r/shogi Apr 15 '20

[FAQ] New to shogi? Check_this_topic!

166 Upvotes

[last update: 2021 March 1st]

Where to start learning?

What are the openings / strategies that you would recommend I learn as a beginner?

Should be "Static rook (ibisha) & climbing silver (bougin), central rook (nakabisha), and Quick Ishida Attack (haya Ishida)".

What can I do to improve?

Play games, analyze your games with engine, self analysis etc. Solve tsume problems, study openings, read books, watch pro games or other players, ask for help.

Where can I play with international pieces?

81dojo, Lishogi, PlayOK, PyChess, Shogi Playground offer international style pieces (although we recommend learn kanji pieces in the future).

Shogi Wars Offers English lettered pieces.

Resources

Great summary by LittleMage, over 100 links!

Youtube:

  • HIDETCHI (ENG)

Hidetchi - Youtube

  • Alexei (ENG)

Alexei - Youtube

Alexei - Twitch

  • Shogi Harbour, ladies professional shogi player (ENG)

Shogi Harbour - Youtube

Shogi Harbour - Twitch

  • Shogi Ramen TV (ENG)

Shogi Ramen TV - youtube

  • Shogibuzz YouTube channel (ENG)

Shogibuzz - youtube

  • Muranaka Shuji, professional player, from episode 27 has English subtitles (JAP/ENG)

Muranaka - Youtube

  • Ito Shingo, professional player (JAP)

Ito - Youtube

  • Age Age Shogi Channel, professional player (JAP)

AgeAge - youtube

  • Professional game records (JAP)

Game records on youtube

Recommended Books:

  • Better Moves for Better Shogi by Aono Teurichi
  • At a Glance Series (sold by Nekomado)
  • Storming the Mino Castle (sold by Nekomado)
  • Ending Attack Techniques (sold by Nekomado)
  • Habu's Words & The Art of Shogi (sold by The Shogi Foundation)
  • “Shogi for Beginners” by John Fairbairn

Nekomado Shop

The Shogi Foundation

Discord:

Shogi Hall (anime, shogi)

Shogi Harbour (Twitch discord, shogi)

Places to play:

81 Dojo (ENG)

Shogi Club 24 (JAP/ENG)

Shogi Wars (JAP/ENG)

Lishogi (ENG)

PlayOK (ENG)

Wars.fm (JAP/ENG)

Shogi Playground / Shogi Playground Live (ENG)

PyChess (ENG)

Shogi News and World Clubs/Events Information:

Shogi Hub (ENG)

Shogi Openings:

Shogi Belgium - Joseki, Opening Theory

Reddit: Takodori's Booklines

PlayShogi (tsume, byoyomi survival, opening explorer)

Shogi Game Records (kifu):

Reijer Grimbergen's Shogi page (Professional Games with commentary in English)

Kyokumenpedia

Shogi Database

Playing against AI:

Online AI (JAP)

Shogi Droid in Google store

Shogi GUI

Shogi Dokoro Download (JAP) (ダウンロード = download)

How to use an engine on Shogi Dokoro (reddit)

Strongest Engine Reddit discussion

Glossary:

Shogi Vocabulary (ENG)

Tsume problems:

Web:

PlayShogi (tsume, byoyomi survival, opening explorer)

Yigo Tsumeshogi (tsume)

Tsumeshogi.com

Android:

Shogi Problem Paradise (JAP)


r/shogi Oct 20 '20

English Shogi Twitch Streamer Master List

107 Upvotes

Hello guys, if you are looking for some Live Shogi content, please check out these Shogi Twitch/Youtube Streamers. I hope to be updating this list whenever I come across a new Shogi Streamer! Please also let me know in the comments if you have anyone to share!


Karolina - Ladies Shogi Pro

  • Shogi Harbour (Commentaries, Kifu Reviews, Teaching Games with viewers, Handicap Games with viewers)

Active Shogi Streamers - Amateur Players (Sorted Alphabetically)


Not-so active Shogi Streamers - Amateur Players (Chess/Variety/Misc Streamer) * AirinTV (EN Variety/Mahjong/Shogi Games) * CLSmith15 (EN Chess Player - Learning to play Shogi) * d3zt1ny (EN Shogi Wars, Shogi Games) * SchwarzShogi (EN Shogi Games) * TheLlamaLord (EN Mostly Chess, Shogi Games)


**Edit 1: Sorted Streamers to active and not-so-active streamers!

**Edit 2: Added Pyeongyang!

**Edit 3: Added Shogi Harbour description!

**Edit 4: Added Akua Ikaia!

**Edit 5: Added UchiTV!

**Edit 6: Added Brot_Ohne_Kruste!

**Edit 7: Added a Shogi Streamer Calendar!

**Edit 8: Added RebeccaLoran!

**Edit 9: Added Hu-chan!

**Edit 10: Updated Active streamers vs Non-active streamers

**Edit 11: Removed inactive streamers, added more streamers to the list.


r/shogi 1d ago

Making shogi boards of incremental size until they kick me out of the lab - day 3 ✌️

Post image
40 Upvotes

Laser cutter dobutsu shogi set 9x9


r/shogi 20h ago

Shogi Ladder on Lishogi | Summer Week 3

2 Upvotes

Welcome International Ladder Climbers! We are pleased to announce the 10th Weekly Shogi Ladder on Lishogi. Registration will conclude next Thursday at 14:00 UTC. The Ladder will commence on Thursday at 14:00 UTC and conclude the following Thursday at 14:00 UTC. (2026-07-23 14:00 ~ 2026-07-30 14:00 ) We hope you'll be able to join us for our weekly sparring session! What is Shogi Ladder? A teaching ladder is a system where you learn together with an opponent one rank above you and an opponent one rank below you. How does it work? If you choose to participate in a given week sign up for the weekly ladder (sign-up closes Thursday 14:00 UTC). You will play two even rated games, and will analyze them together with your opponent afterward. This post-game analysis is key, it is the teaching/learning part of the teaching ladder. You'll have a week to schedule and play games with your opponents. How is it going? The Lishogi club now enjoys 57 members! The club welcomes players at all levels. Come join us! We are a community of friendly players who are serious about improving and enthusiastic about learning. What makes the teaching ladder unique is that everyone in the ladder is committed to post-game analysis in a welcoming and constructive atmosphere--it is not a tournament, but a learning tool! If you have the time to play a couple of games this week( until next Thursday 14:00 UTC) please consider signing up!


r/shogi 1d ago

I made a free shogi site that starts with 5×5 minishogi, would love feedback!

5 Upvotes

Hey! I've been into shogi for a few months, but almost everyone I tried to get into it bounced off, the kanji pieces, the low-contrast board, and 40 pieces on a 9×9 board is a lot when you don't know the rules yet.

So I started building shog.io. The main idea is to start people on 5×5 minishogi instead: same rules, captures, drops, promotion, but only six pieces each, and games last a few minutes. I think drops are the best mechanic in any board game, and minishogi gets you there without an hour of memorization first. Standard 9×9 is on the site too obviously but more as an expert upgrade!

A few other choices: pieces don't require reading kanji (you can switch to kanji if you prefer), there's a tutorial and daily puzzles for complete beginners, and rated games with Elo.

Disclaimer: i added it online today, so there aren't many players yet (at all, actually ahah). If nobody's in the queue you'll get a bot (clearly labeled). Hopefully that changes hehe

If you try it, I'd really appreciate feedback! Whether you're experienced and something feels wrong, or you're new and got stuck somewhere. That's the whole reason I'm posting! Be critical ahah

EDIT: Thank you to everyone who pointed out the errors! They were real misses on my end, and all of them are now fixed: board orientation corrected, komadai on the right, coordinates from the top-right, and a traditional kanji piece set added. This is exactly the feedback I was hoping for by posting here. If you spot anything else, I'll fix that too.


r/shogi 7d ago

Do we need a better way to review shogi games online?

9 Upvotes

I'm thinking about building a platform for shogi post-game analysis. Do you think there's a need for it?

AI can show evaluations and best moves, but it's still hard to understand why a move is good or how to think about a position.

The idea is something like:

game records + comments + variations + discussion

As a first step, it might be more like a marketplace connecting people who want their games reviewed with those who can analyze them.

- Would you use this?

- How do you currently review your games?

- What would you want from it?

Any honest feedback would be really helpful 🙏


r/shogi 7d ago

Shogi Ladder Week 314

4 Upvotes

What is Shogi Ladder? A teaching ladder is a system where you learn together with an opponent one rank above you and an opponent one rank below you.

How does it work? If you choose to participate in a given weekend sign up for the weekly ladder (sign-up closes Friday 23:30 UTC). You will play two even rated games, and will analyze them together with your opponent afterward. This post-game analysis is key, it is the teaching/learning part of the teaching ladder.

How is it going? The 81Dojo club now enjoys 762 members from over 35 different countries! New players continue to join each week; the club welcomes players at all levels.

Come join us! We are a community of friendly players who are serious about improving and enthusiastic about learning. What makes the teaching ladder unique is that everyone in the ladder is committed to post-game analysis in a welcoming and constructive atmosphere--it is not a tournament, but a learning tool! If you have the time to play a couple of games this week( until next Friday UTC) please consider signing up!


r/shogi 8d ago

Shogi Ladder on Lishogi | Summer Week 2

3 Upvotes

Welcome International Ladder Climbers! We are pleased to announce the 9th Weekly Shogi Ladder on Lishogi. Registration will conclude next Thursday at 14:00 UTC. The Ladder will commence on Thursday at 14:00 UTC and conclude the following Thursday at 23:59 UTC. (2026-07-16 14:00 ~ 2026-07-23 14:00 ) We hope you'll be able to join us for our weekly sparring session! What is Shogi Ladder? A teaching ladder is a system where you learn together with an opponent one rank above you and an opponent one rank below you. How does it work? If you choose to participate in a given week sign up for the weekly ladder (sign-up closes Thursday 14:00 UTC). You will play two even rated games, and will analyze them together with your opponent afterward. This post-game analysis is key, it is the teaching/learning part of the teaching ladder. You'll have a week to schedule and play games with your opponents. How is it going? The Lishogi club now enjoys 53 members! The club welcomes players at all levels. Come join us! We are a community of friendly players who are serious about improving and enthusiastic about learning. What makes the teaching ladder unique is that everyone in the ladder is committed to post-game analysis in a welcoming and constructive atmosphere--it is not a tournament, but a learning tool! If you have the time to play a couple of games this week( until next Thursday 14:00 UTC) please consider signing up!


r/shogi 8d ago

2026 West Coast Shogi Tournament on September 12-13

Thumbnail shogiusa.com
5 Upvotes

The 2026 US West Coast Tournament has been announced! Download the official flyer or view the details below:

  • Registration: Please register via email by Saturday, September 5th by sending the below information to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
    • Name
    • Address
    • Phone
    • Participation Selections
      • Registration Type (Adult, Student, Child)
      • Lunch
      • Dinner Party
      • Children's Tournament
  • Pro Guests:
  • Location: Fred Hesse Community Park 29301 Hawthorn Blvd. Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275
  • Schedule:
    • Saturday, September 12th:
      • 09:00 - Registration
      • 09:30 - Opening Ceremony, Teaching Games, and Free Play
      • 12:00 - Lunch
      • 13:00 - Team Tournament
      • 15:30 - Individual Tournament
      • 17:00 - Close
      • 18:00 - Dinner Party (optional)
    • Sunday, September 13th:
      • 09:00 - Individual Tournament / Children's Tournament
      • 12:00 - Lunch
      • 13:00 - Individual Tournament
      • 15:00 - Semi-Finals + Finals
      • 16:30 - Awards Ceremony
      • 17:00 - Close
  • Entry Fees:
    • Adults: $100
    • Students: $75 (with valid student ID)
    • Children (Main): $50 (12 & Under accompanied by Guardian)
    • Children (Children's Tournament): $20
    • Bento Box Lunch (2 days): $40
  • Optional Dinner Party:
    • Adults: $100
    • Students: $70 (with valid student ID)
    • Children: $30

r/shogi 11d ago

I've uploaded a shogi video, "How to win a 6-piece drop game part 1."

Post image
16 Upvotes

r/shogi 12d ago

LaTeX Shogi - Drawing Beautiful Vector Diagrams for Shogi

Thumbnail neofanaroio.vercel.app
11 Upvotes

r/shogi 13d ago

Any ideas on how we can grow the global shogi population?

20 Upvotes

I’m currently working on a remake of my beginner shogi guide originally published in 2021.

Back then, I wrote, "There are about 6.2 million Shogi players in the world (according to the 2020 Leisure White Paper)". However, while updating the data for the new edition, the latest 2025 statistics show that the number has unfortunately dropped to 4.3 million.

I really want to help change this trend and turn things around. I would love to hear your thoughts, what kind of ideas or approaches do you think could help spark more interest in shogi among people all over the world?

A page from my 2021 book, "Shogi Primer."

r/shogi 14d ago

An interesting comment by chess GM Larry Kaufman

Post image
68 Upvotes

r/shogi 13d ago

Shogi Ladder on Lishogi | Summer Week 1

7 Upvotes

Welcome International Ladder Climbers! We are pleased to announce the 8th Weekly Shogi Ladder on Lishogi. Registration will conclude next Friday at 22:00 UTC. The Ladder will commence on Friday at 22:00 UTC and conclude the following Friday at 23:59 UTC. (2026-07-10 22:00 ~ 2026-07-17 23:59 ) We hope you'll be able to join us for our weekly sparring session! What is Shogi Ladder? A teaching ladder is a system where you learn together with an opponent one rank above you and an opponent one rank below you. How does it work? If you choose to participate in a given week sign up for the weekly ladder (sign-up closes Friday 22:00 UTC). You will play two even rated games, and will analyze them together with your opponent afterward. This post-game analysis is key, it is the teaching/learning part of the teaching ladder. You'll have a week to schedule and play games with your opponents. How is it going? The Lishogi club now enjoys 52 members! The club welcomes players at all levels. Come join us! We are a community of friendly players who are serious about improving and enthusiastic about learning. What makes the teaching ladder unique is that everyone in the ladder is committed to post-game analysis in a welcoming and constructive atmosphere--it is not a tournament, but a learning tool! If you have the time to play a couple of games this week( until next Friday 22:00 UTC) please consider signing up!


r/shogi 15d ago

Update on the Dobutsu Shogi set

Post image
13 Upvotes

left: non-promoted
right: promoted


r/shogi 14d ago

Shogi Ladder Week 313

2 Upvotes

What is Shogi Ladder? A teaching ladder is a system where you learn together with an opponent one rank above you and an opponent one rank below you.

How does it work? If you choose to participate in a given weekend sign up for the weekly ladder (sign-up closes Friday 23:30 UTC). You will play two even rated games, and will analyze them together with your opponent afterward. This post-game analysis is key, it is the teaching/learning part of the teaching ladder.

How is it going? The 81Dojo club now enjoys 759 members from over 35 different countries! New players continue to join each week; the club welcomes players at all levels.

Come join us! We are a community of friendly players who are serious about improving and enthusiastic about learning. What makes the teaching ladder unique is that everyone in the ladder is committed to post-game analysis in a welcoming and constructive atmosphere--it is not a tournament, but a learning tool! If you have the time to play a couple of games this week( until next Friday UTC) please consider signing up!


r/shogi 16d ago

I wrote an introductory page about what kind of site kiou(棋桜) is!

2 Upvotes

Browsing through the message boards, I noticed that a lot of people seem interested in it, so I decided to write an article explaining what kind of site Kizakura is. I'd be really happy if you could take a look. Personally, even factoring in the lack of English support, I still think this site is the absolute best and only choice.

Here is a summary of the article:

  • Clean Site Layout: The user interface is sleek, modern, and very easy to navigate.
  • Excellent Responsiveness: The site loads incredibly fast with zero lag.
  • AI Game Analysis: You can analyze your shogi records (kifu) using advanced AI features.
  • Instant Matchmaking: You can find an opponent and start a game almost immediately.
  • Cross-Platform Support: Fully compatible and optimized for both PC and smartphones.
  • No English Support: Please note that the site currently operates only in Japanese.

https://kitsune81.vercel.app/en/docs/column/platform/kiou/tokutyou


r/shogi 17d ago

Fujii Souta's Top 5 God Moves

Thumbnail youtu.be
14 Upvotes

r/shogi 16d ago

Using chess-like piece symbols as a non-Japanese player

5 Upvotes

I even like the way Shogi is played more than European chess. But I'm still having trouble recognizing the characters on the stones.

On the other hand, using symbolized/internationalized/Europeanized stones feels like an insult to the spirit of the game and disrespect to the Japanese people.

What do the Japanese think about this, and what is your perspective on those who use chess-like pieces?


r/shogi 17d ago

Historical Variant Shougi Meikan '92 1990 Season Titular Match Game B3 - Makoto Nakahara Vs. Tanigawa Kouji.

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

4 Upvotes

It has been quite some time since I have uploaded another one of all of these such videos, but it is indeed a very interesting match game, and if all of you can comment what all of you think of all of these such videos, then I really do appreciate it. o(*^▽^*)┛


r/shogi 18d ago

I've uploaded a shogi video, "How to win an 8-piece drop game part 2."

Post image
9 Upvotes

r/shogi 18d ago

How do you rank the value of shogi pieces?

Post image
28 Upvotes

While reading various shogi books for beginners, I've noticed that explanations of piece values tend to vary depending on the author.

Personally, I think of it simply as shown in this image, but I'd like to hear other opinions and perspectives! What do you think?


r/shogi 18d ago

Made a Dobutsu Shogi set with the laser cutter

Post image
25 Upvotes

r/shogi 19d ago

Modern Variant Shogi PSP

Post image
31 Upvotes

Pretty excited about this one. Random pick up in Japan. Anyone played this shogi game?


r/shogi 19d ago

I've written about 6 short articles on the 'Tarefu' (dangling pawn) tactic in Shogi. I'd love to get some feedback if anyone's interested!

8 Upvotes

I've written about 6 articles on my blog about the Shogi tactic "Tarefu" (dangling pawn). I'd really appreciate it if you could take a look and give me some feedback! I put a lot of effort into writing them thoroughly, so I think you'll enjoy them.

1,basic
https://kitsune81.vercel.app/en/docs/6kyu/tarehu/kihon

2,failed
https://kitsune81.vercel.app/en/docs/6kyu/tarehu/shippai

3,advanced1
https://kitsune81.vercel.app/en/docs/6kyu/tarehu/seikou/hunoura

4,advanced2
https://kitsune81.vercel.app/en/docs/6kyu/tarehu-ouyou-kogoma

5,advanced3
https://kitsune81.vercel.app/en/docs/6kyu/hisya/tarehu

6,summary
https://kitsune81.vercel.app/en/docs/6kyu/tarehu-matome

Here is what I’d love to know:

  1. Was the explanation easy to understand?
  2. Did the English feel natural to you?
  3. Was the level of content appropriate? (Was it too difficult or too simple?)
  4. Overall, how was the quality of the articles?