Dai Shōgi, Dai Dai Shōgi and Ningen Shōgi

Dai shōgi (大将棋, 'large chess') is a board game native to Japan. It is similar to standard shogi (sometimes called Japanese chess) in its rules and game play. Dai shogi is only one of several large board shogi variants. Its name means large shogi, from a time when there were three sizes of shogi games. Early versions of dai shogi can be traced back the end of the Heian period about AD 1230.


Dai dai shōgi (大大将棋 'huge chess') is a large board variant of shogi (Japanese chess). The game dates back to the 15th century and is based on the earlier Dai shogi. The objective is to capture the opponent's king. Unlike standard shogi, pieces may not be dropped back into play after being captured.

Apart from its size, the major difference is in the range of the pieces and the “promotion by capture” rule. The objective is to capture the opponent's king.

Ningen Shōgi (lit. human shōgi) is a large scale event played by people dressed as shōgi pieces.