Shogi: Japanese Chess

1. Take turns moving one piece or dropping a captured piece back onto the board as your own.
2. Pieces that reach the enemy camp can be promoted (except the king and gold general).
3. The rook can promote to a dragon king and the bishop to a dragon horse.
4. Checkmate the opponent's king to win.

Shogi: Japanese Chess brings Japan's traditional strategy game to your browser. Players take turns either moving a piece or dropping one from their reserve — and the reserve is made of pieces captured from the opponent, so nothing you take is gone for good. Most pieces that reach the enemy camp can be promoted and flipped over, gaining new moves; the king and the gold general are the exceptions. The rook, for example, can become a dragon king that also steps diagonally. The goal is checkmate. Play the computer, a friend on one device or an online opponent. Keeping track of what's in your rival's reserve is the key habit, since a dropped piece can appear almost anywhere.