Game Notation

The method used in English-language texts to express shogi moves was established by George Hodges in 1976. It is derived from the algebraic notation used for chess, but differs in several respects.

A typical example is P-8f. The first letter represents the piece moved: P = pawn, L = lance, N = knight, S = silver, G = gold, B = bishop, R = rook, K = king. Promoted pieces have a + added in front of the letter. e.g., +P for a tokin (promoted pawn).

The designation of the piece is followed by a symbol indicating the type of move: - for an ordinary move, x for a capture, or ∗ for a drop. Next is the designation for the square on which the piece lands. This consists of a number representing the file and a lowercase letter representing the rank, with 1a being the top right corner (as seen from Black's point of view) and 9i being the bottom left corner.

If a move entitles the player to promote the piece, then a + is added to the end to signify that the promotion was taken, or an = to indicate that it was declined. For example, Nx7c= indicates a knight capturing on 7c without promoting.

In cases where the above notation would be ambiguous, the designation of the start square is added after the designation for the piece in order to make clear which piece is meant. For example, in the initial position Black has two golds which can be moved to the square 5h in front of the king, and these are distinguished as G6i-5h (moving the left one) and G4i-5h (moving the right one).

Moves are commonly numbered as in chess. For example, the start of a game might look like this:

1. P-7f - P-3d
2. P-2f - G-3b
3. P-2e - Bx8h+
4. Sx8h - S-2b

In handicap games White plays first, so Black's move 1 is replaced by an ellipsis.