By Galo S Mirth
If you speak English and enjoy strategy games, there is a very good chance Shogi will surprise you (in the best possible way). It looks familiar at first glance: two players, a board, pieces with different powers, and a single royal piece to protect. But once you play a few games, you notice that Shogi does something many classic board games struggle to do: it stays creative deep into the game, even after major captures. That freshness comes from one famous rule. In Shogi, captured pieces are not dead forever. They can come back onto the board under your control. This one mechanic changes almost everything: defense, attack, tempo, and long-term planning. It also means a game is rarely “over” just because one side is behind in material. If you are willing to think clearly and fight for initiative, counterplay is always alive. (more…)