Shogi 24 October 2016
Shogi Rules – How to Play Shogi – : – Step 1-5 Capture Shogi Pieces –
Explore art of Shogi. A professional Shogi player invites you to the world of Shogi along with tra-ditional Japanese culture.
Let’s practice how to capture pieces today.
The previous step
When you capture the opponent’s piece, you place it on the piece stand. The captured piece is called “Mochigoma (your piece in hand)” and you can reuse it. In the past lesson, I told you that Shogi ancestor which was originated in India disseminated to many countries to be various types of Shogi brothers. However, reusing captured pieces as yours is a unique feature that is found only in Shogi rules.
Please lay out the captured pieces nicely. I often see some children put the captured pieces randomly on the piece stand, but that is not good manner. Please lay out the pieces nicely so that you and an opponent can also see them well. That helps you to think about the next move. I see some children play with the captured pieces shaking them in their hands, or hide them. Actually, such actions are considered as a breach of manners.
Please follow the official steps of capturing pieces as below, once you have got to used to capturing them.
Step 1; you take out the opponent’s piece and place it on the piece stand.
Step 2; you move your piece to the square where the opponent’s piece was located.
You should not put your piece on top of the opponent’s piece or flip the opponent’s piece.
Did you capture the piece nicely? How to use your Mochigoma broadens your possibility in Shogi. The girls captured the pieces very well.
Comments from the girls’ mother
My girls enjoyed the practice to capture the opponent’s pieces. For the first time, I heard that reusable captured pieces are a unique feature found only in Japanese Shogi. I think this feature makes Shogi more difficult and also more interesting.
Shogi is a wonderful game since it values etiquette and manners. The captured pieces should be nicely laid out. Players should learn a proper way to capture the opponent’s pieces. Players need to sit in a formal Japanese style, exchange greetings, and follow a certain rules to move pieces in Sho-gi games. I think that all of these behaviors are beautiful. Shogi is very different from video games that you can lie down and play. I hope that my girls will grow up with beautiful manners.
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.
