A Pawn can move one square directly forward. It cannot retreat. You can't put two or more than pawns in one low. It is the weakest piece in shogi, but it means that it's useful as sacrifice. In fact, pawn is necessary to attack the opponent's zone. We have a saying to the effect that 'a game in which you lose pawns is a lost game.'

A Knight jumps at an angle intermediate between orthogonal and diagonal, amounting to one square forward plus one square diagonally forward, in a single motion. That is, it has a choice of two forward destinations. It cannot move to the sides or backwards. It is a unique piece because Knight is the only piece that ignores intervening pieces. When you attack opponent's zone, the combination of Knight, Silver General, and Bishop is very powerful.

A Silver General can move one square diagonally or one square directly forward, giving it five possibilities. It is very useful that we can use it for both of attack and defense. Habu Yoshiharu, one of the strongest players, says silver is his favorite piece.

A Silver General can move one square diagonally or one square directly forward, giving it five possibilities. It is very useful that we can use it for both of attack and defense. Habu Yoshiharu, one of the strongest players, said silver is his favorite piece.

A Gold General can move one square orthogonally, or one square diagonally forward, giving it six possible destinations. It cannot move diagonally backward. It is a keystone of defence. Once a Gold General is captured,the game is close to end. This is because it is important piece of defence, and it is useful to checkmate. When above four pieces enter opponent's zone, they promote and get the same movement of Gold General.

A Rook can move any number of free squares along any one of the four orthogonal directions. It is very powerful and easy to treat. Beginners should think it is the center to attack. However, some players often lose the game because they care about Rook too much.

A Bishop can move any number of free squares along any one of the four diagonal directions. It has wide range equal to Rook. Depending on the combination with other pieces, it becomes a undefeatable piece in both attacking and defensing.

A King can move one square in any direction, orthogonal or diagonal. It is the most important in a game because you lose the game when your King is captured.