Was ist Shogi?

Shogi is the Japanese variant of the chess we know. And although the goal is to checkmate the opposing king, these two variants differ in different points.

• On the one hand, in Shogi it is possible to use the opposing pieces you have hit for yourself
• on the other hand, it is possible to upgrade 6 out of 8 game pieces by promoting them.
• One last very obvious difference is the shape of the pieces, they are flat pentagonal plates with Japanese characters on them, all of the same colors, no matter which side you play on.

Who starts the game will be identified according to the Japanese symbol on the king's place. That is the only difference between black and white.

The playing field in the Shogi is a 9x9 field and starts with 20 pieces consisting of 1 King, 2 gold generals, 2 silver generals, 2 jumpers, 2 lances, 1 tower, 1 runner and 9 pawns. Each of these 8 different game pieces has a given movement pattern like in chess.

A Shogi game can be divided into 3 phases.

Joseki

Joskei are the opening variants in Shogi. In the opening game it is important that you react and try to attacking opponents to secure his king. The Joseki can be divided according to the position of the tower.

• Rook remains in the exit line (static rook)
• Rook moves to the center (central rook)
• Rook moves to the 4th vertical line (2 next to Bishop)
• Rook moves to the 3rd vertical line (next to Bishop)
• Rook moves to the position of the Bishop

Middlegame

The second phase in the shogame is a preparation for the endgame. In the middle game you collect material and build an active attack on the king. A lot of gaming experience is required to practice the middle game. Tesuji practices the eye to take advantage of good situations.

Endgame

This phase is the last phase to bring the king down. An attempt is being made to permanently threaten the king with all the material collected in the middle game. Hisshi and Tsume are ideal for practicing this phase.