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Masked Shogi Strategy and Tips

Here is how to think about winning at Masked Shogi, split into short lessons. Each one reads on its own, and each one comes with a real position: press Try it on the board and you play the move yourself.

Pick a mask that is easy to defend

Lesson 1

In Masked Shogi you lose when the piece you chose before the game — your mask — is captured. You may leave it under attack, but then it can simply be taken on the next move. So a front-line pawn, or a lance or knight with few ways to move, gets into trouble the moment it is attacked.

Here both sides have made a few moves. Pick the gold on 6i as your mask: it sits in your back rank beside the king, with a silver and the other gold nearby. A gold moves in six directions, so it can usually step out of a check.

Do not always pick the same piece, though — your opponent will learn. With experience you might choose a bishop or rook: they can flee far, but you can no longer trade them off freely. Play in a way that suits the piece you picked.

Fork to smoke out the mask

Lesson 2

You cannot see the enemy mask until the game ends. If you attack just one piece and it is not the mask, your opponent can simply ignore you. That is why a fork — attacking two pieces at once — is so strong here.

In this position, jump the knight from 7g to 6e: it attacks both the gold on 7c and the silver on 5c. If either one is the mask, your opponent must save it, because losing the mask loses the game. Whichever piece is left behind, you win for free.

Which piece your opponent chose to save is a clue. If they keep protecting the same piece, it may well be the mask. Keep forking and keep reading until you have narrowed it down.

Drop a captured king to guard the mask

Lesson 3

In Masked Shogi the king is an ordinary piece: losing it does not lose the game. A captured king goes to your hand and can be dropped on any empty square. Since a king covers all eight neighbouring squares, dropping it beside your mask makes a very solid guard.

Here your mask is the silver on 5h, and the enemy bishop is closing in. Drop the king from your hand on 4h, right beside the mask. The king also covers the sideways and backward squares that a silver cannot.

Taking the enemy king, in turn, does not win — it just gains you a strong piece. Whether to use it for attack or defence depends on the position, but while the enemy mask is still unknown, guarding your own mask is the safer choice.

Block a check on the mask

Lesson 4

When your mask is in check, only you are told. Your opponent does not know it was check, so the way you answer decides how much you give away.

Here the enemy rook on 5b looks down file 5 at your mask, the silver on 5g. Moving the silver aside might reveal that it matters. Instead, drop the gold from your hand on 5e to block the rook's line.

Blocking leaves the mask where it was, and the move looks like ordinary defence. If your opponent thinks you just happened to guard that square, you have succeeded. Of running, capturing and blocking, choose the answer that reveals the least.

Try it on the board

Pick a lesson and the board starts from that position. Start over as often as you like.

Now put it to work

Play with friendsLearn how to play (3 min)

Last updated 2026-09-25 · Run by Qdan, Inc.