What is Handicap Shogi?
Handicap shogi (komaochi, "dropped pieces") is how two players of different strength play a fair game of shogi. The stronger player, the handicap giver, takes some of their own pieces off the board before the game starts. Every other rule is the rule of standard shogi.
The handicaps follow a fixed ladder, from a single lance up to ten pieces, and beyond that to three pawns and the naked king, where the giver starts with nothing but the king. The bigger the difference in strength, the more pieces come off. A missing piece is gone for good, unless the giver captures a piece of that kind and drops it.
The giver plays Gote, the side at the top of the board, and makes the first move. That is the traditional order: moving first gives back a little of what the missing pieces take away. You choose the handicap in the table setup.
Rule changes
| Rule | Standard Shogi | Handicap Shogi |
|---|---|---|
| Starting position | Standard ShogiBoth sides start with the same 20 pieces. | Handicap ShogiThe giver (Gote) starts with some pieces removed; the weaker player (Sente) keeps the full set. |
| Pieces removed | Standard ShogiNone. | Handicap ShogiLance (the giver's left lance), right lance, bishop, rook, rook and lance, or two pieces (rook and bishop). From three to ten pieces, the lances, knights, silvers and golds come off in turn. Three pawns: only the king on the board, with three pawns in hand. Naked king: the king alone. |
| First move | Standard ShogiSente moves first. | Handicap ShogiThe giver, playing Gote, moves first. |
| How to win | Standard ShogiCheckmate the opponent's king. | Handicap ShogiThe same. Captures, drops and promotion work exactly as in standard shogi. |
History
Handicap games are as old as professional shogi. In the Edo period (1603 to 1868) the difference between two players' ranks decided which handicap they played, and game records from that time include many handicap games between masters and their students.
Handicaps are still the usual way a professional teaches. In a teaching game (shidō shogi) the professional gives a handicap matched to the student's strength, and the classic handicap openings have their own body of theory. Club players use the same ladder to give each other a close game.