Quick answer: Each player starts with 20 pieces. Sente is shown at the bottom, Gote at the top, and every wedge points toward the opponent.
Best for: Beginners setting up a physical board or learning coordinates for records and puzzles.
In This Lesson
- Place all pieces.
- Check Rook and Bishop orientation.
- Read files and ranks.
- Verify the position interactively.
This lesson fixes one viewpoint for every coordinate: Sente is at the bottom and Gote is at the top. Files run from 9 to 1, left to right across the top of the diagram. Ranks run from a to i, top to bottom.
Read the Coordinates First
- Top-left is 9a; top-right is 1a.
- Bottom-left is 9i; bottom-right is 1i.
- A move such as 7g-7f means moving from square 7g to square 7f.
Sente’s Starting Position
On rank i, from file 9 to file 1, place: Lance, Knight, Silver, Gold, King, Gold, Silver, Knight, Lance. Place the Bishop on 8h, the Rook on 2h, and nine Pawns across rank g.
Gote’s Starting Position
Gote is the 180-degree mirror. The back-rank pieces occupy rank a. Gote’s Rook is on 8b, Bishop on 2b, and Pawns across rank c. Every wedge-shaped piece points toward the opponent.
Standard Starting Position
The Two King Pieces
Traditional sets may contain one King labelled osho and one labelled gyokusho. They move identically. In formal custom the senior or higher-ranked player normally uses osho, while the other player uses gyokusho; this distinction does not determine who moves first.
How the First Player Is Chosen
Formal events may use furigoma, in which five Pawns from the senior player’s set are tossed by the designated person. If more unpromoted Pawn faces appear, the owner of those Pawns is Sente; if more Tokin faces appear, the other player is Sente. Ties are tossed again. Online services choose the first player automatically and may use their own display convention.
Setup Check
Each player starts with 20 pieces: 1 King, 1 Rook, 1 Bishop, 2 Golds, 2 Silvers, 2 Knights, 2 Lances, and 9 Pawns. Confirm 40 pieces in total before play.
Verify the Board Without Guessing
| Check | Sente | Gote |
|---|---|---|
| Back rank | Rank i, King on 5i | Rank a, King on 5a |
| Major pieces | Rook 2h, Bishop 8h | Rook 8b, Bishop 2b |
| Pawns | Nine Pawns on rank g | Nine Pawns on rank c |
| Direction | Pieces point toward rank a | Pieces point toward rank i |
After placing the pieces, count 20 for each player and confirm that the Rooks and Bishops are not mirrored onto the wrong squares. The two King pieces have the same legal movement; differences in their printed characters do not change the rules or decide Sente.
Piece counts, initial placement, movement, and furigoma are checked against the current Japan Shogi Association playing rules. Physical-set customs can vary, so this lesson separates customary handling from rules that affect the game.
Next: Read and Share Moves
The setup lesson uses English coordinates such as 7g and 7f. Continue to the shogi notation guide to understand USI moves, SFEN positions, and common game-record formats.
Content review: setup, coordinates, piece counts, and first-player notes rechecked July 24, 2026.
Quick Check
From Sente's viewpoint, where does the Rook begin?
Sente's Rook starts on 2h; Gote's starts on 8b.
Lesson Complete?
Save this step on this device and continue when you are ready.
