ShogiAcademy

Shogi Academy — Support

Shogi Academy is a complete way to learn and play shogi (Japanese chess) on iPhone, iPad, and Mac — interactive lessons, 500 checkmate puzzles, a ranked AI ladder from 15-Kyū to 1-Dan, and face-to-face play with a friend nearby.

Contact: budzillajapan@gmail.com — bug reports, questions, and suggestions are all welcome. Please include your device and OS version.

Getting started

New to shogi? Open Lessons from the main menu. Each lesson takes about 30 seconds and teaches one piece, promotion, or rule by having you make the moves yourself. Work through them in order.
Ready to play? Open AI Ladder and challenge the 15-Kyū opponent. Defeat each opponent to unlock the next, up to 1-Dan.
Want to sharpen tactics? Open Puzzles — 100 forced-checkmate problems per rank, from mate-in-1 to mate-in-5. Every move you try is checked; the defender always plays its toughest reply.
Just want to experiment? Free Practice lets you play any rank without affecting your ladder progress.

Playing a friend (Nearby Match)

Both players open Nearby Match on their own device (any mix of iPhone, iPad, and Mac).
Keep the devices on the same Wi-Fi network or within Bluetooth range.
One player taps Host, the other taps Join. The devices pair automatically; the host plays Sente (moves first).
The first time, the system asks for local network permission — allow it. If you declined earlier, re-enable it in Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network (iOS/iPadOS) or System Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network (Mac).

Can’t find each other? Check that both devices have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, are on the same network (guest/hotel networks often block device-to-device traffic), and that the app is in the foreground on both. Close and reopen Nearby Match on both devices and try again.

Your progress

Lessons, puzzles, and ladder results are saved on your device only. They are not synced between devices and are not uploaded anywhere. Deleting the app deletes your progress.

Tips (“Support the Developer”)

Tips are optional in-app purchases that fund future updates. They unlock nothing — every feature is already included. Purchases are handled by Apple; for refunds visit https://reportaproblem.apple.com.

If the tip options show as unavailable, check your internet connection and tap Try again; App Store purchases require a connection even though the game itself works offline.

Display and controls

The floating button in the bottom-right corner toggles full screen / immersive mode on every screen.
On phones, board screens stay in portrait so the whole board is always visible. iPads and Macs can rotate or resize freely.
To move a piece, tap it and then tap a highlighted destination. To drop a captured piece, tap it in your hand tray, then tap an empty square.

Frequently asked questions

Does the app need an account or internet? No. Everything except tips and Nearby Match works fully offline with no sign-in.

Does the app collect any data? No — see the Privacy Policy.

How strong is the top opponent? 1-Dan searches deeper, defends precisely, and rarely blunders. Expect a real fight.

I found a rules bug or a puzzle with a second solution. Please email the puzzle rank and number (or the position) to budzillajapan@gmail.com — every report is checked against the engine.