Offline · English · Game review
A Kanazawa Shogi alternative
that tells you why you lost.
Kanazawa Shogi is the classic offline shogi AI, with a respected commercial engine, a long ladder of difficulty levels, and a traditional board. Shogiful also plays offline, and when the game ends, YaneuraOu goes back over every move on your device. Each mistake gets a card with the better move, its cost in pawns, and a coach's tip, so a loss against a strong level becomes something to practice. You can play with kanji, with kanji and movement arrows, or with chess-style pieces that have no kanji.
How does Shogiful compare to Kanazawa Shogi?
Both give you an opponent. Shogiful adds a review of every game and a training plan.
What happens after a game
Shogiful: Every move labelled from Best move to Blunder, accuracy for each side, key moments, and a card for each mistake. Train These Weaknesses opens practice on the mistakes you repeat.
Kanazawa Shogi: A result, the game record, and the next level.
Kanazawa Shogi: A result, the game record, and the next level.
Opponent design
Shogiful: 40 opponents in eight tiers, from Koishi to Meijin, in seven playing styles such as castle builder and drop tactician. Beat one twice to unlock the next.
Kanazawa Shogi: One engine with a deep ladder of difficulty levels, the classic strength-dial design.
Kanazawa Shogi: One engine with a deep ladder of difficulty levels, the classic strength-dial design.
Language & pieces
Shogiful: Traditional, International (kanji with movement arrows), and Chess (no kanji) piece styles; Western or Japanese notation; 39 localizations, English and Japanese among them.
Kanazawa Shogi: Traditional Japanese presentation; English availability varies by edition.
Kanazawa Shogi: Traditional Japanese presentation; English availability varies by edition.
Training system
Shogiful: 501 tsume problems, 99 drop drills, 62 castle drills, 55 joseki drills, 62 endgame races, and 80 lessons, with a daily plan and spaced repetition.
Kanazawa Shogi: Play-focused; no adaptive training loop.
Kanazawa Shogi: Play-focused; no adaptive training loop.
Platforms
Shogiful: iPhone, iPad, and a native Mac app with menus, keyboard shortcuts, and multiple windows.
Kanazawa Shogi: Editions across mobile and consoles, sold per platform.
Kanazawa Shogi: Editions across mobile and consoles, sold per platform.
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.
Kanazawa Shogi: Paid app; pricing varies by edition and platform.
Kanazawa Shogi: Paid app; pricing varies by edition and platform.
| Feature | Shogiful | Kanazawa Shogi |
|---|---|---|
| Offline AI play | Yes, 40 opponents in 8 tiers | Yes, deep difficulty ladder |
| Engine | YaneuraOu, on your device | Proprietary Kanazawa engine |
| Game review with explanations | Yes, a card per mistake in 12 shogi mistake types | No structured coaching |
| Training aimed at your weaknesses | Yes, a daily plan tuned to your top weakness, with spaced repetition | No |
| Tsume puzzles | 501, from 1-move to 9-move mates (381 free) | Varies by edition |
| Playable without kanji | Yes, Chess style (no kanji) or International (kanji with arrows) | Traditional kanji pieces |
| English localization | Yes, one of 39 localizations | Varies by edition |
| Progress tracking | Estimated rating, kyu/dan estimate, accuracy trend; Skill Profile on Premium | Level progression |
| Account required | No | No |
| Pricing | Free; Premium from $1.99/mo; $19.99 once | Paid app, varies by edition |
| Best for | Improving with explanations and targeted training | Pure play against a classic engine ladder |
Both play offline, and Shogiful reviews your games
Pick Shogiful if you want…
- Every game reviewed, with each mistake explained on a card
- Piece styles you can read before you know the kanji
- Daily training built around your top weakness
- 40 opponents with different playing styles in place of one engine dialed up
- iPhone, iPad, and a native Mac app
Pick Kanazawa Shogi if you want…
- The classic, no-frills play-the-engine experience
- A very fine-grained difficulty ladder to climb level by level
- A traditional Japanese presentation
- A long-established engine pedigree
If you already know your weaknesses and just want games, Kanazawa Shogi delivers. If you want the app to find your weaknesses for you, try Shogiful.
About Shogiful
Questions
FAQ
What is the best Kanazawa Shogi alternative in English?
Shogiful is a modern alternative with full English text. Like Kanazawa Shogi it plays offline, against 40 opponents. After the game, YaneuraOu reviews every move on your device, and each mistake gets a card with the better move, the cost in pawns, and a coach's tip. You can play with kanji pieces, kanji with movement arrows, or chess-style pieces with no kanji. It runs on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
How is Shogiful different from Kanazawa Shogi?
Both let you play a computer opponent offline. The difference comes after the game. Kanazawa Shogi gives you a result and the next level. Shogiful gives you a move-by-move review that sorts your mistakes into 12 shogi mistake types, such as Drop Mistake, Promotion Mistake, Castle Weakness, and Missed Tsume, with a card for each one. Train These Weaknesses then opens practice on the mistakes you repeat, and the daily plan brings back the puzzles you missed.
Does Shogiful have difficulty levels like Kanazawa Shogi's 100 levels?
Shogiful has 40 named opponents in eight tiers of five, from Koishi to Meijin, where Kanazawa Shogi has a 100-step strength dial on one engine. The ladder runs from gentle beginner opponents to master level. Each opponent plays one of seven styles, such as aggressive, castle builder, or drop tactician, and you unlock the next by beating the current one twice.
Can I play Shogiful without reading kanji?
Yes. Choose the Chess piece style for chess-style pieces with no kanji, or International for kanji with arrows that show how each piece moves. Traditional kanji pieces are there when you want them, and moves can be shown in Western (P-7f) or Japanese notation. Traditional shogi programs like Kanazawa Shogi use kanji pieces.
How much does Shogiful cost compared to Kanazawa Shogi?
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. Kanazawa Shogi is sold as a paid app, with editions that vary by platform and region. Its price buys an opponent; Shogiful's Premium buys unlimited review and training.
Is Shogiful's engine strong enough compared to Kanazawa Shogi?
Shogiful uses YaneuraOu, an open-source shogi engine, running on your device with its neural-network evaluation file. Its opponents run from gentle beginners to master level, and you can set the analysis depth in Settings. If your goal is to test yourself against the strongest dial-a-level opponent you can find, Kanazawa Shogi remains a respectable choice.
Try it
Open Shogiful
An opponent and a game review in one app, offline and in your language.
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