How to Play
Buy · How to play · Live · Watch · Pieces · Changelog · The math
Taikyoku shogi is shogi on a 36×36 board with 402 pieces a side. You do not need to know shogi: the game teaches you with an interactive tutorial. This page is a quick reference.
The goal
Capture every enemy king and crown prince. There is no check in this game: protecting your royals is your job. A red warning and a spoken alert tell you when a royal piece is attacked.
Moving and capturing
Click one of your pieces. Green squares are moves and red squares are captures. Click one to play it. Every kind of piece moves differently, so hover over any piece to see a diagram of its moves, or open the Piece Encyclopedia (E). The online piece encyclopedia shows all 301 pieces.
The lion
Lions (and the free eagle) can move up to twice in one turn. Click the first yellow square, then the second. Click the yellow square again to stop there, or click the lion itself to capture a neighbour without moving.
Promotion
By default a piece promotes when it enters the far 11 ranks, and promoted pieces are shown in red. Rules for promotion are uncertain in the historical sources, so you can choose among three promotion rules in a new game.
Range capture
The great general and its relatives fly over any number of lower-ranked pieces, friend or foe, and capture every one they pass. They can never capture a king or crown prince that way, and they stop at a piece of equal or higher rank. See the rank algebra.
Controls
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Click | Select a piece, then a square to move |
| Right-drag, wheel, arrow keys | Orbit, zoom, pan the camera |
| 1 / 2 / 3, R | Overview, your side, centre, rotate |
| U | Undo (not online) |
| / | Hint (not online) |
| T | Show threats to your pieces |
| E | Piece encyclopedia |
| L | Toggle kanji and English piece labels |
| S | Game statistics |
| [ and ] | Review a game move by move; End returns |
| M / V | Mute music / voice |
| F3 | Frame rate and graphics level |
| Esc | Pause menu |
Playing online
Choose Play online. You can find a game (a rated public game, which may be watched live and broadcast; you must accept this first), play a friend with a private invite code, or watch live games. Public games are rated with an Elo system and the top players appear on an in-game leaderboard. See the terms and privacy policy.
Tips
- Protect your king first; watch the long lines of rooks and generals.
- Count attackers before you capture, and look for the reply.
- Use the Puzzles, including the puzzle of the day, to train your eye.
- The teacher's voice and captions can be turned on or off in Settings. The game is available in English and Japanese.