TsumeDojo

Mate in 9 — Problem #3996311

🎯 Checkmate in 9 — your move
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
♟ New to shogi? See how the pieces move →
Show solution

▲7四桂 △5二玉 ▲3二龍 △5一玉 ▲5二香 △同 金 ▲6二銀 △同 金 ▲同 桂成

Why this move works

The answer is ▲7四桂 △5二玉 ▲3二龍 △5一玉 ▲5二香 △同金 ▲6二銀 △同金 ▲同桂成. Sacrifice knight, lance, and silver in turn to deflect the defending gold, then promote the knight for mate — a nine-move tsume.

▲5二香 △同金 and ▲6二銀 △同金 tap the gold twice to wreck the defense; the 7四 knight then promotes onto 6二 with check, and the dragon on 3二 defends it so the king cannot capture. Breaking the defense with successive sacrifices is the backbone.

📖 Related reading