Some games have remained basically the same since they were introduced, a couple of centuries ago and in the case of some games, a couple of millennia ago. Games like chess have had few changes over the centuries and the pieces have remained very similar, even across different countries and cultures. However, there will always be some differences in the games, if not in the way that the pieces look and are named, then in the way that they move.

Japanese chess or shogi, is a game that was conceived in Japan somewhere around the 8th century after it was brought from India. 

Shogi was quickly accepted by all levels of society and the rules have remained largely the same over the centuries, with some adaptations for tournaments, of course.

Shogi isn’t really that popular outside Japan.

But, we have the internet, meaning that we can learn shogi online. Here are the best places to start learning shogi from.

Lishogi.org

Lishogi.org is a fork of lichess.org and while currently still in development, which you can see by the huge beta sign next to the site’s name and logo, it is a great tool to play shogi on. It is the same site as licheckers.org and being the same, it offers much of the same resources, but for shogi.

Shogi is not like checkers or chess, in the sense that the pieces have Japanese names on them, which makes them a bit difficult to grasp at first. You will be able to tell the pawns, given that there are so many of them and by the way that they move, however, it is more than just recommended for you to go through a tutorial or shogi basics, to familiarize yourself with the board and rules.

You can play against the computer, level 1 through 8 or solve puzzles if you want to practice without actually playing a full game. Then the final challenge is human opponents. You will get an opponent based on your rank, of course, so have no fear.

Japanesechess.org

The site’s name is pretty straightforward and so is the site. It is very basic in what it offers, which is not a bad thing. The rules section is very good for beginners, offering graphical representations of how the pieces move and how the board is set up.

You can choose your tokens or pieces, to have them romanized, so that you don’t have to memorize kanji. This is a great thing for beginners, who just want to learn how the pieces move on the board and how they interact. The site gives you the option to play and learn against AI players, which is good enough to start with. Serious players will want another start after they grasp the basics.

Playshogi.com

This is another great resource for beginners who are looking to learn how to play the game without playing against a human opponent. The layout of the site is simple and easy to grasp and you can learn through puzzles, straight up tutorials and then through games against AI players. As far as learning shogi online is concerned, lishogi.org is a complete package and should be the first place you start your online shogi journey.