Japanese Chess – Shogi – 将棋
Please HELP us grow!

Recommended Tsume Shogi Books and Study Resources

Written by

tgenedavis

in

Shogi players often say “endgame study begins with tsume shogi” (checkmate puzzles). Below is a curated list of Japanese tsume shogi books and resources, organized by skill level. Each recommendation includes the title (with Japanese name), author, and a brief description based on Japanese reviews and expert commentary. These resources are highly regarded in the shogi community for improving mating pattern recognition and endgame calculation. All titles are in Japanese; many are puzzle collections designed for daily practice. Stick to your level and gradually work up to longer puzzles for the best results.

Beginner-Level Tsume Shogi Books (短手数向け初級本)

  • Basic 3-Move Checkmates (『将棋が強くなる基本３手詰』) – Japan Shogi Association/Mynavi. This introductory puzzle book (recommended by prodigy Sōta Fujii) contains simple mate-in-3 problems ideal for novicesshogi.or.jp. All 186 puzzles were crafted by Akira Yanagida (chairman of the All-Japan Tsume Shogi Federation), ensuring high qualityshogi.or.jp. The positions use only a few pieces, focusing on fundamental mating patterns and piece movements. By the time you finish, you’ll have learned how every piece from the pawn to the rook can deliver mate in basic setupsshogi.or.jp.

  • 1-Move Tsume Shogi Handbook (『１手詰ハンドブック』) by Masahiko Urano. A classic primer with 300 mate-in-one puzzles, covering all the basic checkmating patterns in one movekinokuniya.co.jp. It’s often the first book recommended to beginners and children who have just learned how the pieces move. Solving these one-move mates helps you recognize simple mating threats instantly. (In fact, Japanese instructors suggest that newcomers drill one-move mates until they can spot them at a glancedetail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp.) This handbook is widely praised as a perfect starting point for building confidence in tsume shogidetail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp.

  • 3-Move Tsume Shogi Handbooks (『３手詰ハンドブック』シリーズ) by Masahiko Urano. Perhaps the most famous tsume shogi series, these books are staples for amateur playersnote.com. Each volume contains 200 mate-in-3 problems (the “Handbook I” and “Handbook II”, while the 1-move book has 300) with no extraneous pieces on the boardtama-labo.com. The diagrams are minimal and “clean,” which makes the mating idea stand out clearlytama-labo.com. Urano deliberately designed the puzzles to have very few variations or alternate solutions, and every problem’s answer includes all the possible linestama-labo.com – a feature beginners appreciate. Japanese reviewers call this series the “standard among standards” for practical tsume trainingdetail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp. It’s commonly advised to start with 3-move Handbooks once you’ve mastered 1-move matesdetail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp. Many shogi fans, from novices up to strong amateurs, solve these repeatedly as a form of “endgame workout” – for example, one 2-dan player noted he looped through the 3-move books over 10 times!tama-labo.com The difficulty is just right: approachable for club players, yet still useful for warm-ups at higher levelsnote.com.

  • Tsume Shogi Itchōme Sanbanchi (『詰将棋一丁目三番地』) by Nobuo Mori. A unique beginner-friendly collection featuring 360 problems: 120 are mate-in-1 and 240 are mate-in-3tama-labo.com. The author, a veteran shogi coach, adds improvement tips and has organized the book in an interesting way – each page presents two puzzles that look almost the same but with a slight difference (perhaps an extra pawn or a piece moved one square)tama-labo.com. This clever pairing shows how a small change can completely alter the mating solution, which is both fun and instructivetama-labo.com. Solving these will sharpen your ability to spot the key “winning move” in varying setups. Mori’s commentary also guides readers on how to think about their first move choices. The book is packed with content (it’s thick, but in portable bunko size) and has been praised as “easy to go through and enjoyable”, even after many repetitionstama-labo.com. Reviewers note the overall difficulty is comparable to Urano’s handbooks (perhaps just slightly harder in a few places)tama-labo.com, making it another excellent choice for those aiming to solidify their basic mating tactics.

Intermediate-Level Tsume Shogi Books (中級者向けの詰将棋本)

  • 5-Move Tsume Shogi (Shōgi Power Up Series) (『５手詰将棋』ほか) by Michio Takahashi. This comes from Takahashi’s well-regarded “X-move Tsume Shogi” series (covering 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9-move mates). These books are known for using positions that look like actual game endgames – often full castle structures (e.g. Mino, Yagura) appear intact, even though a checkmate exists in just a few movestama-labo.com. Takahashi includes “extra” pieces that do not contribute to the mate (so-called kazarigoma or decorative pieces) to mimic realistic positionstama-labo.com. This approach gives the puzzles a very practical feel: you’ll frequently be amazed that such a full board position can be mated in 3 or 5 moves (“Wait, this is mate in three?!”)tama-labo.com. The solutions tend to be straightforward sequences without tricky sacrificestama-labo.com – often just a series of checks that finish the job, which mirrors real-game tactics. Because of the familiar piece layouts and direct mating lines, many players find the Takahashi series slightly easier than Urano’s Handbooks at the same move-lengthnote.com. For example, the 5-move and 7-move puzzles here are a bit more accessible than the Urano 5 and 7-move collectionsnote.com. Japanese experts often recommend using these books to bridge the gap between difficulty levels – one suggestion is “3-move Handbook → 5-move Takahashi → 5-move Handbook” as a smooth progressiondetail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp. In fact, the Urano and Takahashi series are frequently cited as the twin pillars of endgame training for players up to about shodan or 2-dan levelnote.com. (Note: Each volume contains roughly 200 puzzles; for instance, 3手詰将棋 has 202 problemstama-labo.com.)

  • Jissen Tsumesuji Jiten (『妙手に俗手、駒余りもあり！実戦詰め筋事典』) by Hiroshi Honma. An innovative puzzle anthology and encyclopedia of practical mating patterns. Unlike traditional tsume shogi which obeys strict composition rules (shortest mate, no leftover pieces, etc.), this book embraces the messy reality of game-end positionsshogi.or.jp. It contains 186 problems ranging from 3 to 15 moves that often include situations you actually face in real play: mates where an extra piece or two might remain unused, or where there are alternate mating linesdetail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jpshogi.or.jp. Honma (a professional 7-dan) compiled these to “prioritize the reader’s skill improvement” by teaching vital patterns that classic tsume collections might omitdetail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp. The puzzles are grouped by the king’s location or castle type – chapters like “Middle-of-board king,” “Edge king,” “Yagura castle,” “Anaguma (fortress) broken” etc., so you systematically learn how to mate kings in various sheltersshogi.or.jp. One notable feature: it covers patterns such as the “ichigen-ryū” (one-square dragon) mate – a tactic where a long-range piece delivers mate from a knight’s move away – which is extremely important in practice but often absent in conventional problems because it leaves an unused piece on the boarddetail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp. Despite some puzzles being up to 15 moves, the book isn’t overly hard to solve; many solutions use fairly natural moves (“俗手”) rather than brilliant sacrifices, so the actual difficulty feels moderatedetail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp. Japanese reviewers mention that if you’re comfortable with 5-move handbooks, you can start this book – and it will significantly sharpen your real-game mating eyesightdetail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp. In short, Jissen Tsumesuji Jiten is highly recommended for those who have mastered basic short tsume and want to study practical endgame tactics more deeplydetail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp. (It’s often cited as a personal favorite among intermediate players for its usefulness in real playdetail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp.)

  • Tsume Shogi Paradise: 3-move & 5-move Masterpiece Selection (『詰将棋パラダイス 3手5手詰傑作選』) – Tsume Paradise Editorial Dept.. Tsume Shogi Paradise (often nicknamed “Tsume Para”) is the only magazine devoted to tsume shogi, and even pro players subscribe to tackle its monthly puzzlesdetail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp. Don’t let the “puzzle enthusiast only” image scare you – the magazine traditionally includes beginner-friendly corners called “Kids’ Room” and “Kindergarten” with lots of 3-move and 5-move problemstama-labo.com. This book is a compilation of 200 short mates (mostly 3 moves, some 5) selected from a decade of those easy sectionstama-labo.com. The editors chose high-quality problems that amateur players (from late beginner to intermediate) can enjoy and learn fromtama-labo.com. Because these were originally magazine submissions, they tend to be a bit more varied and clever than the typical textbook puzzle – you’ll see a wide range of mating patterns curated from many authors. The introduction notes that the goal is to let a broad audience experience the “good problems from Kids’ Room and Kindergarten” without needing a subscriptiontama-labo.com. That said, some of these can still be surprisingly tricky, especially if you’re used to more straightforward puzzles – even avid solvers found this collection “sugoku muzukashii” (extremely hard) at timestama-labo.com. Treat it as a challenge and a taste of the wider tsume shogi world. For enthusiasts, Tsume Paradise also publishes similar 5-move and 7-move masterpiece anthologies and remains a highly respected source of puzzles.

(Intermediate solvers can also consider Osamu Katsuura’s classic “Tsume Shogi Dōjō” series (e.g. 200 Tsume Shogi Dojo Problems) which offers 200 mating problems per book in the 5~15 move range. These are a step up in difficulty – effectively “Handbook on hard mode” with wider board positions and more complex variationsnote.comnote.com. They’re excellent for aspiring 3-dan+ players who want to push their limits, but be prepared: even the so-called “Introductory” volume in this series is “not at all easy” and requires reading deeper variationsnote.comnote.com.)

Tsume Shogi Pattern Guides (手筋事典・解説書)

Not all tsume study is just solving puzzle after puzzle – it also helps to explicitly learn common mating techniques (tsume tesuji). The following books take a more instructional approach, cataloguing patterns and providing example problems. They are great for players who want to improve their understanding of why certain moves lead to mate.

  • Tsume Tesuji DVD Book (『詰手筋DVDブック』) by Masahiko Urano. Written by the same Urano who authored the Handbook series, this is a comprehensive reference of mating techniquesshogi.or.jp. Each chapter focuses on a specific tactical motif needed to mate the king – for example, the “one-square dragon” (一間龍), “knight on a gold’s head” (金頭の桂), “okuri-zume” (using sacrifice to send a piece) and so onshogi.or.jp. Urano explains each theme clearly, then gives you 4 practice puzzles to apply the idea immediatelyshogi.or.jp. The format is very user-friendly: you read about a pattern and then test yourself, which helps reinforce the knowledge. Because it’s organized like an encyclopedia, you don’t have to solve it sequentially – you can jump to the pattern you want to study. Another big feature is the accompanying DVD that demonstrates all the solutions on a boardshogi.or.jp. This is perfect for those who struggle to follow written notation; you can literally watch the mating moves unfold, making it easier to grasp the technique. Reviewers suggest using this book to review any mating sequence you encounter in your games or lessons – if a teacher or stronger player shows you a mating line, you can likely find that pattern in Urano’s book to practice it moreshogi.or.jp. Overall, it’s considered an excellent “tsume tesuji” primer for bridging pure puzzle-solving with real-game application.

  • Shōgi: Tsumi no Kihon Tesuji (『将棋・詰みの基本手筋』) by Kensuke Kitahama. Another highly regarded guide to mating techniques, written by an active shogi pro known for endgame skill. This book is structured as a step-by-step course: Chapter 1 covers the 20 fundamental mating tesuji that “you absolutely must know”, Chapter 2 introduces additional important patterns to reach the next level, Chapter 3 is applied combinations of those patterns, Chapter 4 focuses on mating techniques for breaking specific castles, and Chapter 5 provides a set of practice problems (original compositions by Kitahama) to test what you learnedshogi.or.jpshogi.or.jp. The content overlaps some with Urano’s DVD Book (since basic techniques like “dragon’s path”, “knight on head” etc. are universal) but Kitahama’s presentation is slightly different and the difficulty is a tad higher in placesshogi.or.jp. He challenges the reader a bit more in the later chapters, which is great for intermediate players aiming for advanced skill. One unique draw is that Kitahama’s own puzzle creations in Chapter 5 are included – giving you fresh problems that aren’t found in other booksshogi.or.jp. Readers have praised the pedagogical progression of this book: it “levels you up gradually” by first drilling basics, then introducing harder techniques and finally combining themshogi.or.jp. If you’re serious about mastering mating patterns, either Urano’s or Kitahama’s book will serve you well – the JSA columnist reviewing them even said both are excellent and you can’t go wrong using one or the other (or both) to deepen your endgame knowledgeshogi.or.jp.

Apps and Other Tsume Shogi Resources

  • Tsume Shogi Paradise (Monthly Magazine) – Tsume Paradise Editorial Office. As mentioned earlier, Tsume Shogi Paradise is a long-running monthly magazine devoted entirely to tsume shogi. It offers something for every level: from the short “kids” puzzles for beginners, all the way to award-winning masterpieces and solver’s contest problems for experts. This breadth and volume of content make it a beloved resource in Japan – it’s “very diverse, from beginners to specialists, and even pros use it”detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp. Subscribing (or buying their yearly compilations) can be a fun way to continually challenge yourself with new puzzles. Even if you’re not solving the hardest ones, tackling the beginner/intermediate sections each month is great practice. (Note: Some of the magazine’s easier sections have been compiled into books like the 3-move masterpiece selection listed above, so those are a good entry point.)

  • “Minna no Tsume Shōgi” (『みんなの詰将棋』) – smartphone app (iOS/Android, by Unbalance Corp). This free app is often recommended by Japanese players for on-the-go practice. It contains a huge set of tsume shogi problems from 1-move up to 11-move mates, about 600 puzzles in totalshogi.or.jp. The puzzles were created by a team of talented composers and even include an engine to verify solutionsplay.google.com. The app is very user-friendly for beginners: it has 120 one-move problems to teach you basic mates, gradually ramping up in difficultyshogi.or.jp. Hints and solution explanations are available, so if you guess a move and don’t understand why it’s mate, the app will clarify itshogi.or.jp. Because each puzzle is short, you can solve a few whenever you have a spare minute – a great habit to build up your endgame pattern recognitionshogi.or.jp. Many Japanese coaches suggest incorporating apps like this into daily study, since “even a short session of tsume shogi is beneficial” and you can do it during commutes or breaksshogi.or.jp. Other popular apps (often mentioned in blogs) include “Shōgyō (Beginner)”, “Hyakutan Shōgi”, and the official Shogi Wars tsume problems, but Minna no Tsume Shōgi stands out for its wide range of puzzle lengths and clean designapp-liv.jpsmartlog.jp.

Each of these books and resources comes highly recommended by the shogi community. Remember, the key is consistency: solve a few puzzles every day, and revisit them until you can see the solution patterns quicklyshogi.or.jpshogi.or.jp. Japanese experts often say that even memorizing solutions is okay – it means you’ve internalized that patternshogi.or.jp. By working through these tsume shogi materials appropriate to your level, you’ll gradually sharpen your mating vision and calculative ability, which will directly translate into a stronger endgame in your own games. Happy solving, and mate the king! (詰めろ、詰めろ！)

Sources:

More posts