Shogi (将棋) vs Igo(囲碁) Shogi is a parlor game which is played by two players alternately placing their pieces (駒) on a board. The origin of shogi is Chaturanga born in India, which was brought to Europe and later became chess, as well as introduced into Japan through China. However, the period of the introduction remains unknown, but it was presumably during the period between the Nara era and the Heian era. Since shogi shares the same origion as chess, there is a great similarity between them. The distinguishing characteristic of shogi is that players are able to use as their own the opponent's piece they have captured. Therefore, it is quite rare that a game ends with a draw, generating exciting moments toward the end. Igo is also a parlar game in which two players alternately place black stones and white stones on a board by taking up the opponent's space and stones. Since the introduction into Japan from China via Korea in Nara period, it has been widely played. It is very popular even today with its playing population of around 10 million. The striking feature of igo is that the very few restrictions on stone positions provide a greater latitude in placing them. Therefore, computer-programmed igo players are still on the intermediate-level in amateur rankings, as opposed to chess and shogi in which computer programming win pros.