieces, and 'Westernised' pieces.
The game record is in the centre, and to the right of this
is an area for making notes to be saved with the game.
The remainder of the display is given over to the display
of various statistics, search trees, etc. This display is
typical of a modern Shogi program. 
Shogidokoro can load previously saved games, and
using the tape-recorder style buttons on the display,
( ) it is possible to play through the games
on either a single-move or continuous basis.
The Shogidokoro program numbers moves individually.
This is why in this document, I have usually numbered
moves in this way – to facilitate the easy and
unambiguous playing through of game situations using
the program.
Shogidokoro is downloadable from the following
website:
http://shogidokoro.starfree.jp/download.html
The site may appear in Japanese or English (depending
on how your browser is configured). The download link
is the 3rd from the top of the page ( ダウンロード in
Japanese).
Shogidokoro comes with one engine – Lesserkai – this
will need to be installed before use. Reijer Grimbergens
web site contains instructions for downloading Reijers
Spear engine. See:
http://www.cloud.teu.ac.jp/public/CSF/grimbergen/research/SPEAR/spearmain.html
Spear can be found at the 'Available releases' section.
Other engines must be searched for on the internet (try
'Shogi engines' in your search box).
Some of the diagrams in this document were created
using screenshots from the Shogidokoro program.
Shogidokoro is, as far as I know, available for Windows
platforms only. 
In principle, Shogidokoro can be run on other
architectures/operating systems using the WINE
emulation system – see: https://www.winehq.org/. I
https://www.winehq.org/
http://www.cloud.teu.ac.jp/public/CSF/grimbergen/research/SPEAR/spearmain.html
http://shogidokoro.starfree.jp/download.html
haven't tried this myself, but the only reports I have
(June 2020) are that the WINE system itself does not
work on the most recent versions of the MacOS
operating system (Catalina 10.15). On Linux, the
Shogidokoro menus do not display correctly – whether
the program works is doubtful.
For more about Shogidokoro, and computer Shogi in
general, see the Wikipedia page 'Computer Shogi'.
ShogiGUI.
ShogiGUI is similar in some ways to Shogidokoro, as
the screenshot below illustrates:
This screenshot shows the position at the start of a two-
piece handicap game (Gote gives up the two Lances at
the start of the game).
The display is similar to Shogidokoro – you can see the
board, the komada for storing captured pieces, the move
window, etc. However, ShogiGUI is more flexible and
powerful than Shogidokoro: 
 The notation used to record moves in the 'Move'
window can be changed
 ShogiGUI can display 'hints' as to the next best
move
 ShogiGUI has powerful game analysis features.11
 Game engines can be 'fine-tuned'.
ShogiGUI can be downloaded from:
http://shogigui.siganus.com/
The interface of the program as downloaded is entirely
in Japanese, but it can be converted to English (or
German),12 althoughmuch of the fine detail in the
display is still in Japanese. With some determination,
there is no reason why the non-Japanese speaker should
not use ShogiGUI, even if not all of its features are fully
exploited.
The program comes with one pre-installed game engine
(GPSFish), and like Shogidokoro, other engines can be
downloaded and installed – I have successfully installed
Lesserkai.
ShogiGUI seems better at setting up tsume-shogi
problems than Shogidokoro.
11See: http://shogibond.nl/how-to-analyze-your-games-using-a-shogi-engine/ for a
description of how to do this.
12 See: http://shogibond.nl/shogi-school/artikelen-van-hideaki-takahashi/gui-introductie/
or: http://shogibond.nl/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/GUI-Introduction.pdf for details
of how to configure the program. I also have a copy of this PDF file. 
http://shogibond.nl/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/GUI-Introduction.pdf
http://shogibond.nl/shogi-school/artikelen-van-hideaki-takahashi/gui-introductie/
http://shogigui.siganus.com/
http://shogibond.nl/how-to-analyze-your-games-using-a-shogi-engine/
Versions exist for use on Android computers (Japanese
language only – seems to be a completely different
interface to the Windows version).
In principle, ShogiGUI can be run on other
architectures/operating systems using the WINE
emulation system – see: https://www.winehq.org/. I
haven't tried this myself, but the only reports I have
(June 2020) are that the WINE system itself does not
work on the most recent versions of the MacOS
operating system (Catalina 10.15). On Linux, the
program does not display correctly.
https://www.winehq.org/
Winboard (Alien Package).
Also available for Windows machines is a Winboard
package developed by H.G.Muller. This package can be
downloaded from:
http://hgm.nubati.net/WinBoard-Chu.zip
and when unpacked gives access to several Shogi
variants: Chu Shogi, Dai Shogi, Sho Shogi, Shogi and
Tori Shogi. Once you have unpacked the program,
simply click on the Black Knight's head icon to start up
the program. You have the choice of using Western-style
pieces or pieces with Japanese-style kanji.
The screenshot shows the position at the start of a game:
http://hgm.nubati.net/WinBoard-Chu.zip
Steve Evans Shogivar Program.
This Shogi variant software has been around since the
1990's. Originally available as a 32-bit PC
implementation written in Visual Basic (you will need a
very old PC, or 32-bit emulation plus the VB Library
files to run this), it is now also available as a Linux port
maintained by H G Muller. Downloadable in either form
from:
http://www.users.on.net/~ybosde/
The screenshot shows the position several moves into a
human vs. computer game:
http://www.users.on.net/~ybosde/
Phil Holland's Shogi Variants Program.
For those interested in the Shogi variants, a variants
program can be downloaded from Phil Hollands web
pages:
http://www.hollandnumerics.demon.co.uk/SHOGI.HTM
Simply click on the Shogi Software icon, and download
and unpack the SHOGIV41.ZIP file.
You will also need to download the file
MSAFINX.DLL as well.
This program has only a text-based display.
BCMGames/BCMShogi.
Development of this program was 'frozen' by the author
in ~2012. I had difficulty finding a version of the
program which worked when downloaded and installed,
though I finally tracked one down. As the program has
not been updated since 2012, I have not given a
download link here.
http://www.hollandnumerics.demon.co.uk/SHOGI.HTM
Shogi Game File Formats.
Unfortunately, most of the computer programs described
above use different formats for storing game records –
a real can of worms!!!
There is some overlap – for example, Shogidokoro will
handle .CSA, .KIF, .Ki2 and .PSN formats (.PSN is
the default). ShogiGUI will handle .CSA and .KIF
formats (.KIF is the default).13
Winboard uses .PGN and .GAM formats to store games.
Phil Hollands program uses .SHO format to store
games.
Steve Evans program appears to be unable to save
games.
It doesn't matter what these files look like, but it is
clearly not possible to load the same game file into
different programs – except in the case of Shogidokoro
and ShogiGUI (.CSA or .KIF format).
To avoid problems, you should pick a program and stick
with it – I use Shogidokoro as it is able to handle more
formats than any other program.
13 .KIF and .Ki2 formats are possibly best avoided as they both use Japanese
characters.
Shogi Equipment.
Moderate quality Shogi equipment is available via
numerous suppliers on Amazon/eBay.
Rakuten in Japan seem to be a Japanese version of
Amazon, and supply Shogi equipment – customer
reviews of the company seem to be 'mixed'.
For better quality equipment, you need a specialist
trader. A short list follows. I have equipment/books
from, and have dealt satisfactorily with those marked
with a *:
*iThe Shogi Foundation – Shogi books:
http://www.shogifoundation.co.uk/
*iCzech Shogi Federation – suppliers of Shogi
equipment, books and other Shogi equiment. The basic
Shogi set includes a set of very nice hybrid pieces :
http://shogi.cz
*iAobo Shop – suppliers of Oriental board games,
puzzles and books:
http://en.aobo-shop.com/
* G. F. Hodges – Shogi equipment, variants, books, etc.
Supplier of Shogi magazine as a PDF download.
Tel: +44 (0)1234 211 286
http://en.aobo-shop.com/
http://shogi.cz/
http://www.shogifoundation.co.uk/
E-mail: George.hodges@talk21.com 
*iKurokigoishi Shop – suppliers of Oriental board
games, including Shogi (Masters may be able to supply
in the U.K.):
http://shop.kurokigoishi.co.jp/en/category/10 
*iMasters Traditional Games – suppliers of Oriental
board games, including Shogi:
https://www.mastersofgames.com/
*iNekomado Online Shop – suppliers of books and
Shogi equipment:
http://shop.nekomado.com/
Schaak en Go winkel het Paard – suppliers of books
and Shogi equipment:
https://www.schaakengo.nl/goshop-keima/shogi-889416/
Yutopian Enterprises:
http://www.yutopian.com
Ohishi-Tengudo Corporation – suppliers of high
quality Shogi equipment: 
http://go.tengudo.jp/english/shogi.html
Kiseido – suppliers of high quality Shogi equipment: 
http://www.kiseidopublishing.com/shogi/shogi_equipme
nt.htm
http://go.tengudo.jp/english/shogi.html
http://go.tengudo.jp/english/shogi.html
http://go.tengudo.jp/english/shogi.html
http://www.yutopian.com/
https://www.schaakengo.nl/goshop-keima/shogi-889416/
view-source:http://shop.nekomado.com/
http://shop.kurokigoishi.co.jp/en/category/10
Tendo Sato Kei Shoten – suppliers of high quality
Shogi equipment: 
http://shogi-koma.jp/index.html 
Horikoshi – suppliers of high quality Shogi equipment: 
http://www.shogi-horikoshi.com/ 
The Shogi Game Store – suppliers of high quality
Shogi equipment: 
http://www5b.biglobe.ne.jp/~goban/english@shogi@ver
sion.html
Japanese Games Shop – suppliers of books and Shogi
equipment:
http://japanese-games-shop.com/
[no longer trading?]
*iPentangle Puzzles and Games – suppliers of Shogi,
Go and Xiang-chi equipment:
http://www.pentangle-puzzles.co.uk/
[no longer trading?]
Please note that I have no connection with, or financial
interest in any of the organisations listed above. The
information provided is based on the latest information I
have from these organisations. For fuller information
please contact the organisations direct. 
http://www.pentangle-puzzles.co.uk/
http://japanese-games-shop.com/
http://www5b.biglobe.ne.jp/~goban/english@shogi@version.html
http://www5b.biglobe.ne.jp/~goban/english@shogi@version.html
http://www.shogi-horikoshi.com/
http://shogi-koma.jp/index.html
Downloadable and printable Shogi sets. 
If you want to 'do-it-yourself', I have created a set of
templates for a simple Shogi board and pieces. These
templates can be downloaded from the shared Dropboxfolder:14
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2wicm2bnw5lv3t0/AADyepK_y_3e819UAbrwjJoza?dl=0
Download the file:
DIY Shogi set.pdf
When making a Shogi set with these templates, use
good quality glue to stick the pieces and board to good
quality mounting card. Trim the board, if desired, with a
craft knife, and use sharp scissors to cut the pieces to
shape, and you can make quite an acceptable set.
14 There are also free printable board and piece templates on the web site of T Gene
Davis (http://genedavis.com/articles/shogi/), and on the Printable Games web site
(https://www.printableboardgames.net/preview/Shogi).
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2wicm2bnw5lv3t0/AADyepK_y_3e819UAbrwjJoza?dl=0
https://www.printableboardgames.net/preview/Shogi
http://genedavis.com/articles/shogi/
Bibliography and other Shogi resources.
Items in my possession, or consulted by myself have
been given a 'star rating' – maximum 5 stars – this is of
course, entirely subjective, you may think differently!
Books.
Better Moves for Better Shogi, Teruichi Aono, (trans.
John Fairbairn), Man to Man Books, 1983, 2377-
906053-2732. ★★★★★
Guide to Shogi Openings, Teruichi Aono (trans. John
Fairbairn), Man to Man Books, 1983, 2377-906052-
2732. ★★★★★ 
Tsume Puzzles for Japanese Chess, T Gene Davis, 2011,
146369055X. ★★★★★ 
Shogi – How to Play, John Fairbairn, The Shogi
Association, 1979. ★★★★★ (rare)
Shogi for Beginners, John Fairbairn, The Ishi Press,
1989, 4-87187-201-7.15 ★★★★★ 
Habu's Words, Y Habu, The Shogi Foundation, 2000, 0
9531089 2 9. ★★★★★ 
Masters of Shogi, Y Habu & Tony Hosking, The Shogi
Foundation, 978 09531089 4 7. ★★★★★ 
15Shogi for Beginners is available in PDF format from at least one paid-for e-book
service on the internet. The monthly subscription rate is more expensive than buying
the book outright. Seems like a no-brainer to me...
4 Great Games, Tony Hosking, The Shogi Foundation,
1998, 0 9531089 1 0. The games are: Chess, Shogi, Go
and Xiang ch'i. ★★★★★ 
The Art of Shogi, Tony Hosking, The Shogi Foundation,
March 1997. ★★★★★ 
Classic Shogi, Tony Hosking, The Shogi Foundation,
2006, 0 9531089 3 7. ★★★★★ 
Ending Attack Techniques, Takashi Kaneko (trans.
Tomohide Kawasaki), Nekomado, 2012, 978-4-905225-
03-4. ★★★★★ 
Storming the Mino Castle, Takashi Kaneko, (trans.
Richard Sams), Nekomado, 2013, 978-4-905225-05-8.
★★★★★ 
Joseki at a Glance, Madoka Kitao (trans. Tomohide
Kawasaki), At a Glance Series, 2011, 978-4-9052-2501-
0. ★★★★★ 
Edge Attack at a Glance, Madoka Kitao, (trans.
Tomohide Kawasaki), At a Glance Series, 2012, 978-4-
9052-2502-7. ★★★★★ 
Sabaki at a Glance, Madoka Kitao (trans. Tomohide
Kawasaki), At a Glance Series, 2013, 978-4-9052-2510-
2. ★★★★★ 
Ending Attack at a Glance, Madoka Kitao (trans.
Tomohide Kawasaki), At a Glance Series, 2014, 978-4-
9052-2513-3. ★★★★★ 
Japanese-English Shogi Dictionary, Tomohide
Kawasaki (a.k.a. Hidetchi), 2013, Nekomado, 978-4-
9052-2508-9. One-way only (Japanese to English)
★★★★★ 
Japanese Chess: The Game of Shogi, E. Ohara and
Lindsay Parrott. Has received a very poor review on
Amazon.com.
First Step To Shogi, Space Sano, Oyama Memorial
Museum, 1995.
The following items contain articles or chapters of
greater or lesser depth pertaining to Shogi and/or Shogi
variants. The star rating reflects both the quality and
quantity of material on Shogi: 
Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations, R C
Bell, Dover, 1979, 0-486-23855-5. ★★★★★ 
Games Ancient and Oriental and How to Play Them,
Edward Falkener, Dover, 1961 (originally published
1892), 486-20739-0. Of historical interest, but like
many early publications, contains mistakes. ★★★★★
Chess Variations, John Gollon, Charles E Tuttle
Company, 1985, 0-8048-1122-9. ★★★★★ 
The Great Shogi Games, George Hodges, The Shogi
Association, 1978. ★★★★★ A description of Shogi
variants larger than 15x15 squares. (rare)
A History of Chess, H J R Murray, Skyhorse Publishing,
2012 (originally published 1913). Of historical interest,
but like many early publications, contains mistakes.
★★★★★
The Encyclopaedia of Chess Variants, David Pritchard,
available as a PDF from https://www.jsbeasley.co.uk.
Contains a small amount of Shogi material of mixed
quality. ★★★★★
New rules for classic games, R. Wayne Schmittberger,
Wiley, 1992, 0471536210. Reputed to contain a good
description of the rules of Chu-Shogi – I haven't seen
this one myself.
Books to Avoid.
Unfortunately, there are a few really poor Shogi books
in English. I have listed some of them here.
Shogi – Japan's Game of Strategy, Trevor Leggett,
Charles E Tuttle Company, 1966. Re-published as
Japanese Chess, 2009, 978-4-8053-1036-6. Avoid this
one! Truly awful diagrams, the notation system is a
mess, contains at least one major/vital error and the
advice given is usually highly suspect. ★★★★★ 
https://www.jsbeasley.co.uk/
Japanese Chess or Shogi Book of Board Game Strategy,
John Sami Mamoun, independently published, 2021,
979-8712410125. Avoid this one! Uses Chess-like
notation, a chequered board and diagrams with faux-
Staunton style images. Clearly an attempt to force Shogi
to look as much like Chess as possible. A truly
appalling book. ★★★★★ 
Oriental Board Games, David Pritchard, Know The
Game Series, 1977, 0-7158-0524-X. By the same author
as Encyclopaedia of Chess Variants. Avoid this one!
The same awful diagrams as Leggett, there is no
notation system, contains many errors, and the advice
given is usually highly suspect. ★★★★★ 
SHOGI (Japanese chess), Calogero A. Salomon, print-
on-demand, 2019, 978-8831643177. Avoid this one! A
very poor translation of an Italian original. The
typesetting is woeful (the author clearly does not know
how to use his publishing software), and many of the
illustrations are distorted in either the horizontal or
vertical direction. This is clearly a 'vanity' project by
someone who wishes to practice their English. The price
(~£20) is outrageous! ★★★★★ 
The History of Shogi.
The history of Shogi is outlined in the April 1999 issue
of the Japan Foundation Newsletter. This can be found
here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20151105233924if_/http://w
ww.jpf.go.jp/j/publish/periodic/jfn/pdf/jfn26_5.pdf
The Wikipedia article 'History of Shogi is also of
interest:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_shogi
Magazines.
Here, the star rating reflects both the quality and
quantity of the Shogi content.
The late George Hodges published Shogi magazine from
1978-1986. A complete run of the 70 issues of the
magazine is now available as a zipped download. To get
details of how to access these magazines, go to:
https://tinyurl.com/ShogiPriceList
and use the contact details you will find there.
This is a very valuable archive of Shogi material in
English. ★★★★★ 
In the UK, The British Shogi Federation (BSF)
published a magazine – Shoten – on a quarterly basis. I
have numbers 38-61 inclusive. ★★★★★ 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_shogi
https://web.archive.org/web/20151105233924if_/http://www.jpf.go.jp/j/publish/periodic/jfn/pdf/jfn26_5.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20151105233924if_/http://www.jpf.go.jp/j/publish/periodic/jfn/pdf/jfn26_5.pdf
In the USA, The Ishi Press published a quarterly
magazine, Shogi World in the late 1980s-early 1990s. I
have numbers 1-9 inclusive. ★★★★★ 
Variant Chess magazine was published in the U.K.
From 1990 to 2010. Contains several Shogi-related
articles of mixed quality. Diagrams usually show rather
silly 'westernised' forms of the pieces. Available as a
single 1200 page download, or as individual issues from
https://www.jsbeasley.co.uk. ★★★★★
Other Literature.
Zen Culture, Thomas Hoover
Heihō Kadensho(A Hereditary Book on the Art of War),
Yagyū Munenori
Go Rin No Sho (A Book of Five Rings), Miyamoto
Musashi
https://www.jsbeasley.co.uk/
Shogi on the Internet.
Dropbox.
I have recently created a Dropbox archive of Shogi
material. This is located at:
https://tinyurl.com/RogersShogiArchive16
When you connect to this shared folder, you should see
a list of the contents of the folder – simply click on the
required item and then on the Download button which
should be visible at top right. Then click on 'Direct
download' and select the location for the file.
If you do not select an individual document and simply
click the Download button when the DropBox page first
appears, you should get a zipped download of all the
16 The full Dropbox URL is::
 https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2wicm2bnw5lv3t0/AADyepK_y_3e819UAbrwjJoza?dl=0
https://tinyurl.com/RogersShogiArchive
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2wicm2bnw5lv3t0/AADyepK_y_3e819UAbrwjJoza?dl=0
documents in the folder (warning – this may be a large
download).
There is a wide range of Shogi related material here,
including: a READ.ME file; paper templates for DIY
sets for Shogi and some of the Shogi variants; plus
a selection of edited digests of articles from
magazines (including Shogi magazine) which cover
many aspects of Shogi including Openings, Castles
and castling, Shogi proverbs, tsume-shogi; other
oriental board games; etc. Please browse and help
yourself – that's what it's there for.
Copyright material is included with the permission of
the copyright holder – where I have been able to contact
the copyright owner.
Please explore this resource and let me have feed-back –
this will help me improve the archive.
Google Drive Archive.
There is now an experimental 'mirror' of the Dropbox
archive:
https://tinyurl.com/GoogleShogiArchive
If there are any problems with this, please let me know.
https://tinyurl.com/GoogleShogiArchive
Wikipedia.
There is a great deal of information about Shogi on
Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia). 
The entry-level Shogi listing is at: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shogi
The Shogi information on Wikipedia is widely
dispersed. This is not a criticism, but an observation –
this is just the way Wikipedia works. The information is
an extremely valuable resource. You will need to start
Wikipedia and then enter the Shogi term in which you
are interested into the Wikipedia search box. Try 'Shogi
opening', 'Shogi castle', 'Shogi tesuji', etc.
If you understand Japanese, you are laughing! Japanese
Wikipedia has a wealth of articles on Shogi.
If you do not understand Japanese, the English language
pages mentioned above are very good – they are not
direct translations of the Japanese pages, but there is
usually an English page corresponding to each Japanese
page, and the information on each page is pretty much
the same.
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%83%9A%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B8
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%83%9A%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shogi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia
Internet fora and Web sites.
Internet fora come and go – unfortunately. Websites
which are largely information-only tend to be a little
more permanent. Those listed below are available at the
time of writing (see front cover for date). Traffic is low
on all but the first of the three internet fora. The
remaining URLs are basically information-only web
sites.
There is a Reddit Shogi forum with 3500+ subscribers:
https://www.reddit.com/r/shogi/
81Dojo World Shogi Forum:
https://system.81dojo.com/en/forums
BoardGameGeek Shogi forum:
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2065/shogi
Shogi.net. Contains teaching information, Shogi variant
web pages, etc. Not very active:
http://www.shogi.net/shogi.html
Shogi.net proverbs pages. Contains list of Shogi
proverbs and explanatory notes and diagrams
illustrating the proverbs 'in use':
http://www.shogi.net/kakugen/
http://www.shogi.net/kakugen/
http://www.shogi.net/shogi.html
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2065/shogi
https://system.81dojo.com/en/forums
https://www.reddit.com/r/shogi/
Reijer Grimbergen's web page. Contains download
instructions for Shogidokoro and for the Spear engine,
plus some archived games:
http://www2.teu.ac.jp/gamelab/
Eric Cheymol's web page. Contains Larry Kaufman's
handicap notes plus some archived games:
http://eric.macshogi.com/
A modern Shogi diagram generator – used for many of
the diagrams in this document:
http://wormz.free.fr/kifugen/
Shogi Playground – an alternative diagram generator
which allows storage of games and recall via a unique
URL. If this had been around when I started, I would
probably have used it for my own diagrams:
https://play.mogproject.com/ 
British Shogi Federation/Shogi London web pages:
https://shogilondon.blogspot.com/
http://www.kittywompus.com/shogi/other_uk_shogi_eve
nts/
Defunct web sites.
81 Square Universe. Disappeared ca. 2015. Contained
active mail fora, lessons, videos, etc. Was a good place
to find out more about WinBoard, amongst other things:
http://81squareuniverse.com/
http://81squareuniverse.com/
http://www.kittywompus.com/shogi/other_uk_shogi_events/
http://www.kittywompus.com/shogi/other_uk_shogi_events/
https://shogilondon.blogspot.com/
https://play.mogproject.com/%20
http://wormz.free.fr/kifugen/
http://eric.macshogi.com/
http://www2.teu.ac.jp/gamelab/
Playing Shogi on the Internet.
I'm not really familiar with playing Shogi 'live' (or
otherwise) via the internet – I'm an 'across-the-board'
player, but I have listed a couple of sites where this is
possible:
Shogi Playground Live.
This site allows play without any formal
registration, subscription, or divulging of personal
information. It appears to do this by allowing a
player to start a game, and allocating a unique URL
to that game, which the player then shares with the
opponent. The site is minimalist in its presentation,
while at the same time being flexible enough to
allow personalisation of boards and pieces in the
display. The site is here: 
https://live.mogproject.com/ 
and the documentation here:
 
https://mog-playground-docs.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
81 Dojo.
Besides a Shogi forum (p.179), the 81 Dojo web
site also hosts an interactive Shogi application:
https://81dojo.com/en/ 
https://81dojo.com/en/
https://mog-playground-docs.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
https://live.mogproject.com/
Videos.
In February 2020, lady professional Karolina
Styczyńska (5-dan) inaugurated a series of videos
entitled 'Road to Shodan'. The first four of these can be
seen at:
https://youtu.be/bmH2hqRyR8A (Weak King falls easily)
https://youtu.be/nrS3WnnWA6Qv (Fighting Anaguma)
https://youtu.be/VOXX67hAHuM (Beating your rival)
https://youtu.be/IfExOhAJmsw (Fooling the opponent)
Typically, these themed videos last approximately 40
minutes – highly recommended.
The whole series, which also includes an Introduction to
Shogi, a discussion of Shogi notation, plus analyses of
some professional games is available on the Shogi
Harbour channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRnXG7CkKfEN6IINKcO_uBg
In mid 2019, Chess Grandmaster Matthew Sadler and
Women's International Master Natasha Regan produced
an introductory Shogi video: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At6KWe7bCbg
This lasts about 45 minutes and is an excellent
introduction to the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At6KWe7bCbg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At6KWe7bCbg
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRnXG7CkKfEN6IINKcO_uBg
https://youtu.be/IfExOhAJmsw
https://youtu.be/VOXX67hAHuM
https://youtu.be/nrS3WnnWA6Qv
https://youtu.be/bmH2hqRyR8A
The second video in this series is at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu6kRSkjp64
Another good source of Shogi videos is Hidetchi's
YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/HIDETCHIThe channel includes a useful series of 40 short video
films teaching the basic aspects of Shogi. Also included
are series relating to Shogi Openings, Famous Shogi
Games and Tsume Shogi. 
Connect to YouTube and enter 'hidetchi shogi lessons'
into the search box and you should see the teaching
videos listed.
There is a lot more Shogi material on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/user/HIDETCHI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu6kRSkjp64
	Cover Page.
	Table of Contents
	Introduction.
	All about the King.
	Other useful proverbs arising from the discussion:
	Summary.
	All about the Bishop.
	In openings with early fights the Bishop is better than the Rook.
	Oppose Bishop with Bishop.
	The Bishops diagonal is hard to close.
	In delayed fights the Bishop is the main performer.
	The exchange of Bishops is bad for the Ranging Rook side.
	The watchtower Bishop is often a good move.
	The Peeping Bishop.
	Wrong-diagonal Bishop.
	The promoted Bishop see-saw.
	Summary.
	All about the Gold.
	Hisshi.
	Shepherding finesse.
	Soft-shoe shuffle.
	The Flying Gold (Takokin).
	The Climbing Gold (Bokin).
	The Wall Gold (Hekikin).
	The Anchored Gold (Sokokin).
	Kintaden.
	Summary.
	All about the Silver.
	The stab in the back.
	Flanking the enemy King.
	To promote or not to promote?.
	Shape.
	Fukoshigin/Fuuchigin.
	Proverbs.
	All about the Lance.
	Drop the Lance as far back as possible.
	The Lance's worst enemy is an interposed Pawn.
	The Lance is strongest in combination with other pieces.
	All about the Knight.
	Joining Knights.
	Three Knights.
	Sacrifice hit.
	The side-stepping Knight.
	Achilles heel.
	Kimura's Joseki.
	Down with the demons.
	Holding Back.
	Double entendre.
	Glossary of Shogi Terms.
	Shogi Pieces
	Shogi Openings and Attacks (joseki)
	Shogi Castles
	General Shogi Terms
	Computer Shogi.
	Shogidokoro.
	ShogiGUI.
	Winboard (Alien Package).
	Steve Evans Shogivar Program.
	Phil Holland's Shogi Variants Program.
	BCMGames/BCMShogi.
	Shogi Game File Formats.
	Shogi Equipment.
	Bibliography and other Shogi resources.
	Books.
	Books to Avoid.
	The History of Shogi.
	Magazines.
	Other Literature.
	Shogi on the Internet.
	Dropbox.
	Google Drive Archive.
	Wikipedia.
	Internet fora and Web sites.
	Playing Shogi on the Internet.
	Shogi Playground Live.
	81 Dojo.
	Videos.