Shogi 24 October 2016
Shogi Rules – How to Play Shogi – : Step 1-2 Shogi Piece Types
Explore art of Shogi. A professional Shogi player invites you to the world of Shogi along with traditional Japanese culture.
This is our second lesson, so let’s learn the variety of Shogi pieces.
The previous step
You may think that Shogi has many different pieces and it is difficult to learn their names and moves. However, you can memorize them little by little. Well, how many types of pieces do you think Shogi has?
There are eight types; Gyoku (King), Hi/Hisha (Rook), Kaku (Bishop), Kin (Gold), Gin (Silver), Kei/Keima (Knight), Kyo/Kyosha (Lance), Fu (Pawn).
Consider Gyoku (King) as yourself. I think that helps you understand Shogi rules better and easier. You lose if your Gyoku (King) is captured first. You protect your Gyoku (King) and try to capture the opponent’s Gyoku (King) with seven types of pieces. Each piece moves uniquely, and is necessary in Shogi. Effective use of each piece with unique features brings victory to you. First, let’s turn up all the pieces and sort them out.
Yes, you did well. Which piece are there the most? Yes, Fu (Pawn) the most in number. Although Fu (Pawn) moves only one square forward, you can use it in many different ways since there are many of it. Fu (Pawn) moves just one square forward as seen in the following picture.
You will learn the moves of Gyoku (King), Kin (Gold), and Gin (Silver) in the next lesson. So, please put back all the other pieces in the piece box.
Comments from the girls’ mom
Listening to the Shogi story; effective use of pieces with unique features brings victory, I thought of my parenting. If we change our viewpoints and treat a child differently, his/her downsides could be taken as upsides. Any personality may be inevitable for a child who was born with it. I hope to de-rive something good out of my girls’ characters. I, as mother, learned parenting tips as well as Sho-gi rules in this lesson.
The next step
この記事の執筆者Akiko Nakakura
I-tsu-tsu Co. Ltd. President, lady's professional shogi player. After winning successive victories in the female amateur master’s tournament in 1991 and 1992, she made her debut as a professional shogi player in her third (last) year in high school. She retired from professional shogi play after a 21-year career in March 2015, and currently involved in activities to spread the game of shogi among children.
