Takodori's Entrance to Shogi World

Shogi Tactics #0028

Sente's turn to play This is a position where Gote's King escaped from 71 to 62 responding to the check with +P62. Generally, the King's edge pawn push is good since it opens a escaping path for the King to improve its safety. However, this is not the case but an exception. If the edge pawn stays on the original 93 square. Gote is in the winning position since Sente has no pieces which can move sideways in hand. Please answer the first three moves to deliver a checkmate to Gote's King. Sente has a Bishop, three Silvers and Pawns while Gote has a Rook, three Golds, a kNight and a Pawn in hand.   (For Firefox users, please forward one move from the displayed position to have the problem. Sorry, this cannot be displayed on some smartphones).You can replay the answer line by clicking the arrow directing to the right under the diagram. Also, an exclamation mark sometimes appears there on a specific move during your replay, then click it and you can read my comments on that move. After reading my comments, click the exclamation mark again then the comment window will go away to move forward again.

This problem is referring to the game of Takemata Beni and Fujita Aya, the 9th Mynavi Joshi Open, played on August 1, 2015

Shogi Tactics #0027

Gote's turn to play This is a position where Sente is trying to trade his Bishop for Gote's Horse(promoted Bishop) taking the 25 Pawn with B58x25. Strategically speaking, a Horse is better than an un-promoted Bishop so it would be a bad trade for a Horse holder to accept. However, tactics predominate over strategic requirements in shogi. If there is a tactic, slight strategic loss will does not matter and this is the case. Please find the first three moves to obtain a huge material gain for Gote.   (For Firefox users, please forward one move from the displayed position to have the problem. Sorry, this cannot be displayed on some smartphones).You can replay the answer line by clicking the arrow directing to the right under the diagram. Also, an exclamation mark sometimes appears there on a specific move during your replay, then click it and you can read my comments on that move. After reading my comments, click the exclamation mark again then the comment window will go away to move forward again.

 

Shogi Tactics #0026

Gote's turn to play This is a position referring to a possible hidden variation of a professional game where Sente dropped a Gold on 58 to intervene the horizontal line of the 28 Rook out of check. Please find the first three moves to deliver a checkmate to Sente's King.   (For Firefox users, please forward one move from the displayed position to have the problem. Sorry, this cannot be displayed on some smartphones).You can replay the answer line by clicking the arrow directing to the right under the diagram. Also, an exclamation mark sometimes appears there on a specific move during your replay, then click it and you can read my comments on that move. After reading my comments, click the exclamation mark again then the comment window will go away to move forward again.

 

Shogi Tactics #0025

Sente's turn to play This is a position referring to a professional game where Gote captured the Gold on 42 with Bx42. Please find a Sente's decisive move in the next. You have a kNight and Lance which are both the key to deliver a checkmate.   (For Firefox users, please forward one move from the displayed position to have the problem. Sorry, this cannot be displayed on some smartphones).You can replay the answer line by clicking the arrow directing to the right under the diagram. Also, an exclamation mark sometimes appears there on a specific move during your replay, then click it and you can read my comments on that move. After reading my comments, click the exclamation mark again then the comment window will go away to move forward again.

 

Shogi Tactics #0024

Sente's turn to play This is a position referring to a professional game where Gote's King escaped to 41 from 32. Please look at how safe Sente's King is at first. You can find it is in a mate threat in one like G*68 if it is Gote's turn to play. So Sente needs to deliver a mate to Gote's King to win. How do you mate it? Please give the first move of the mate lines.   (For Firefox users, please forward one move from the displayed position to have the problem. Sorry, this cannot be displayed on some smartphones).You can replay the answer line by clicking the arrow directing to the right under the diagram. Also, an exclamation mark sometimes appears there on a specific move during your replay, then click it and you can read my comments on that move. After reading my comments, click the exclamation mark again then the comment window will go away to move forward again.

 

Shogi Tactics #0023

Sente's turn to play This is a position from a Yagura Joseki line where Gote's King retreated from the 22 square. Sente's Rook on 35 is threatened. How do you keep attacking if you are Sente. Please think of three moves.  (For Firefox users, please forward one move from the displayed position to have the problem. Sorry, this cannot be displayed on some smartphones).You can replay the answer line by clicking the arrow directing to the right under the diagram. Also, an exclamation mark sometimes appears there on a specific move during your replay, then click it and you can read my comments on that move. After reading my comments, click the exclamation mark again then the comment window will go away to move forward again.

 

Shogi Tactics #0022

Sente's turn to play This is a Yagura mid-endgame position where Gote's left kNight jumped to 25 from 13 to escape from the capture threat of P*14 Sente dropped just before(For Firefox users, please forward one move from the displayed position to have the problem. Sorry, this cannot be displayed on some smartphones). Please find a next move to prepare for a dynamic combination to activate the 68 Bishop in the end. If possible, please calculate a five-move combination. Here is a positional tip. You should leave the three Gote's pieces of the promoted Silver on 26, a kNight on 25 and a Lance on 15 out of play. If Gote's King escapes toward them to aim for entering King, they will start working.   You can replay the answer line by clicking the arrow directing to the right under the diagram. Also, an exclamation mark sometimes appears there on a specific move during your replay, then click it and you can read my comments on that move. After reading my comments, click the exclamation mark again then the comment window will go away to move forward again.

Shogi Tactics #0021

Sente's turn to play This is a Yagura endgame position where Gote dropped a Pawn on 42 to block the 41 promoted Rook to prevent it from capturing the Gold on 43(For Firefox users, please forward one move from the displayed position to have the problem. Sorry, this cannot be displayed on some smartphones). Please find a next move to deliver a hisshi to Gote's King. If you can, please calculate all the possible variations to the end. Your attacking pieces are a Dragon on 41, a kNight on 45 controlling the 33 square, and two Silvers in hand.   You can replay the answer line by clicking the arrow directing to the right under the diagram. Also, an exclamation mark sometimes appears there on a specific move during your replay, then click it and you can read my comments on that move. After reading my comments, click the exclamation mark again then the comment window will go away to move forward again.

Shogi Tactics #0020

Sente's turn to play This is a Yagura endgame position where Gote dropped a Pawn on 12 to try to ease the tension caused by Sente's edge attack(For Firefox users, please forward one move from the displayed position to have the problem. Sorry, this cannot be displayed on some smartphones). It's a tactical problem to tell you how to maximize the power of the Rook on 28 which is considered to have stayed on its original square till the endgame. In fact, there is a mate in five from here.   You can replay the answer line by clicking the arrow directing to the right under the diagram. Also, an exclamation mark sometimes appears there on a specific move during your replay, then click it and you can read my comments on that move. After reading my comments, click the exclamation mark again then the comment window will go away to move forward again.

Shogi Tactics #0019

Sente's turn to play This is a Yagura endgame position where Gote took the 13 Pawn Sente dropped just before engaging an edge attack.(For Firefox users, please forward one move from the displayed position to have the problem. Sorry, this cannot be displayed on some smartphones). Your attacking pieces are a Rook on 81, a Bishop on 68, a kNight on 26 which Sente dropped sometime before, and a Lance on 19. If the Bishop did not exist somewhere on the 13-79 diagonal, P*14 would be a good and thematic continuation to gain a Lance. However, there will be better and quicker approach to Gote's King. Here is a positional tip. If you have a kNight in hand, it quite often happens that dropping it on a square of the fourth, fifth or sixth rank turns out be a good move since the kNight dropped on the fourth and fifth Rank can choose whether to promote or not in the next jump penetrating the enemy camp and the one dropped on the sixth rank can jump to somewhere on the fourth Rank next to work very well. Furthermore, usually your opponent's King and metal guardians are located on the second and third rank. So they will be a good target for your kNight dropped on those ranks.   You can replay the answer line by clicking the arrow directing to the right under the diagram. Also, an exclamation mark sometimes appears there on a specific move during your replay, then click it and you can read my comments on that move. After reading my comments, click the exclamation mark again then the comment window will go away to move forward again.