No account · Game review · Training
An 81Dojo alternative
for the training between dojo games.
81Dojo is the international online dojo, with rated games, teaching games, and a welcoming English-speaking community. Shogiful is the app you open between visits, on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. YaneuraOu checks every move of your game on the device, and each mistake gets a card: what you played, what was best, the cost in pawns, and a coach's tip. Today's Training then builds a session around your top weakness. You need no account, and play, review, and training work without a connection.
How does Shogiful compare to 81Dojo?
81Dojo is a community and Shogiful is a training app, so they cover different parts of learning shogi.
What it is
Shogiful: A single-player training app: 40 engine opponents, a review of every game, and daily training aimed at your weaknesses.
81Dojo: International online shogi server with rated human games, teaching games, tournaments, and a community.
81Dojo: International online shogi server with rated human games, teaching games, tournaments, and a community.
Feedback on your play
Shogiful: Automatic, after every game. YaneuraOu labels each move from Best move to Blunder, and each mistake card names one of 12 shogi mistake types, such as Drop Mistake or Castle Weakness. The free version reviews 2 games a day; Premium has no limit.
81Dojo: Human. Post-game reviews and teaching games happen when stronger players are available and willing.
81Dojo: Human. Post-game reviews and teaching games happen when stronger players are available and willing.
Handicap practice
Shogiful: Komaochi in the Training tab has 40 handicap scenarios across 8 handicaps, from lance odds to eight pieces, each with a goal such as mate or material. You practice them against the engine.
81Dojo: Teaching games and reviews with stronger players, when someone is available.
81Dojo: Teaching games and reviews with stronger players, when someone is available.
Kanji barrier
Shogiful: Three piece styles: Traditional kanji, International (kanji with movement arrows), and Chess (chess-style pieces, no kanji). Moves show in Western (P-7f) or Japanese notation.
81Dojo: Traditional presentation; the international community helps, but the board assumes piece literacy.
81Dojo: Traditional presentation; the international community helps, but the board assumes piece literacy.
Offline & account
Shogiful: No account. Play, analysis, and training run on your device. Buying Premium and Game Center need a connection. No ads, tracking, or third-party SDKs.
81Dojo: Online server; account required to play.
81Dojo: Online server; account required to play.
Pricing
Shogiful: Free, with daily limits on analysis and training and none on play. Premium $1.99/mo or $9.99/yr, each with a 7-day free trial, or $19.99 once.
81Dojo: Free to play; optional supporter memberships.
81Dojo: Free to play; optional supporter memberships.
| Feature | Shogiful | 81Dojo |
|---|---|---|
| Core mechanic | Play 40 engine opponents, review every game, train your weaknesses | Rated online games vs humans |
| Works offline | Yes, for play, analysis, and training | No |
| Account required | No | Yes |
| Playable without kanji | Yes, Chess style (no kanji) or International (kanji with arrows) | Traditional presentation |
| Engine analysis of your games | Yes, YaneuraOu on your device; 2 games a day free, unlimited on Premium | Community + external tools |
| Mistake explanations | A card per mistake: your move, the best move, the cost in pawns, and a tip | Human reviews, when available |
| Structured training | Yes: 501 tsume, 99 drop drills, 80 lessons, spaced repetition | No |
| Human community | No | Yes, its main strength |
| Tracking / advertising | None | Standard web analytics |
| Pricing | Free; Premium from $1.99/mo; $19.99 once | Free; optional supporter membership |
| Best for | Practice on your own schedule, with or without kanji | Rated international play and dojo community |
Verdict: the dojo and the home board
Pick Shogiful if you want…
- A review of every game, with each mistake explained on a card
- Daily training built around your top weakness, with spaced repetition
- Piece styles you can read without kanji, and the traditional set when you are ready
- 501 tsume problems and 40 handicap scenarios to practice alone
- No account, and play that works without a connection
Pick 81Dojo if you want…
- Rated games against humans across the world, free
- The international shogi community and its teaching culture
- Tournaments and real dojo etiquette online
- Human feedback from stronger players
No app replaces the dojo's human teaching culture, and no dojo can review every game you play at 3 a.m. The two work best together.
About Shogiful
Questions
FAQ
What is the best 81Dojo alternative for solo training?
Shogiful is built for training alone. You play 40 engine opponents in eight tiers, from Koishi to Meijin, and YaneuraOu reviews every game on your device, with a card for each mistake. Today's Training then builds a session around your level and top weakness, and spaced repetition brings back the puzzles you miss. It runs on iPhone, iPad, and Mac with no account. For rated games against people, 81Dojo remains the place to play.
How is Shogiful different from 81Dojo?
81Dojo is built around people: rated games, teaching games, and a community that borrows real dojo customs. Shogiful is built around a loop of play, review, and training. 81Dojo needs an account and a connection; Shogiful needs no account, and play, analysis, and training work offline. Feedback on 81Dojo comes from stronger players when they have time. In Shogiful it comes after every game: YaneuraOu labels each move, and each mistake card names one of 12 shogi mistake types, such as Drop Mistake, Promotion Mistake, Castle Weakness, or Missed Tsume.
Is Shogiful good for beginners who can't read kanji?
Yes. You can play with Chess-style pieces that have no kanji, or with International pieces that keep the kanji and add arrows showing how each piece moves. Switch to the Traditional set in Settings when you are ready, and show moves in Western (P-7f) or Japanese notation. 81Dojo's board is traditional, so starting there means learning the characters first.
How much does Shogiful cost compared to 81Dojo?
Shogiful is free to download, and play is never limited: you get unlimited games against all 40 opponents, which unlock as you win, plus 2 game analyses, 3 training puzzles, and 2 coach hints a day, with no ads. Premium removes those limits for $1.99/month or $9.99/year, each with a 7-day free trial, or $19.99 once, and Family Sharing is included. 81Dojo is free to play with optional supporter memberships. If free online games are all you need, 81Dojo covers that; in Shogiful you pay for unlimited review and training.
Does Shogiful have teaching games like 81Dojo?
Not with people, and the dojo's human teaching is worth a lot. Shogiful offers a different kind of practice: opponents that unlock one by one as you beat each twice, a review of every game, and Komaochi, 40 handicap scenarios from lance odds to eight pieces. You can open it at 3 a.m. with nothing to schedule.
Can I review my 81Dojo games in Shogiful?
Yes, if you have them as KIF files. Shogiful imports KIF game records from a file, the clipboard, or pasted text, shows a preview, and analyzes the game like one you played in the app. The free version's limit of 2 analyses a day applies.
Can I use both 81Dojo and Shogiful?
Yes, they work well together. Play rated games and pick up community knowledge on 81Dojo; use Shogiful between sessions to review your games, drill tsume, and train the mistakes you repeat.
Try it
Open Shogiful
Practice between dojo games, with a review of every game you play.
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