About half a century ago, a unique form of entertainment flourished on the streets of Japan: Shogi-based street performances. These performers, known as Daidou Shougi-shi (大道将棋師), would set up Shogi boards in public spaces and present intriguing Tsume Shogi (詰将棋) checkmate puzzles to passersby.
They invited curious onlookers to try solving these puzzles. If someone succeeded, they might receive a small prize—perhaps a pack of cigarettes. But if they failed, they’d pay a modest fee, around 100 yen, as a “lesson” or “tutoring” charge.
Art of Deception
The performers were masters of psychological trickery. Their puzzles were carefully chosen to appear deceptively simple—easy enough to tempt a novice into trying, but far more complex beneath the surface.
Take the example below. At first glance, it might look like a 3-move or 5-move checkmate. In reality, it requires a tricky 15-move sequence, hinging on a sacrificial drop near the King’s side. The elegance lies in its subtlety: it doesn’t scream “difficult,” but it’s packed with misleading branches and dead ends.
What makes Daidou Tsume?
These puzzles weren’t selected from the standard repertoire of Tsume Shogi. Straightforward problems were excluded, as were those that looked obviously hard. The ideal Daidou Tsume had to:
- Look deceptively easy
- Contain many misleading vriations("まぎれ" or "confusions")
- Require deep calculation and insight
This genre of puzzle became known as Daidou Tsume Shogi (大道詰将棋), or “Broad Street Tsume Problems.” The shorthand term was Daidou-gi (大道棋).
A Lost Craft
Today, this tradition has vanished from Japan’s streets. The Daidou Shougi-shi are gone, and their craft is largely forgotten. But their puzzles live on, remembered by enthusiasts and preserved in collections.
Let’s explore a few of these captivating challenges on this page—and see if you can outwit the ghosts of the street masters.
Lance/Pawn Problems (香歩問題)
In the previous example, Attacking side has lance and pawn(s). This set up is so popular in Daidougi that it is estimated more than 700 such problems exists. This genre of problem is called 香歩問題( pronounced as "Kyoufu mondai") or lance/pawn problems. (By the way, the word "Kyoufu" also means terror).
They are such an intrigue problems thanks to variety of pieces the King side will drop to block Lance's reach. Problems listed below are all Lance/Pawn Problems. Enjoy!
Select a problem from the dropdown list above.
You can move piece positions back and forth by clicking on the arrow button, or click on the right half of the board to advance, or left half of the board to take one move back.
Reference:WikiPedia Japan 大道詰将棋
This page was originally created 2 months ago and last updated 2 months ago