FAQ

Shog.io is a shogi platform built for quick, satisfying games. Whether you have 5 minutes or an hour, you can play against bots, match with other players, or sharpen your skills with puzzles and lessons.

Absolutely. Shogi shares DNA with chess: you control pieces on a grid, capture opponents, and aim to checkmate the king. The twist is that captured pieces switch sides and can be dropped back onto the board, which keeps every game dynamic and reversals common. If you enjoy chess tactics, shogi will click fast.

No. Shog.io offers directional arrow pieces (the default) that show each piece's movement at a glance. No kanji reading required. You can switch to traditional kanji pieces in your Profile settings if you prefer.

Mini is 5×5 minishogi: same core rules as standard shogi but on a smaller board with fewer pieces. Games finish in minutes, making it perfect for on-the-go play. Classic is full 9×9 standard shogi with all 40 pieces and deeper strategy. Think of Mini as speed chess and Classic as a classical game.

Minishogi lowers the barrier to entry dramatically. With only 12 pieces on a 5×5 board, you can learn piece movement, drops, and promotion in a single sitting. But the strategic depth is real. It's the fastest way to fall in love with shogi's unique mechanics before graduating to the full 9×9 board if you want to.

Yes. Pick Classic 9×9 in the board selector when starting a game: online, against a bot, with a friend, or pass & play. Everything works the same: bots, online matchmaking, post-game review.

When you capture an opponent's piece, it goes to your hand. On any future turn you can "drop" it onto an empty square as your own piece. This is the single biggest difference from chess. No piece is ever truly gone, and a losing position can flip in one move.

When a piece enters the opponent's territory (last rank in Mini, last 3 ranks in Classic), you can promote it, giving it new movement abilities. Some pieces must promote; others give you the choice. The tutorial walks through every case.

Ranked Rapid games are 3 minutes per side plus 2 seconds back after every move (3+2). Ranked Classic games are 15 minutes plus a 10-second increment (15+10). Prefer no pressure? Pick the no-clock casual mode, and bot games never have a clock.

Five bots span the full range: Hana (beginner, ~200 Elo) makes plenty of mistakes for you to exploit, while Ryuu (master, ~2800 Elo) plays near engine strength. Start with Hana or Yuki and work up.

Try the next bot up or down. The five difficulty levels (Hana, Yuki, Ren, Kai, Ryuu) are spaced so there's always a fair challenge. Post-game review also shows where you went wrong, which is the fastest way to improve.

Open the Learn tab and play the interactive tutorial. It teaches piece movement, drops, and promotion step by step with guided moves. After that, the Story chapters give you real practice scenarios.

After any finished game (bot, online, friends, or pass-and-play), tap Review game for chess.com-style move-by-move analysis. Each move is rated best, good, inaccuracy, mistake, or blunder, with the engine's suggested line when you missed something. Online games reuse analysis pre-warmed during play so review is often near-instant.

No. You can play bots, local pass-and-play, puzzles, and lessons without any account. Creating a profile lets you track ratings and stats across sessions.

On mobile: Profile tab → "Delete account & data". On web: email support@shog.io. This permanently removes your profile, ratings, and progress.