2.1.5 Winning the game

A game of shogi is won by capturing the opponent's king. In general, this is done by checkmating the king: attacking the king in such a way that the king cannot be defended no matter what the defending player moves. Note, though, that there is no rule that requires a player to defend a king which is being attacked. However, if he does not defend his king, the opponent is entirely free to capture it on the next move, thus winning the game. As in international chess, in practice most games end by resignation when one player realizes that he cannot escape checkmate.