Tsume Shogi
Solve checkmate problems with a guaranteed unique solution. Tap a piece, then tap where to move. Every attacking move must be a check.
Try one right now
Mate in 1 — black to move. Pieces in hand are shown below the board.
🖨 Print Center
Generate free tsume shogi worksheets as PDF — for classrooms, kids, or screen-free practice. Answers go on a separate page; each sheet has name & date fields.
Print Center →⚖ Rank Test
Solve a timed set of problems and get an estimated shogi rank (15-kyu to 3-dan). No sign-up needed — your history is stored on this device.
Rank Test →🔥 Tsume Shogi Streak
Start at 1-move mates; each solve makes it longer (1→3→5→7→9→11 moves). One miss ends the run — how many mates can you solve in a row? (Unlimited, no hints, best score saved on this device.)
Streak →🏷 Tsume Shogi by theme
Browse checkmate problems by their finishing motif — drop mate, promotion mate, or the piece that delivers mate. Every problem is solver-verified.
By theme →📖 Strategies & Castles
Step through famous shogi castles and opening plans on a board you can scrub back and forth. Every move sequence is solver-checked for legality.
Strategies & Castles →🚩 Tsume Shogi: First Steps
New to tsume shogi? Work through these 12 problems in order — six mate-in-1 to learn the basic checkmate, then six mate-in-3 to start reading ahead. Solved ones get a ✓.
First Steps →♟ How Shogi Pieces Move
See how all eight pieces move, with diagrams. New to shogi? Start here.
How Shogi Pieces Move →Practice by length
🔰 New here? Start with 3-move mates — the classic foundation →Latest problems
How to play & strategy
What this drill asks
Black (the attacker) moves first and must checkmate the lone king. Every attacking move has to be a check, and the defender always answers with the longest possible resistance. Solve it in the stated number of moves — “mate in 3” means three attacking moves.
How the pieces move
Shogi has eight kinds of pieces, each with its own move, and captured pieces can be dropped back onto the board as your own. New to shogi? See the “How Shogi Pieces Move” guide for diagrams of every piece before you start.
How to solve
Find a forcing check that shrinks the king’s escape squares, then keep checking until there is no legal reply. Drops are powerful — a gold or silver dropped next to the king often delivers mate. Watch for interposition (aigoma), where the defender blocks a distant check.
Promotion and one key rule
Pieces may promote in the opponent’s three back ranks. One rule matters here: you may not deliver mate by dropping a pawn (uchifuzume) — though mating by pushing a pawn already on the board is fine.
What is tsume shogi?
A checkmate puzzle: from the given position, find the sequence of checks that forces mate in the stated number of moves. It is the classic way to train shogi endgame reading.
Do I need to know the rules first?
Just the piece moves plus check and drops. The “How Shogi Pieces Move” guide covers every movement with diagrams; then start with 1-move problems and work up.
Is there always one answer?
Each problem has a unique first move and a shortest mate, verified by a solver. While you solve, any sequence that actually delivers mate is accepted.
📖 Related reading
- Stuck on a Tsume Shogi Problem? How to Use Hints, Solutions, and ReviewNot being able to solve a tsume shogi problem is normal — the point is to learn from the ones you miss. Here is how to turn a problem you are stuck on into your best study material with TsumeDojo's multi-stage hints, solution view, and spaced-repetition review.
- Tsume Shogi Glossary: Key Terms Explained — Tsumero, Hisshi, Interposition, and MoreA beginner-friendly glossary of the terms that come up most in tsume shogi and the shogi endgame — tsumero, hisshi, interposition, uchifuzume, and more. Knowing what they mean makes problem commentary far easier to follow.
- Finding the Key Move in Tsume Shogi: Tries, Red Herrings, and VariationsA tsume shogi problem has one correct first move (the key). Plenty of checks look like they mate but fail — 'tries'. How to reject the tries, find the key, and read the defender's variations to the best defense.
- Uchifuzume in Tsume Shogi: Why Dropping a Pawn for Mate Is Illegal — and How to Work Around ItDelivering checkmate by dropping a pawn from hand is illegal in shogi (uchifuzume); pushing a board pawn to mate is fine. Here's how to spot uchifuzume, work around it, and even use it as a defensive resource.
- Tsume Shogi for Chess Players: A Familiar Puzzle, with Three TwistsIf you enjoy 'mate in N' chess puzzles, tsume shogi will feel instantly familiar — find the forced checkmate. Here's what's the same, the three twists that make shogi addictive (drops, promotion, and the pawn-drop rule), and how to start.
- Interposition (Aigoma) in Tsume Shogi: Middle Interpositions vs. Wasteful BlocksA piece placed between the king and a distant checking piece is an interposition (aigoma). Here's how to tell a key 'middle interposition' (nakaai) from a 'wasteful block' (mudaai) you can ignore — and how to read them out.
- How Tsume Shogi Works: The Rules and Conventions of Shogi Mate ProblemsNew to tsume shogi? Here are the conventions that make mate problems work — every attacking move is a check, the defender always plays the best defense, and why the defender holds all the remaining pieces in hand.
- Tsume Shogi Mating Patterns and Core TechniquesFrom the basic gold mates to escape-cutting, the escorting sacrifice, double check, and the pawn-drop-mate rule — the recurring patterns that show up in tsume shogi, with clear explanations.
- Shogi Endgame: Mate Threats, Brinkmate (Hisshi), and the Mating AttackTurn the mates you drill in tsume shogi into real-game wins: mate threats (tsumero), brinkmate (hisshi), the mating attack (yose), and counting the race.
- Tsume Shogi for Beginners: How to Solve Shogi Mate ProblemsWhat tsume shogi is, why it builds endgame strength, which problem length to start from, and how to make daily practice stick.
- Shogi Improvement Roadmap: From Beginner to 1-DanA stage-by-stage plan for improving at shogi — what to prioritize from absolute beginner up to 1-dan, and how tsume (mate) practice fits in.