Skip to content

Ponderchess / Chess variants

Shogi

Japanese chess, where captured pieces switch sides and can be dropped back onto the board, so the armies never run down.
Created
Modern rules by the 16th century
Creator
Unknown
Where
Japan
Board
9×9
What changes
Captured pieces change sides
Also called
Japanese chess

Where it came from

Well documented

Shogi descends from the same Asian branch of the chess family as makruk and xiangqi. Its defining rule, letting a player drop a captured piece back onto the board as their own, was established by about the 16th century.

Drops changed everything. Material never disappears, so draws are rare and attacks stay possible until the very end. Japan has a professional shogi system with titled players and long-running title matches.

The same drop idea reappears in the West in Crazyhouse and Bughouse.

Why it was made: Its drop rule, possibly inspired by mercenaries changing sides, keeps the game rich to the end.

How it differs from chess

  • Flat piecesPieces are flat wedges marked with characters, and both sides’ pieces look the same. Ownership is shown by which way a piece points.
  • DropsA captured piece goes to your hand. On your turn you may place it on almost any empty square instead of moving.
  • Promotion zoneMost pieces may promote when they move into, out of or within the last three ranks, turning over to reveal a stronger piece.

Questions

What makes shogi different from chess?
Drops. Captured pieces return to play for the side that captured them, so material keeps flowing back and endgames stay sharp.
Is Crazyhouse the same as shogi?
No, but it borrows shogi’s drop idea and applies it to Western chess pieces.

Sources