KifumiAI, a smartphone-based shogi AI analysis app, releases v10 with support for emerging online shogi platforms

Marginal Gain Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Hommachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka; CEO: Mitsuhiro Inomata) has released the latest version 10 of its shogi AI analysis and kifu management app 'KifumiAI - Shogi AI Analysis and Kifu Management' on the App Store on Friday, June 12, 2026.

In 2026, while the long-standing 'Shogi Club 24,' with 27 years of history, has ended its service, new platforms such as 'KIOU,' launched in early June, have emerged one after another, significantly diversifying the online shogi playing environment. With KifumiAI v10, kifu (game records) from seven major services, including these emerging platforms, can now be seamlessly imported and analyzed using AI. Even if players use multiple services, their kifu and progress records can be consolidated into a single app.

The app has received high ratings on the App Store, ★4.6 (as of June 2026), and is gaining popularity among players who want to conduct serious AI-based kifu analysis and shogi study without relying on a PC.

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/id6754811804

Official Website: https://kifumiai.com/

■ 2026: A Turning Point for Online Shogi Platforms

2026 marks a pivotal year for a major shift in online shogi platforms.

December 31, 2025: 'Shogi Club 24,' operated by the Japan Shogi Association, ceased operations. Since its launch in 1998, it had grown to approximately 460,000 members just before closure, concluding 27 years of history.

April 29, 2026: A new online shogi platform, 'Hikaku,' launched its service.

June 12, 2026: 'KIOU,' a competitive shogi game developed by Neconome Inc., was released (available on iOS and Android; PC version in preparation). Featuring character interactions and AI suggestion functions, it garnered significant attention even before launch, with over 10,000 followers on its official SNS. It is a highly anticipated title expected to serve as a new gateway to shogi for both beginners and dan-ranked players.

In addition, existing platforms such as Shogi Wars (over 8 million cumulative users, surpassing 1 billion total games), Shogi Quest, 81 Dojo, lishogi, Hyakutaku Shogi, and Piyo Shogi continue to be actively used.

As the choice of 'where to play' has dramatically expanded, players are increasingly using multiple services. However, this has also created a new challenge: 'games are scattered across platforms, and game data is fragmented.' KifumiAI v10 aims to become the 'kifu hub' for this diversified playing environment.

■ Key Feature of v10: Cross-Platform Kifu Import and Analysis

KifumiAI supports standard kifu formats used in shogi data exchange—KIF, CSA, and KI2. As long as a service can export kifu in these formats, KifumiAI can import and analyze them across service boundaries. With v10, the company has verified successful import and analysis using actual kifu from major services, including emerging ones.

Major Services Confirmed for Compatibility

- Shogi Wars: Over 8 million cumulative users
- Shogi Quest
- 81 Dojo
- lishogi: Open-source
- Hyakutaku Shogi
- Piyo Shogi
- Hikaku: Launched April 2026
- KIOU: Launched June 2026

※ Compatibility refers to the ability to import and analyze kifu exported in standard formats by each service. It does not indicate an official partnership with these services. For the new 'KIOU' app, iOS version compatibility has been confirmed.

By consolidating kifu from multiple services into one app, users can leverage the 'Style Report' feature (introduced in v9), which visualizes strengths and weaknesses across ten dimensions, to analyze their overall playing style across platforms. Even if games are played across different platforms, review and improvement can be centralized in one place.

Style Report Function: Multidimensional analysis of your strengths and weaknesses in gameplay

■ Why KifumiAI Can Be the 'Kifu Hub' — Learning Anytime with Smartphone-Only Shogi AI

Traditionally, conducting serious shogi AI analysis required either setting up a high-performance PC environment or using paid cloud services. KifumiAI is optimized to run powerful AI directly on the iPhone's built-in processor. By avoiding the cloud and supporting standard kifu formats broadly, it simultaneously achieves the following:

- Consolidate anywhere: Because it supports standard formats, kifu from various old and new services can be aggregated and analyzed in one app.
- High-speed analysis: Utilizing the high-performance CPU of iPhones and iPads, the shogi AI rapidly analyzes user game data, automatically detecting blunders and suggesting improvements.
- Learn anytime: With a smartphone, users can study and improve their skills anytime, anywhere.
- Low cost: No server maintenance costs for the operator, allowing a one-time purchase model to be passed on to users.

'I thought this level of analysis was only possible on a PC, but being able to analyze on a smartphone in nearly the same time as a PC is groundbreaking' (from an App Store review, March 2026).

■ About 'KifumiAI'

- Official Name: KifumiAI - Shogi AI Analysis and Kifu Management
- Supported OS: iOS 17.0 / iPadOS 17.0 / Apple Silicon Mac (macOS 14.0) and later
- Price: Free to download (Pro version: ¥3,500, one-time purchase, no subscription required)
- App Store Rating: ★4.6 / 62 reviews (as of June 2026)
- Developer: Marginal Gain Co., Ltd. (Osaka, Hommachi)

Four Core Features

- Kifu Analysis — Overcome weaknesses through post-game review: Import kifu from various online shogi services or KIF/CSA/KI2 files. The AI automatically detects blunders and highlights 5 key positions that could improve win rate, visualizing the flow of advantage and critical turning points with an evaluation graph.

- Shogi Research — Explore best moves in any position: Create custom positions by manipulating the board, and the AI will suggest best move candidates and their evaluation values. Simulate future developments for each candidate, allowing you to study strategies for unorthodox openings or tactics against unfavorable formations.

- Checkmate Search — Rapidly verify checkmate possibilities in real games: Use a dedicated mode to freely place pieces and search for checkmate sequences. Often capable of finding checkmates beyond 30 moves in just seconds, ideal for endgame verification in actual play.

- Style Report (introduced in v9) — Visualize strengths and weaknesses across 10 dimensions from past games: Automatically aggregates past games across 10 categories—first/second player, app/rules, opening strategy, castle formation, move count, time of day, day of the week—and instantly displays 'BEST (strengths)' and 'WORST (weaknesses).' With v9.1, cross-platform kifu aggregation enables a more accurate understanding of your overall playing style (automatically displayed with 30 or more analyzed games).