Tsuitate Shogi: Rules and How to Play
Tsuitate shogi is shogi where your opponent’s pieces stay hidden — 2 players, about 20 minutes. The referee (this screen) calls checks, captures and fouls. Checkmate the king to win.
Objective
Tsuitate shogi is shogi played without seeing your opponent’s pieces. Traditionally a screen stands between the players and a referee who can see both boards calls out checks and fouls and moves captured pieces to the capturer’s hand. Here the screen is the referee. Checkmate the opponent’s king to win; reach the foul limit and you lose.
Setup
- A 9×9 shogi board and the usual 40 pieces, set up as in shogi.
- Your board shows only your own pieces. Your opponent’s pieces stay hidden until the game is over.
- Black (sente) moves first and players alternate. Playing again swaps who goes first (you can turn this off).
How to play
- On your turn, move one piece or drop one piece from your hand. Moves, promotion and drops are exactly as in shogi.
- Move onto a square holding an enemy piece and you capture it. It joins your hand, and the referee tells both players which piece was taken on which square — not what took it.
- When your opponent moves you only learn that they moved, not what or where.
- When a move gives check, the referee announces “check” to both players. The direction is not announced.
- Fouls: a rook, bishop or lance sliding through a hidden piece, dropping onto a hidden piece, leaving your king in check, stepping into check, and a pawn-drop checkmate. The referee just says “foul”; the move is undone and the same player moves again.
- Moves that are illegal on your own board alone — two pawns on a file, a piece with nowhere to go — simply cannot be played and do not count as fouls.
Winning and scoring
- Checkmate your opponent’s king and you win at once.
- Your tenth foul loses (nine are allowed; the limit can be raised to twenty).
- If there is no result after 150 moves the game is drawn (or 300 by setting). There is no repetition rule.
- When the game ends, both boards are opened so you can see where everything was.
Defaults on this site
| Item | Default on this site |
|---|---|
| Players | 2 players (set automatically by the party size) |
| Turn time limit | None by default (the host can set 30 or 60 seconds) |
| If someone drops mid-game | Reopening on the same device returns you to your seat. If you do not return, the CPU plays in your place. |
| Draws | In ranked play, a draw counts as halfway between a win and a loss for your rating. |
| Source of the rules | Based on the standard reference rules |
Rules supervised by Qdan, Inc. (based on the standard reference rules)
House rules
Defaults follow the standard reference rules. The party can change these.
| Name | Description | Default | Changeable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foul limitFoul limitA foul is a move that looks legal on your own board but is illegal because of enemy pieces you cannot see (moving through an enemy piece, dropping onto an occupied square, leaving your king in check, and so on). The move is taken back and the same player moves again. Fouls also help you locate enemy pieces, so a higher limit lets you probe more boldly. | This foul loses the game; with 10, nine are allowed. New players may prefer 20 for a longer game (about 20–30 minutes). | 10th foul loses (about 15–20 minutes) | Yes |
| Announce fouls to bothAnnounce fouls to bothOn: you are told when your opponent fouls and see their count, which hints at what they are probing for. Off: a foul is told only to the player who made it, and the opponent hears nothing. Either way, where the foul was and why it was a foul are never told to the opponent. | Fouls and foul counts are shown to both players. Turn off to tell only the player who fouled. | On | Yes |
| Move limit | Drawn if there is no result by this many moves (fouls don’t count). | 150 moves (about 15–25 minutes) | Yes |
| Show reachable squares | Pick a piece to mark the squares it can reach on your own board. Hidden enemy pieces are not taken into account. | On | Yes |
| Swap first move on replay | Playing again swaps who moves first. | On | Yes |
Terms
- Referee
- The one who sees both boards, calls check and foul and moves captured pieces. Here the screen is the referee.
- Foul
- An attempted move that a hidden enemy piece makes illegal. No reason is given and the move is undone; too many fouls lose.
- Announcement
- What the referee tells both players: captures (square and piece), checks and the foul count.
- Notes
- A “?” mark you put where you think an enemy piece is. It stays on your screen only.
FAQ
What does my opponent learn when I foul?
Only that you fouled and how many times — not the move or the reason (you can set fouls to be told to the fouling player only).
When I lose a piece, do I learn what took it?
No. You see which of your pieces vanished, and where, but not the capturing piece.
Is the direction of a check announced?
No, just “check”.
What about two pawns on a file, or a pawn-drop mate?
Two pawns on a file is visible on your own board, so it simply can’t be played. A pawn-drop mate depends on where the hidden king is, so trying it is a foul.
Is there a repetition rule?
No. The game is drawn at 150 moves (or 300 by setting).
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-09-25 · Run by Qdan, Inc.