Let's Catch the Lion!

Let's Catch the Lion! 2008

6.6 /10
BGG rating
#5217
BGG rank
1.7
Weight
2
Players
2
Best at
15
Minutes
4
Age

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Expansions & Promos

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About the Game

どうぶつしょうぎ - Let's Catch the Lion! (a.k.a. Dōbutsu Shōgi, which means "animal shogi") is a simple version of Shogi. Both players have only four pieces – chick, giraffe, elephant and lion – and they're trying to either catch the opponent's lion or move their own lion to the other side. The board is just 3×4 squares, so the game is rather short, aimed mostly at getting children interested in Shogi – but even if you're an adult, the game is enjoyable. As for how to play:

The giraffe moves like a rook, but moves only one space. The elephant moves like a bishop, but moves only one space. (Interestingly, in Xiangqi and Tamerlane Chess, the elephant moves precisely two spaces diagonally.) The chick is directly analogous to the pawn/soldier of Shogi, and is promoted to a full-grown chicken, equivalent to the gold general in Shogi. The lion is analogous to a king, except that he can win essentially by promoting, as long as it doesn't leave him in check. Even on this 3×4 board, you are still able to drop in pieces that you captured from your opponent! Unlike in Shogi, you can drop a chick for mate or have two chicks in a column.

Filed Under

Categories
Mechanics
Also known as
Chyť lva! · Dōbutsu Shōgi · Dobutsu Shogi Pillow Cover Set · Fang den Löwen! Japanisches Tierschach · Kodomo no Shōgi · Let's Catch The Lion: Japanese Animal Chess · Pojedynek Robotów · Shimajiro no Kodomo Shōgi · Спіймай лева · どうぶつしょうぎ: Let's Catch the Lion! · 動物將棋 · 妖怪將棋 …
BGG ratings
875 · geek rating 5.77
BGG data
refreshed Sep 7, 2026

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