Shogi is one of the most forgiving strategy games ever… and also one of the strictest.
Forgiving, because you can bring captured pieces back into the game. Strict, because one illegal move can end your game on the spot.
In Japanese, an instant-loss violation is usually talked about as 反則負け (hansoku-make), or the “loss by foul.” The Japan Shogi Association (日本将棋連盟) even has a full list of actions that count as “you lose immediately.”
Today, let’s walk through:
- what “instant-loss” really means in shogi,
- how these rules got here (a little history),
- and some famous “oops” moments, because yes, even pros do this.