Real games end by checkmate, resignation, repetition or impasse long before this matters. But a game on a server must be guaranteed to end, so this site has one more rule that isn't part of traditional shogi:
- When a game reaches 500 plies (500 moves counting both players'), it ends and is settled by the same point count as an impasse: 28 points or more wins, otherwise it's a draw.
Some tournaments use a similar limit (often much lower, such as 320 moves). You will almost certainly never see this one fire; it's there so that no bug and no pair of stubborn players can keep a game running forever.
What ends a game here, all together
| How | Result |
|---|---|
| Checkmate | The mated player loses |
| Resignation | The resigning player loses |
| Flag fall (time runs out) | The player out of time loses |
| Agreed draw | Draw |
| Fourth repetition | Draw — or a loss for a player giving perpetual check |
| Declared impasse | Point count: 28+ wins, otherwise draw |
| 500 plies | Point count, as for impasse |