Basic tesuji — forks, pawn taps and joined pieces 基本の手筋

A tesuji 手筋 is a standard tactical idea. Here are three you'll use in almost every game.

The knight fork 桂の両取り

A knight attacks two squares at once, and its jump can't be blocked. Drop one where both squares hold something valuable and one of them falls.

And whatever you win goes into your hand — ready to drop straight back into the attack.

The tapping pawn 叩きの歩

A pawn dropped directly in front of an enemy piece — a tataki — forces it to capture (moving it where you want it) or to step away (leaving what it defended). It costs one pawn, and pawns are cheap.

Keep your pieces joined 連結

Pieces that protect each other are hard to attack; a lone piece can be picked off by a single drop. Golds and silvers standing next to each other defend one another — that's what every castle is built on. Before you move a general, check what it was protecting.

Try it