Japanese Chess – Shogi – 将棋
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Tag: LPSA

  • Dōbutsu shōgi (Animal Shogi): Rules, History, and Why It Matters

    By Galo S Mirth

    Dōbutsu shōgi, often called Animal Shogi, is one of the most successful modern gateways into Japanese board game culture. It keeps core shogi ideas such as capture, drops, promotion, and king safety, but compresses them into a small board and a ruleset that children and first time players can learn quickly.

    What Dōbutsu shōgi is

    The standard game uses a 3×4 board and four piece types per side: lion, giraffe, elephant, and chick. Like standard shogi, captured pieces switch sides and can be dropped back onto the board. A player wins by capturing the opposing lion, or by a successful “try” where their own lion reaches the back rank and cannot be captured on the next move. (more…)

  • Women’s Shogi Circuit: Visibility Growth and Improvements Over the Years

    By Galo S Mirth

    Visibility for women’s shogi did not rise from one event alone. It grew through layered changes in tournament structure, sponsor commitment, media formats, and fan access. Looking at official tournament and organization records, the pattern is clear: the women’s circuit moved from limited spot coverage to a year round ecosystem with stronger branding and broader public reach.

    From a smaller footprint to a multi title circuit

    The Japan Shogi Association’s current women’s tournament list shows a broad official circuit, including 白玲戦, 清麗戦, マイナビ女子オープン, 女流王座戦, 女流名人戦, 女流王位戦, 女流王将戦, and 倉敷藤花戦. This breadth matters for visibility because each title adds additional league rounds, match days, and news cycles across the year, instead of concentrating attention into one short period. (more…)

  • Japanese Organizations That Shape Shogi

    A Shogi Map: 5 Japanese Organizations That Shape the Game

    If you’ve been watching shogi online or learning the rules at home, you’ve probably wondered: “Who runs all this?” In Japan, shogi is not only a game. It’s a whole culture, with leagues, events, teachers, and big community networks.

    Below are five major shogi organizations (and one big network) that you’ll see again and again when you explore Japanese shogi life. I’m not ranking them. This is just a helpful “map.”

    Heads up: these sites are mostly Japanese. Your browser’s translate button can do a lot.

    Quick “Japanese site survival” tips

    • Look for dates like 2025/12/16 or 2025年12月16日. That’s usually what’s new.
    • Words you’ll see everywhere: 棋戦 (tournament), 対局 (game), 棋士 (pro), 女流 (women’s pro), 大会 (event), 支部 (branch).
    • Don’t overthink it. Even with rough translation, you can usually spot: who is playing, where, and when.

    (more…)