Join with a codeJOINLog in

Tsuitate Shogi Strategy and Tips

Here is how to think about winning at Tsuitate 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.

Where you were captured, an enemy piece now stands

Lesson 1

In tsuitate shogi your opponent’s moves are announced only as “moved”. The one exception is when they capture one of your pieces: the referee names the square — “your pawn on 2f was taken”. The capturing piece is standing on that square, so for that moment you know exactly where an enemy piece is.

Here your pawn on 2f has just been taken, so some enemy piece sits on 2f. Your rook can go there: the square in between, 2g, is empty on your own board, so there is no risk of a foul. You don’t know what took the pawn — but once you take it back, it is in your hand and you find out.

When you take back, check the path too. The longer the slide, the more likely it runs into a hidden piece and becomes a foul. Recapturing from next door, or with a piece that is itself guarded, is safest. The dashed frame with “!” on the board marks the square you just lost.

Long slides invite fouls

Lesson 2

The most common foul in tsuitate shogi is a rook, bishop or lance trying to slide through a hidden piece. The path may look empty on your own board, but a single enemy piece anywhere along it makes the move a foul — and with ten fouls losing, each one hurts.

Here your pawn on the 2-file has advanced to 2e. Lifting the rook one square to 2f runs only behind your own pawn, so it cannot bump into anything hidden. Short moves that stay behind your own pieces are far safer than launching straight into the enemy camp.

When you do want a long move, remember the opening set-up: the enemy pawns start in a row on their third rank, and many will not have moved yet. Files your own pieces have just travelled, and squares short of where you just made a capture, are much more likely to be clear.

Use a foul to probe the enemy camp

Lesson 3

When you foul, the referee only says “foul” and takes the move back — no reason given. But you know which move you tried. If sending your bishop to 2b is a foul, there is an enemy piece somewhere on the diagonal between 7f and 2b.

Here you have pushed the pawn to 7f and opened the bishop’s diagonal. If your opponent has not yet pushed their pawn on 3c, the diagonal is blocked and the move fouls. If it is not a foul, your bishop lands in their camp and promotes. Either way you learn something about their camp.

Fouls are announced to both players, though, so your opponent learns you are probing the diagonal. And the count is limited: keep probes to one or two in the opening, and save the rest for when you must escape a check. A move that fouled is marked × for the rest of that turn and cannot be pressed again.

Mate the hidden king with a gold on its head

Lesson 4

In tsuitate shogi you still win by checkmate, but you cannot see the king. There are two clues: the opening set-up (White’s king starts on 5a) and check announcements — if you gave check and nothing suggests the king ran, it is still nearby.

Here your pawn has marched to 5c and guards 5b. Drop the gold from your hand on 5b: the king cannot step forward or sideways, and it cannot take the gold because the pawn guards it. That is mate with a gold on the head — if the king really is on 5a, you win on the spot.

If a hidden enemy piece stands where you drop, it is a foul, so ask first whether the square should be empty. The square in front of an unmoved king usually is. When the game ends both boards open, and you can see whether your reading was right.

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.