The Drop
Captured pieces switch sides. Material never truly leaves the board. This single rule turns every exchange into a long-term decision.
A strategy game from the shogi family,
reborn around the Four Gods.
Captured pieces change sides. Dragons ascend. Flame reshapes the board.
Plays in your browser. Free to start. No download.
What Myth Chess is.
A complete strategy game.
Roughly the depth of Western chess, with a wider piece vocabulary and a drop mechanic that keeps the board alive into the endgame. Designed for players who want a long-term game, not a novelty.
From the shogi tradition.
Myth Chess belongs to the shogi family — Japanese chess. Captured pieces can return to the board for their new owner. Promotion is structural. The rules are familiar to shogi players and intuitive to learn from chess.
Built on the Four Gods.
Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, White Tiger, Azure Dragon — and their ascended forms. The Four Gods give the middlegame a distinctive shape, unlike standard chess or classical shogi.
Three mechanics that define it.
Ascension
The Four Gods evolve into stronger divine forms mid-game. Timing the ascension is itself a strategic decision, paid in piece points and shattered treasures.
The Inferno
Flame-wielding pieces burn the three squares ahead. Adamant pieces resist. The Inferno reshapes every middlegame and forces real positional planning.
Built for long-term play.
- 11×11 board. 35 distinct pieces. A roster designed for tactical variety, not gimmicks.
- Ranked human matches. Casual play, AI opposition, and a position editor for study.
- Replay and analysis. Review your games move by move.
- Cross-language community. Active Japanese player base; the English edition opens that table to the rest of the world.
Play in your browser.
The game lives at tenjinshogi.com — the home of Tenjin Shogi, the Japanese original. Myth Chess is its international name.
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