Tsume shogi

Shogi puzzles

Tsume shogi are checkmate puzzles: you are Black, every move must give check, and you must mate the king in the stated number of moves. 365 of them are free here, from quick mate-in-3s to tricky mate-in-7s.

“Mate in 3” counts both sides: your move, White's reply, your mate. Pieces in your hand can be dropped — and in tsume they usually must be. White always picks the defence that lasts longest, so a move that “nearly” works is wrong. Stuck? Every puzzle has a hint and a full solution with an explanation of each move.

New every dayDaily puzzleToday's mate-in-3 — and the archive of every past day. 165 puzzlesMate in 3Quick mating patterns — the best place to start. Your move, one reply, your mate.100 puzzlesMate in 5Three moves of your own. Expect a sacrifice or a drop that opens the king.100 puzzlesMate in 7Longer forcing lines. Count the defenders and plan the whole sequence before you move.

How to solve tsume

  • List every check first — including drops from your hand. Tsume rarely starts with a quiet move.
  • Look for the king's escape squares and take them away before you chase.
  • Sacrifices are normal: giving a piece away often drags the king onto a mating square.
  • Remember the rules: no pawn-drop mate, no two pawns on a file.

Want the patterns explained first? The lessons Mate Threats and Brinkmate and Closing In: Wrap the King cover the endgame ideas behind these puzzles. Daily archive.

The game begins when the pieces start falling, child.

10,000 puzzles in your pocket

Mate-in-3 to mate-in-11, a puzzle rating, Puzzle Rush and streaks. Works offline.

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