I’ve added a new Middle (Chu) Shogi game to the site.

Rules

Middle Shogi is the common English name for 中将棋（ちゅうしょうぎ / Chū Shōgi）. It is an older, bigger shogi game played on a 12×12 board with 46 pieces per player (92 total) and 21 kinds of pieces.

This guide explains one common modern rule set described in Japanese sources (including special Lion rules and “no piece drops”).
Note: Some groups and computer programs use different promotion timing rules, so always agree on rules before you start.

What you need

A 12×12 board (12 squares wide, 12 squares tall).
46 pieces per side. Each piece is a wedge shape; the pointed end shows which way it is facing (that is “forward”).

Goal: how you win

You win by capturing the opponent’s King (玉将/王将).
If the opponent has a Crown Prince (太子), then you must capture both the King and the Crown Prince to win. (The Crown Prince is made by promoting the Drunk Elephant.)
Many Middle Shogi rules allow you to ignore “check” (you are allowed to leave your King in danger).
- Because of this, players often simply play until a King (or the second royal) is actually taken.

Big differences from regular shogi

No drops / no hand pieces: When you capture a piece, it is removed from the game. You do not keep it to drop later.
There is a very powerful piece called the Lion (獅子) with special capture rules.

How a turn works

On your turn:

Choose one of your pieces.
Move it using that piece’s movement rules.
If you land on a square with an enemy piece, you capture it (remove it from the board).
If your move ends inside the promotion area (enemy territory), you may be allowed to promote (see below).

You may not:

Move onto a square with your own piece.
Move off the board.

Starting setup

The standard setup fills 5 rows on each side (with 2 empty rows in the middle). Your pieces are arranged like this (from your side, left to right):

Row 1 (closest row)

Lance, Ferocious Leopard, Copper, Silver, Gold, Drunk Elephant, King, Gold, Silver, Copper, Ferocious Leopard, Lance

Row 2

Reverse Chariot, (empty), Bishop, (empty), Blind Tiger, Phoenix, Kirin, Blind Tiger, (empty), Bishop, (empty), Reverse Chariot

Row 3

Side Mover, Vertical Mover, Rook, Dragon Horse, Dragon King, Free King, Lion, Dragon King, Dragon Horse, Rook, Vertical Mover, Side Mover

Row 4

12 Pawns (one in every file)

Row 5 (front line)

Only two pieces: Go-between in the 4th and 9th files; all other squares are empty.

(Your opponent sets up the same way on the other side, facing you.)

Capturing

Capturing is done by moving onto the enemy piece’s square (like chess).
The captured piece is removed from the board and does not come back (no drops).

Promotion

Where is the promotion area?

Promotion happens in the opponent’s territory (enemy camp). Many Japanese rule descriptions treat this as the far side “camp,” and commonly describe it as 4 ranks deep.

When can you promote?

A common rule described in Japanese sources is:

When a piece enters the enemy camp, it may promote at the end of the move.
If you go into the enemy camp and choose not to promote, you usually cannot promote later unless certain things happen (like capturing in the enemy camp, leaving and re-entering, or reaching the farthest row with a Pawn or Lance).
Promotion happens only after your move is fully finished.
A useful beginner tip: if you are allowed to promote, you usually should, because promoted pieces are often much stronger.

What does each piece promote into?

Here is the full promotion list (one promotion per piece; some pieces cannot promote).

King (王将/玉将) → does not promote
Lion (獅子) → does not promote
Free King (奔王) → does not promote
Gold (金将) → Rook (飛車)
Silver (銀将) → Vertical Mover (竪行)
Copper (銅将) → Side Mover (横行)
Ferocious Leopard (猛豹) → Bishop (角行)
Lance (香車) → White Horse (白駒)
Reverse Chariot (反車) → Whale (鯨鯢)
Blind Tiger (盲虎) → Flying Stag (飛鹿)
Pawn (歩兵) → Tokin (と金)
Go-between (仲人) → Drunk Elephant (醉象)
Drunk Elephant (醉象) → Crown Prince (太子)
Bishop (角行) → Dragon Horse (龍馬)
Dragon Horse (龍馬) → Horned Falcon (角鷹)
Rook (飛車) → Dragon King (龍王)
Dragon King (龍王) → Soaring Eagle (飛鷲)
Side Mover (横行) → Free Boar (奔猪)
Vertical Mover (竪行) → Flying Ox (飛牛)
Kirin (麒麟) → Lion (獅子)
Phoenix (鳳凰) → Free King (奔王)

Special Lion rules (important!)

The Lion is so strong that special rules exist to stop “boring” quick Lion trades. These rules also apply to a Lion made by promoting a Kirin.

1) “Senjishi” (先獅子): no instant revenge

If your Lion is captured, then on your very next move you usually may not capture that enemy Lion with a non‑Lion piece (even if you could).
You must wait one move—unless you capture Lion with Lion.

2) Adjacent Lions can always capture each other

If the two Lions are on neighboring squares (touching), they can capture each other freely.

3) A “footed” Lion can’t be captured by a Lion from distance

If a Lion is protected by another piece (it has “足,” meaning the opponent could immediately recapture), then a distant Lion usually cannot capture it.

4) “Tsukegui” (付け喰い): a special exception

If there is a piece between the two Lions (not a Pawn or Go‑between), then you may be allowed to capture even when the target Lion is protected, and the opponent may be allowed to recapture without it counting as “Senjishi.”

For a first game, it is okay to print these four rules on a small note. They matter a lot.

Illegal moves and repetition rules

Double Pawn is illegal: You may not have two unpromoted Pawns on the same file.
Double Go-between is illegal in the same way (two Go-betweens on the same file).
Repetition: If the exact same position keeps repeating, players must avoid continuing it forever. One Japanese description explains it as: when the same position appears multiple times, you must change before repeating again.

Complete Middle Shogi piece movements

These movement descriptions come from Japanese movement charts that use:

● = squares you can move to (one step),
lines (─│＼／) = slide any number of squares in that direction (cannot jump),
★ = a jump to that square (can jump over pieces),
□/■ = special “Lion‑style” two‑step movement.

1) Royal pieces

King (玉将 / 王将)

Moves 1 square in any direction.
Does not promote.

Crown Prince (太子)

Moves like the King (1 square any direction).
Made by promoting the Drunk Elephant.

2) Small “general” pieces (short steps)

Gold General (金将) → promotes to Rook (飛車)

Moves 1 square: forward, back, left, right, and diagonally forward (6 ways).

Silver General (銀将) → promotes to Vertical Mover (竪行)

Moves 1 square: forward and all diagonals (5 ways).

Copper General (銅将) → promotes to Side Mover (横行)

Moves 1 square: forward, back, and diagonally forward (4 ways).

Ferocious Leopard (猛豹) → promotes to Bishop (角行)

Moves 1 square: forward, back, and all diagonals (6 ways).
It cannot move left/right sideways.

Blind Tiger (盲虎) → promotes to Flying Stag (飛鹿)

Moves 1 square in any direction except forward (7 ways).

Drunk Elephant (醉象) → promotes to Crown Prince (太子)

Moves 1 square in any direction except straight backward (7 ways).

Go-between (仲人) → promotes to Drunk Elephant (醉象)

Moves 1 square straight forward or straight backward only.

Pawn (歩兵) → promotes to Tokin (と金)

Moves 1 square straight forward only.

Tokin (と金)

Moves like a Gold General.

3) Sliding pieces (move many squares)

Lance (香車) → promotes to White Horse (白駒)

Slides any number of squares straight forward only (cannot jump).

White Horse (白駒)

Slides any number of squares straight forward/back, and diagonally forward (cannot jump).

Reverse Chariot (反車) → promotes to Whale (鯨鯢)

Slides any number of squares straight forward/back (vertical) (cannot jump).

Whale (鯨鯢)

Slides any number of squares straight forward/back, and diagonally backward (cannot jump).

Bishop (角行) → promotes to Dragon Horse (龍馬)

Slides any number of squares diagonally (cannot jump).

Rook (飛車) → promotes to Dragon King (龍王)

Slides any number of squares up/down/left/right (cannot jump).

Side Mover (横行) → promotes to Free Boar (奔猪)

Slides any number of squares left/right, and also moves 1 square straight forward/back.

Free Boar (奔猪)

Slides any number of squares left/right and diagonally (cannot move straight forward/back).

Vertical Mover (竪行) → promotes to Flying Ox (飛牛)

Slides any number of squares forward/back, and also moves 1 square left/right.

Flying Ox (飛牛)

Slides any number of squares forward/back and diagonally (cannot move straight left/right).

4) “Dragon” pieces (strong shogi‑style)

Dragon Horse (龍馬) → promotes to Horned Falcon (角鷹)

Slides diagonally like a Bishop, plus moves 1 square up/down/left/right.

Dragon King (龍王) → promotes to Soaring Eagle (飛鷲)

Slides like a Rook, plus moves 1 square diagonally.

5) Jumping pieces (Kirin and Phoenix)

Kirin (麒麟) → promotes to Lion (獅子)

Moves 1 square diagonally.
Also can jump 2 squares up/down/left/right (it may jump over pieces).

Phoenix (鳳凰) → promotes to Free King (奔王)

Moves 1 square up/down/left/right.
Also can jump 2 squares diagonally (it may jump over pieces).

6) Super pieces

Free King (奔王)

Slides any number of squares in any direction (like a chess queen).

Lion (獅子)

The Lion is special. In one turn it can do a King move twice (two steps total).

Simple way to think about it:

It can move to many nearby squares up to two king-steps away.
It can sometimes jump as part of that 2-step move.
It can capture in special ways, including:
- “Igui” (居食い): capture a neighboring enemy piece and end on your original square (capture “without moving”).
- “Jitto” (じっと): move out and back without capturing (a “pass”).

Flying Stag (飛鹿)

Slides any number of squares forward/back.
Also moves 1 square in any other direction (sideways or diagonals).

Horned Falcon (角鷹)

Think of it as:

Slides any number of squares left/right, backward, and diagonally (cannot slide straight forward).
Also has a Lion‑style move in the forward direction (step to a near square, then choose to return or go farther; may jump).

Soaring Eagle (飛鷲)