Overview

Dobutsu shogi (Let’s Catch the Lion!) is a simplified shogi variant for two players on a 3x4 grid. Each player controls 4 animal pieces with different movement abilities. Win by capturing the opponent’s Lion or advancing your own Lion to the far rank.

Components

• 1 game board (3x4 grid)
• 8 animal pieces (4 per player in two colors):
  • 2 Lions (king equivalent)
  • 2 Elephants (diagonal mover)
  • 2 Giraffes (orthogonal mover)
  • 2 Chicks (forward only; promotes to Hen)

Setup

Each player places their 4 pieces on their nearest row (rank 1) and second row (rank 2):

• Back row (nearest): Giraffe, Lion, Elephant (left to right from that player’s perspective)
• Front row: Chick in center column

Turn Structure

Players alternate turns. On each turn, a player performs exactly one action.

Actions

1. Move a piece on the board to an adjacent square according to its movement pattern.
2. Drop a captured piece from your hand onto any empty square on the board (Chicks cannot be dropped onto the farthest rank).

Piece Movement

Piece	Movement
Lion	One square in any direction (all 8 squares)
Elephant	One square diagonally (4 diagonal squares)
Giraffe	One square orthogonally (4 adjacent squares: up, down, left, right)
Chick	One square forward only
Hen (promoted Chick)	One square in any direction except diagonally backward (6 squares)

Capturing

Move your piece onto a square occupied by an opponent’s piece. The captured piece switches sides and goes into your hand for later dropping. A captured Hen reverts to a Chick.

Promotion

When a Chick reaches the farthest rank, it promotes to a Hen (flipped over).

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Two ways to win:

1. Capture the opponent’s Lion.
2. Advance your Lion to the promotion zone (the opponent’s nearest rank), provided doing so does not place your Lion in check.

If the same position occurs three turns in a row, the game is a draw. Perpetual check is also a draw.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• All piece movements are indicated on the pieces themselves with dots.
• Captured pieces change color/allegiance when dropped.
• A Hen reverts to a Chick when captured.
• You cannot drop a Chick onto the farthest rank (it would have no legal moves).
• Advancing Lion to far rank while in check does not count as a win.

Player Reference

Piece	Moves	Special
Lion	All 8 directions	Capture = lose; advance to far rank = win
Elephant	4 diagonals	–
Giraffe	4 orthogonals	–
Chick	Forward 1	Promotes to Hen at far rank
Hen	6 directions (not diag. back)	Reverts to Chick if captured

Win Conditions
Capture opponent’s Lion
Move your Lion to opponent’s back rank (not into check)
Draw: same position 3 turns in a row