Shogi Pieces: Movement and Promotion

Shogi has eight basic piece types. This guide teaches the Japanese kanji pieces used in real play, with English names and romanized readings beside the board. Sente is shown at the bottom and moves toward rank a; Gote is shown at the top and moves toward rank i.

Learning aid: select a piece to hear its side, English name, Japanese reading, and coordinate in the board’s status area. The Piece names control can add compact English labels without replacing the authentic kanji.

Japanese Piece Quick Reference

The kanji remains the standard board display. Romaji and English are reading aids, not replacement piece designs.

King (K)

The King moves one square in any direction. It may not move onto an attacked square, and a player may never leave their own King in check.

Rook (R)

The Rook slides any number of empty squares along a file or rank. It cannot jump. After promotion it becomes a Dragon King (+R), retaining the Rook’s movement and adding one-square diagonal moves.

Bishop (B)

The Bishop slides any number of empty squares diagonally and cannot jump. After promotion it becomes a Dragon Horse (+B, ryuma), retaining the Bishop’s movement and adding one-square orthogonal moves.

Gold General (G)

The Gold moves one square forward, backward, or sideways, and one square on either forward diagonal. It cannot move diagonally backward and does not promote.

Silver General (S)

The Silver moves one square straight forward or one square on any diagonal. It cannot move sideways or straight backward. A promoted Silver moves like a Gold.

Knight (N)

The Knight jumps two ranks forward and one file sideways. It is the only piece that can jump over occupied squares, but unlike a chess knight it has no backward jump. A promoted Knight moves like a Gold.

Lance (L)

The Lance slides any number of empty squares straight forward. It cannot move sideways or backward. A promoted Lance moves like a Gold.

Pawn (P)

The Pawn moves and captures one square straight forward. It does not capture diagonally. A promoted Pawn is a Tokin (+P) and moves like a Gold.

Common Movement Mistakes

After the movement boards, continue to board setup, promotion, and piece drops. Then test a movement from an empty position on the Practice Board.

What Changes After Capture

A captured piece loses promotion, changes sides, and enters the capturer’s hand. On a later turn it may be dropped onto an empty square, subject to the drop restrictions explained in the rules lesson.

• Kings and Golds never promote.
• Rook and Bishop gain extra movement when promoted.
• Promoted Silver, Knight, Lance, and Pawn all move like a Gold.
• A dropped piece always returns in its unpromoted form.

Continue From Piece Movement

After you can identify the pieces, learn the standard setup and coordinates, then connect movement to captures, promotion, check, and piece drops.

Content review: movement descriptions and board coordinates rechecked July 24, 2026.