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A ShogiQuest alternative
for when you're tired of losing the same way.
ShogiQuest is fast and light, with a human opponent a tap away. When five games in a row slip away in the same way, though, working out why is left to you. Shogiful plays you against 40 engine opponents and reviews every game on your device. Each mistake gets a card that names its type, such as a hanging piece, a drop mistake, or a missed tsume, and the next day's training starts from your top weakness. It runs on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with no account and no ads.
How does Shogiful compare to ShogiQuest?
ShogiQuest is for playing a lot of games; Shogiful is for understanding them.
What it is
Shogiful: A single-player training app: 40 engine opponents, a review of every game, and training aimed at your weaknesses.
ShogiQuest: Lightweight online quick-play with instant rated matches against humans.
ShogiQuest: Lightweight online quick-play with instant rated matches against humans.
After the game ends
Shogiful: A move-by-move review with a card for each mistake, and Train These Weaknesses to practice the ones you repeat.
ShogiQuest: The next game.
ShogiQuest: The next game.
Offline support
Shogiful: Play, analysis, and training run on your device. Buying Premium and Game Center need a connection.
ShogiQuest: Online only; needs a connection and an opponent.
ShogiQuest: Online only; needs a connection and an opponent.
Ads & account
Shogiful: No account. No ads, tracking, or third-party SDKs.
ShogiQuest: Free with ads and optional in-app purchases; account-based rating.
ShogiQuest: Free with ads and optional in-app purchases; account-based rating.
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.
ShogiQuest: Simple piece graphics; no structured help for learning the pieces.
ShogiQuest: Simple piece graphics; no structured help for learning the pieces.
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.
ShogiQuest: Free with ads and optional purchases.
ShogiQuest: Free with ads and optional purchases.
| Feature | Shogiful | ShogiQuest |
|---|---|---|
| Core mechanic | Play, review, and train against the engine | Instant online quick-play |
| Works offline | Yes, for play, analysis, and training | No |
| Account required | No | Yes (for rating) |
| Ads | None | Yes, in the free experience |
| Engine analysis of your games | Yes, YaneuraOu on your device; 2 games a day free, unlimited on Premium | Limited |
| Mistake explanations | A card per mistake: your move, the best move, the cost in pawns, and a tip | No |
| Training system | 501 tsume, 99 drop drills, 80 lessons, spaced repetition | No |
| Playable without kanji | Yes, Chess style (no kanji) or International (kanji with arrows) | Simple graphics |
| Live human matchmaking | No | Yes, its core feature |
| Pricing | Free; Premium from $1.99/mo; $19.99 once | Free with ads / IAP |
| Best for | Understanding and fixing how you lose | Fast, free games against humans |
Which one to pick
Pick Shogiful if you want…
- To see why you lose, with each mistake explained on a card
- Training that drills the mistakes you repeat
- 501 tsume problems, with spaced repetition bringing back the ones you miss
- Offline play without ads or an account
- Piece styles you can read while you learn the kanji
Pick ShogiQuest if you want…
- An instant human opponent, any time of day, free
- Fast time controls and lots of games
- A rating that tracks your online results
- The lightest possible app for casual play
If you're happy playing and don't care about the post-mortem, ShogiQuest is all you need. Once you start asking "why do I keep losing?", try Shogiful.
About Shogiful
Questions
FAQ
What is the best ShogiQuest alternative for improving?
Shogiful is made for improving. YaneuraOu reviews every game on your device, each mistake gets a card in one of 12 shogi mistake types, and Today's Training builds each session around your top weakness. Play, analysis, and training work offline with no account, on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
How is Shogiful different from ShogiQuest?
ShogiQuest is a quick-play arena: tap, get matched, play, repeat, and it does that well. It doesn't answer the question "why do I keep losing?" Shogiful does. After every game you get a move-by-move review with a card for each mistake (the drop fork you missed, the promotion you shouldn't have taken, the edge pawn that weakened your castle), and Train These Weaknesses opens practice on the patterns you repeat.
Does Shogiful work offline, unlike ShogiQuest?
Yes. The YaneuraOu engine, game analysis, mistake cards, tsume problems, and all 40 opponents run on your device. Only buying Premium and Game Center need a connection. ShogiQuest needs a connection to find you an opponent, so on a flight or in the subway Shogiful is the one that works.
Can I play shogi without knowing kanji in Shogiful?
Yes. The Chess piece style uses chess-style pieces with no kanji, and the International style keeps the kanji and adds arrows that show how each piece moves. Switch to Traditional pieces in Settings whenever you like. Shogiful is made for the player who got curious about shogi and bounced off the characters.
How much does Shogiful cost compared to ShogiQuest?
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. ShogiQuest is free to play with ads and optional in-app purchases. If all you want is free online games, ShogiQuest does that; Shogiful is the one you pay for when you want to improve.
Can I use both ShogiQuest and Shogiful?
Yes, they pair well. Get your fast human games on ShogiQuest, then use Shogiful to understand the recurring mistakes and train them. Shogiful's ladder of 40 opponents is a quiet place to test a fix before you take it back online.
Try it
Open Shogiful
Find out why you keep losing the same way.
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