囲碁将棋盤 榧寿堂 ／ How to Read a Shogi Board: Files, Ranks, What ▲7六歩 Means, and Setting Up the Pieces
How to Read a Shogi Board: Files, Ranks, What ▲7六歩 Means, and Setting Up the Pieces
Japanese shogi books, newspaper columns and broadcast commentary write moves like ▲7六歩. Until you know the system, there is no telling which square that is.
A shogi board is in fact an address grid: every one of its 81 squares has a fixed name. There are only two rules for reading it, and once you have them you can follow any Japanese game record (kifu) on your own board, even without reading Japanese.
9 × 9 = 81 squares
The board has 9 columns and 9 rows, 81 squares in all. Pieces go inside the squares, not on the intersections of the lines (the opposite of go; more on that below).
Each square is named by combining its suji (file, the column) and its dan (rank, the row).
Rule 1: files (suji) are numbered from the right
The vertical columns are called suji and numbered 1 to 9.
Counting starts from the right-hand edge as seen by Sente (the player who moves first). The right-hand column is the 1st file; the left-hand column is the 9th.
- Right edge → file 1
- Centre → file 5
- Left edge → file 9
If you assume counting starts from the left, everything after this will be off. From the right.
Rule 2: ranks (dan) are numbered from the far side
The horizontal rows are called dan, also numbered 1 to 9.
As Sente sees it, the row on the far side (Gote’s side) is rank 1, and the row nearest Sente is rank 9.
Putting them together: file, then rank
A square is named file first, then rank. In Japanese books and newspapers, the file is written in Arabic numerals and the rank in kanji numerals (一 二 三 四 五 六 七 八 九), so that “7六” can never be read the wrong way round.
| Square | Where it is (from Sente’s side) |
|---|---|
| 5五 (5-5) | The exact centre of the board |
| 1一 (1-1) | Top-right corner (Gote’s side, right edge) |
| 9九 (9-9) | Bottom-left corner (Sente’s side, left edge) |
| 5九 (5-9) | Centre of Sente’s back row, where Sente’s king starts |
The Japan Shogi Association notes that while newspapers, books and magazines write the rank in kanji, its own official game records use Arabic numerals for both, so you will also see “76” for 7六.
Reading “▲7六歩”
A move adds the piece to the address:
▲7六歩 = Sente moved a pawn to file 7, rank 6.
- ▲ (black triangle): a move by Sente
- △ (white triangle): a move by Gote
- 7六: the destination square
- 歩: the piece that moved (歩 = pawn)
You will also see ☗ and ☖ used in the same way. ▲7六歩 is one of the most common first moves in shogi, so try it on your board: from Sente’s side, seventh column from the right, sixth row from the top, one pawn advanced.
The extra marks in a game record
According to the Japan Shogi Association’s notation rules, a move is written as destination file, destination rank, piece, followed where necessary by marks that remove ambiguity:
| Mark | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 同 (dō) | The move lands on the same square as the opponent’s previous move (usually a capture). Written instead of the square: e.g. △同歩 |
| 打 (utsu) | A piece was dropped from the hand. Only written when a piece already on the board could also have moved to that square; otherwise a drop has no mark |
| 成 / 不成 | The piece promoted / did not promote, written whenever promotion was possible |
| 右・左・直・上・引・寄 | When two or more pieces of the same kind could reach the square: which one (right, left, straight) and how it moved (up, back, sideways) |
You do not need the last row at first. With 同, 打 and 成 you can follow most game records.
The four dots on the board
Look closely and you will see four small dots on the lines. They sit where the line between ranks 3 and 4 crosses the line between files 3 and 4, and likewise at 6/7, dividing the board into thirds each way.
The division has a meaning: the three ranks on the opponent’s side are the promotion zone. When your piece moves into, within or out of that zone, it can promote. Beginners can use the dots as a marker for “the enemy camp starts here”.
Which way round the board goes
Shogi squares are not perfect squares: they are slightly longer from player to player than across, and so is the playing surface. Put the board so that the long side of each square points from you to your opponent. Turned 90 degrees, the squares look wide and the pieces sit a little cramped. Dimensions are in Shogi Board Sizes, and How They Differ From a Go Board.
Some boards carry a name or maker’s mark on one side, or have legs with a front and back; for those, follow the maker’s guidance on which side faces the players.
Setting up the pieces
The starting position from Sente’s side (Gote’s is the same, turned 180 degrees about the centre):
| Rank | From file 9 to file 1 (left to right) |
|---|---|
| 7 | Pawn ×9 (one on every file) |
| 8 | Bishop on file 8, Rook on file 2 (others empty) |
| 9 | Lance, Knight, Silver, Gold, King, Gold, Silver, Knight, Lance |
Two ways to remember it:
- On the back row, the pieces spread out symmetrically from the king: gold, silver, knight, lance.
- Bishop on your left, rook on your right. Sente’s rook is on 2八 and bishop on 8八; Gote’s rook on 8二 and bishop on 2二. Facing each other, each rook is on the same file as the opponent’s bishop.
One king in each set is marked 王将 (ōshō) and the other 玉将 (gyokushō). They work identically; by custom the senior or higher-ranked player takes 王将. Game records usually write 玉 for either.
For the types of pieces and how they are made, see Types of Shogi Pieces.
How this differs from a go board
| Shogi board | Go board (19×19) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where pieces go | Inside the squares | On the intersections |
| Count | 9×9 = 81 squares | 19×19 = 361 intersections |
| Dots | 4 (edges of the promotion zones) | 9 star points |
Go board sizes are covered in 9×9, 13×13 or 19×19?.
Practise at the board
You will learn this faster with your finger on the board than from a page:
- Turn the board so the squares look tall.
- Confirm that the right-hand column (from your side) is file 1 and the far row is rank 1.
- Touch 5五 (the centre) and 1一 (top-right corner).
- Set up the pieces and check: king on 5九, rook on 2八, bishop on 8八.
- Play ▲7六歩.
From there you can replay any Japanese commentary or broadcast game on your own board.
FAQ
Why are files counted from the right? It is the established convention for shogi notation: file 1 is the right-hand edge from Sente’s side. From Gote’s seat, file 1 is on the left. Whichever side you sit, each square keeps the same name.
I am sitting on Gote’s side. How do I read the board? The names are fixed from Sente’s point of view. From Gote’s seat, 1一 is the near-left corner and 9九 the far-right. Until it becomes natural, picture the board from Sente’s side.
What is the difference between ▲ and ☗? None. Both mean Sente; △ and ☖ both mean Gote. It depends only on the font or publication.
Do I need to learn the set-up etiquette? No. Japanese clubs follow traditional setting-up sequences (such as the Ōhashi style, which places the king first), but this is etiquette, not a rule of the game.
Related pages
- Shogi Board Sizes, and How They Differ From a Go Board
- Types of Shogi Pieces: Oshi, Kaki, Hori, Horiume and Moriage
- Go & Shogi Board Thickness
Notation follows the Japan Shogi Association’s “棋譜の表記方法” (https://www.shogi.or.jp/faq/kihuhyouki/ , checked 6 October 2026); the rest sets out the general conventions of shogi boards and play. Board dimensions and which side faces the players vary by maker, so follow the maker’s guidance for your board. Kayajudo is an independent guide to Japanese go and shogi equipment, and we can also order boards, stones and pieces from makers and shops in Japan for you and ship them abroad — see Ordering from overseas.