Offline · English-first · Coaching built in
A Kanazawa Shogi alternative
that tells you why you lost.
Kanazawa Shogi is the classic offline shogi AI — a respected commercial engine, a long ladder of difficulty levels, a traditional board. Shogiful keeps the part that works (strong offline AI play) and adds the part every play-only app is missing: YaneuraOu analysis of every game, mistakes explained in plain English, Western piece sets for players who can't read kanji, and training built from your own recurring errors.
How does Shogiful compare to Kanazawa Shogi?
An opponent, and an opponent with a teacher attached. Here's where each one fits.
What happens after a game
Shogiful: Move-by-move review, mistakes classified into shogi-specific categories and explained in sentences, training queue updated.
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: 10 named opponents in 4 tiers with distinct styles — aggressive, castle builder, drop tactician, endgame specialist.
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: Fully localized English (and Japanese), Western piece sets with movement indicators, progressive kanji learning.
Kanazawa Shogi: Traditional Japanese presentation; English availability varies by edition.
Kanazawa Shogi: Traditional Japanese presentation; English availability varies by edition.
Training system
Shogiful: Tsume puzzles plus exercises generated from your own mistakes, scheduled with spaced repetition across five tracked skills.
Kanazawa Shogi: Play-focused; no adaptive training loop.
Kanazawa Shogi: Play-focused; no adaptive training loop.
Platforms
Shogiful: iPhone, iPad, and Mac — one Universal Purchase.
Kanazawa Shogi: Editions across mobile and consoles, sold per platform.
Kanazawa Shogi: Editions across mobile and consoles, sold per platform.
Pricing
Shogiful: Free tier; Premium $1.99/mo, $9.99/yr, or $19.99 lifetime.
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 — 10 styled opponents, 4 tiers | Yes — deep difficulty ladder |
| Engine | YaneuraOu NNUE, on-device | Proprietary Kanazawa engine |
| Game analysis with explanations | Yes — plain-language, shogi-specific | No structured coaching |
| Training from your own games | Yes — spaced repetition on detected weaknesses | No |
| Tsume puzzles | Yes — bundled, SRS-scheduled | Varies by edition |
| Western piece set | Yes — with movement indicators | Traditional kanji pieces |
| English localization | Yes — full, from day one | Varies by edition |
| Skill tracking | Yes — 5 dimensions, rating estimate, trends | Level progression |
| Account required | No | No |
| Pricing | Free; Premium from $1.99/mo; $19.99 lifetime | Paid app, varies by edition |
| Best for | Improving with explanations and targeted training | Pure play against a classic engine ladder |
Honest verdict — both are offline; one teaches
Pick Shogiful if you want…
- Every game analyzed and explained in plain English
- Western piece sets while you learn the kanji progressively
- Training built from your own recurring mistakes
- Opponents with distinct personalities, not one engine dialed up
- One purchase across iPhone, iPad, and Mac
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, that's Shogiful.
About Shogiful
Questions
FAQ
What is the best Kanazawa Shogi alternative in English?
Shogiful — the same core proposition (strong offline shogi AI) with full English localization, Western piece sets, and a coaching layer: every game analyzed by YaneuraOu, mistakes explained in plain language, training generated from your weaknesses. iPhone, iPad, and Mac with one purchase.
How is Shogiful different from Kanazawa Shogi?
Both let you play a strong AI offline. The difference is after the game: Kanazawa gives you a result and the next level; Shogiful gives you a move-by-move review with shogi-specific mistake explanations and a spaced-repetition training queue built from those exact mistakes.
Does Shogiful have difficulty levels like Kanazawa's 100?
It ships 10 named opponents across four tiers with distinct playing styles instead of a 100-step strength dial. Fewer steps, but each feels like a different player — and you unlock the next by beating the current one twice.
Can I play without reading kanji?
Yes — Western piece sets with movement indicators make the board readable from the first game, and the kanji are introduced progressively as you train.
How much does Shogiful cost?
Free to download (all opponents, 2 analyses/day, 3 puzzles/day, no ads); Premium is $1.99/month, $9.99/year, or $19.99 once for lifetime access.
Is Shogiful's engine strong enough?
Yes — YaneuraOu with NNUE evaluation, the engine family that has dominated computer shogi championships, running on-device. The ceiling is far above what any amateur needs.
Try it
Open Shogiful
An opponent and a teacher in one app. Offline, in your language.