Castles · 囲い
Where the king goes first.
Because captured pieces come back, a king in the open is never safe: a piece can be dropped next to him at any moment. So before the fight starts, a shogi player spends the first moves walking the king into a corner and building a wall of generals around him. That wall is a castle, kakoi (囲い), and this app is named after it.
There is no castling move as in chess. A castle is built one move at a time, and which one you build depends on where your rook went: a rook that stays home on the right sends the king left, a rook that swings left sends the king right. These fifty-seven shapes, eighteen on the right and thirty-nine on the left, are listed by family, the castle each family is named after first, and each one below has its own page with the move order played out.
Three ideas that hold for every castle
- Generals close, king behind. Golds and silvers are the wall; the king stands behind it, never in it. A gold beside the king is worth more than a gold attacking.
- Castle before you attack. The proverb is igyoku wa sakeyo, avoid a sitting king. Attacks that start with the king still on 5i tend to end with the king still on 5i.
- Every castle has a head and a side. The Mino fears attacks from above, the Yagura from the edge, the Anaguma being caught half-built. Knowing your castle’s weak point is knowing what the opponent is aiming at.
On the right: the ranging rook castles
A rook that has swung to the left sends the king right, and the Mino is where he goes first.
The Half Mino is the same castle one gold short, and it is where a Central Rook stops, because its rook stands where that gold would go; the Top Knot, the Bald, the Silver, the Gold and the Kimura Mino are light castles built on it or beside it, and the Wall is the king and silver stopped a square early.
High Mino, Silver Crown and the Diamond are the full Mino with more moves spent on it, and the Flatfish is the Central Rook’s four-general version. The Anaguma is a different bargain: the corner, and eleven moves; the Ranging Rook Millennium puts the king on the knight’s square instead.
Then the castles of a game where both players have swung their rooks, the Gold Twins, the Left King and the Right Yagura, and last the Invincible, the beginner’s joke.
Mino 美濃囲いThe first castle everyone learns: three king steps, a silver, a gold. Fast, strong against attacks from the side, weak at its head. The castle of the ranging rook.Half Mino 片美濃囲いThe Mino one move short. The king walks to 2h, the right silver steps up to 3h, the 4i gold stays home, and the left gold never leaves 6i. Fourth File Rook players pass through it on the way to a full Mino; Central Rook players stop here, because their rook holds 5h.Top Knot Mino ちょんまげ美濃The castle a feint leaves behind. You push 2f as a static rook would, then swing the rook anyway and castle on that same side: king 2h, silver 3h, gold 4i, and the 2f pawn sticking up over the king like a samurai’s top knot (ちょんまげ), the name Katō Jirō gave it. That pawn is a weak point, so the usual advice is to grow the castle into a Silver Crown.Bald Mino 坊主美濃King 2h, silver 3h, gold 4i, and no Black pawn on the second file, because the rook pawn was traded off before the king arrived. It turns up in the Twisting Rook (ひねり飛車) and after a feint ranging rook. Japanese sources call its head far weaker than a Half Mino’s; a pawn dropped on 2g turns it back into one.Silver Mino 銀美濃King 2h, silvers 3h and 5h, gold 4i. The gold and the two silvers guard one another, but the left silver takes several moves to bring over, and a silver does not guard the squares beside it. ja.wikipedia says it is not used much.Wall 壁囲いWhat a ranging rook has after three castle moves: king 3h, silver 4h, the gold left on 4i. It is meant for meeting a rapid attack in time, and ja.wikipedia calls it weaker than a Mino and even than a Boat castle. If the attack does not come at once, it should grow into something stronger.Gold Mino 金美濃King 2h, gold 3h, silver 4h, five moves after the rook swing. Stronger from above than a Half Mino, because a gold now stands beside the king, and weaker underneath, because nothing is left on 4i. Uncommon, and not to be confused with the static rook castle of the same name.Kimura Mino 木村美濃Named after Kimura Yoshio, the 14th lifetime Meijin, who used it often. King 2h, gold 3h, and the silver up on 4g behind a pawn on 4f: two generals, with the left gold left free. Firmer in front and in the centre than a Half Mino, thin underneath, and not often seen today.High Mino 高美濃A Mino whose gold has stepped up from 5h to 4g behind an advanced 4f pawn. Better against attacks from above, since the gold now guards the squares in front of the castle; a little thinner underneath. Most Mino castles grow into this one when there is time.Silver Crown 銀冠The High Mino grown one step further: the silver climbs to 2g, over the king’s head like a crown, and the right gold moves to 3h beneath it. Very strong against attacks from the front and above, at the cost of three more moves. The natural final form of a ranging rook castle in a long game.Diamond Mino ダイヤモンド美濃A Mino with the second silver brought across to 4g, so the king is surrounded by four generals in a diamond: silver 3h, silver 4g, gold 5h, gold 4i. About as solid as a castle gets without going into the corner, and correspondingly slow to build and short of attackers.Flatfish 平目Rook on 5h, king on 2h, silvers on 3h and 6h, and both golds side by side on the bottom rank at 5i and 4i. All four generals sit low and guard one another. ja.wikipedia calls it very solid and strong against a dropped rook or bishop, which lets this Central Rook trade bishops on purpose.Anaguma 穴熊The king in the corner behind the lance, sealed in by a silver and two golds. Very hard to break into once it stands, and slow to build; shown here in its ranging rook form on the right, and built in the left corner by static rook players, king 9i behind the lance on 9h and the silver on 8h, with the golds placed to suit the game.Ranging Rook Millennium 振り飛車ミレニアムA ranging rook’s castle against a Static Rook Anaguma. The right knight jumps to 3g, the king drops into the square it left, and a silver and both golds close over him: the static rook’s Millennium, seen in a mirror. Solid once it is built, but slow, and in 2019 the Japan Shogi Association’s column still called it new among professionals.Gold Twins 金無双King 3h, golds 4h and 5h in a row, silver 2h. Stronger than a Mino from above and weaker from the side, which is why it belongs to games where both players have swung their rooks.Left King 左玉In a double ranging rook game the king usually castles on the right, where the opponent’s rook is aimed. The Left King goes the other way, to 7h beside its own rook, against the old proverb that king and rook should keep apart. It is thin and asks a lot of the player, but it is balanced and leaves few gaps for drops. Takada Shōhei made it his own from the late 1990s.Right Yagura 右矢倉The Yagura in a mirror: king 2h, silver 3g, golds 3h and 4g, behind pawns on 3f and 4f. It is used only when both players have swung their rooks, where the attack comes from above. A Mino can grow into it in five moves.Invincible 無敵囲いA shape many beginners find on their own: the rook swings to 5h, the silvers step up on either side, and the king sits in the middle of four generals and a rook. Players call it the Invincible castle as a joke. The king has not moved, the rook is jammed in on top of him, and the edges and the bishop are left hanging.
On the left: for a rook that stays home
A rook that stays on the right sends the king left. Against a ranging rook: the Left Mino; the Tenshukaku Mino if you mean to attack early on the right, with the Four-Piece Mino, the Edge King Silver Crown and the Yonenaga King built on it; the Left Silver Crown for a long game, and the Skewered Cutlet, which takes the king off the bishop’s line in one move.
The boat castle if you are in a hurry, with Daddy’s Dearest, the Static Rook Gold Twins, the Lozenge and the Elmo as firmer forms of it for a rapid attack, and the Paperweight for the Subway Rook; and the Static Rook Anaguma, the Beeline Anaguma, the Matsuo Anaguma, the Silver Crown Anaguma, the Big Four or the Millennium if you have time to dig in.
Then the Yagura family: the Yagura, its quicker build and its four-general form; the Lozenge, Silver, High Silver and Kikusui Yagura, which rearrange its generals (the High Silver mostly against a ranging rook), and the Yagura Anaguma, which takes its king into the corner; the Crab as its first step, and the Doi Yagura with the king a file nearer the centre; once the bishops have been traded, the Half Yagura, the Bonanza and the Helmet Yagura, all built to leave a dropped bishop little to hit.
Then the two Gangi castles; the Central House, the Spread Golds, the Nakahara and the Strawberry, which keep the king near the middle for the fast aerial openings; and the Duck, a low surprise castle in the middle of the board.
Left Mino 左美濃The Mino mirrored to the left, for a static rook player facing a ranging rook: king 8h, silver 7h, golds 5h and 6i, with the bishop moved up to 7g out of the way. Quicker than an Anaguma, sturdier than a boat castle, and the usual choice when there is not time to dig in.Tenshukaku Mino 天守閣美濃King 8g on top of the unmoved bishop, silver 7h, golds 5h and 6i. The static rook’s Mino against a ranging rook, with the king off the long diagonal and far from the fight on the right. Weak from above.Four-Piece Mino 四枚美濃King 8g, silvers 7g and 7h, golds 6g and 6i, and the bishop pulled back to 7i. The right silver covers the king’s head and the diagonal beside it, the weak points of a Tenshukaku Mino. Solid and thick above, but with both silvers defending, the attack is thin.Edge King Silver Crown 端玉銀冠King 9h, the silver over him on 8g, golds on 7h and 6h, and the bishop still on 8h: four moves on top of a Tenshukaku Mino. The king is off the bishop’s long diagonal and thickly covered from above, but he now stands on his own lance on the edge file. The Japan Shogi Association’s column and two teaching sites also call this shape the Yonenaga King.Yonenaga King 米長玉King 9h, silvers 8g and 7g, golds 7h and 6g, and the bishop on 7i. The king leaves the long diagonal before any attack arrives, with four generals around him. The king on the square above the lance is named after Yonenaga Kunio, who played it.Left Silver Crown 左銀冠The static rook’s Silver Crown, five moves on top of a Left Mino: king 8h, the silver above him on 8g, golds 7h and 6g, and the bishop on 7g as part of the wall. Thick above and in front, and the main static rook answer to a Ranging Rook Anaguma. It takes thirteen moves, and the king stands on the long diagonal behind his own bishop.Skewered Cutlet 串カツ囲いKing 9h, silver 8h, golds 7h and 7i, and the lance under the king on 9i. From 8h the king leaves the bishop’s long diagonal in one move, where an Anaguma needs three. The lance can neither defend nor attack, though, and the edge is weak. Its other name is 端美濃囲い.Boat 舟囲いThe static rook player’s quick castle against a ranging rook: king 7h, gold 5h, silver 4h, with the gold on 6i, the silver on 7i and the bishop on 8h all left where they started. Three pieces move, plus three pawns, and the king is out of the centre and behind a wall, but only just; it is a stop on the way to something better, or enough cover for a fast attack.Daddy’s Dearest 箱入り娘A Boat castle with its right gold moved next to the king. King 7h, golds 6h and 6i one above the other, the silver on 7i and the bishop on 8h around him. One move firmer than the Boat, for a static rook about to attack a ranging rook, though ja.wikipedia says it is not often seen in real games.Static Rook Gold Twins 二枚金Two golds in a row beside the king: king 7h, golds 6h and 5h, the left silver still at home on 7i under the king. One move from the Boat, and built for a rapid attack against a ranging rook. Its name, 二枚金 (two golds), is also another name for the ranging rook’s Gold Twins.Lozenge 菱囲いA Boat castle two moves further: king 7h, the left silver beside him on 6h, the right silver on 5g, golds on 5h and 6i, the bishop on 8h. Firmer than the Boat, and from it you can still choose a rapid attack or a slower plan that takes space with pawns.Paperweight 文鎮囲いA row of five on the second rank: silver 8h, king 7h, golds 6h and 5h, silver 4h, with both knights up on 7g and 3g and the bishop on 6f. It empties the bottom rank so the rook can run along it to the far edge: the Subway Rook (地下鉄飛車). Sixteen moves.Elmo elmo囲いKing 7h and silver 6h, with the 6i gold stepped sideways to 7i, under the king, and the right gold usually on 5i rather than 5h. The computer program elmo played it so often that the castle took its name. The three generals guard each other, so it holds up better than a Boat castle.Static Rook Anaguma 居飛車穴熊The Anaguma for a rook that stays home: king 9i behind the lance on 9h, silver 8h, golds 7h and 7i. The static rook’s hardest answer to a ranging rook, and fifteen moves to build.Beeline Anaguma 一直線穴熊King 9i behind the lance, golds 7h and 6g, silvers 7i and 6h, the bishop on 7g, and 8h left empty. A static rook plan against the Central Rook that builds the same castle in the same order whatever the opponent does: 一直線, in a straight line. Sixteen moves.Matsuo Anaguma 松尾流穴熊The Static Rook Anaguma at full strength. The king sits on 9i behind the lance, silvers on 8h and 7i, golds on 7h and 6g. The right silver, which an ordinary Anaguma leaves out on 5g, comes back to the castle, so all four generals stand around the king.Silver Crown Anaguma 銀冠穴熊King 9i behind the lance, golds 8h and 7h, and the silver crowning them on 8g. A static rook’s castle against a ranging rook, for games where both sides settle in for a long fight. Shogi Wars rates it very strong from above and from the side; it is also one of the longer castles to build, fifteen moves here.Big Four ビッグ４The four-general Anaguma. King 9i behind the lance, two golds beside him on 8h and 7h, two silvers above them on 8g and 7g. Twenty-one moves, and strong from above and at the edge as well as from the side. ja.wikipedia calls it the static rook’s ideal four-general Anaguma.Millennium ミレニアム囲いKing 8i, silver 8h, golds 7h and 7i, knight 7g, bishop 6f. A static rook castle close to an Anaguma in hardness, one file in from the corner. Slow, made against one opening, and back in use since about 2018 as an attacking shape.Yagura 矢倉囲いKing 8h behind a silver on 7g and golds on 6g and 7h. The classic fortress of games where both rooks stay home, and the most studied shape in shogi.Quick Yagura 矢倉早囲いA quicker way to build the Gold Yagura. The king goes up to 6h and across to 7h and 8h, so it never needs the 7i square, and the bishop can stop there instead of moving on to 6h. You save that one bishop move. You pay for it while the castle is unfinished, because the king crosses the second rank, right where an early attack lands.Complete Yagura 総矢倉The Gold Yagura plus one piece. The right silver climbs to 5g beside the 6g gold, so both golds and both silvers stand around the king. It is very hard to break from above, and it costs you the silver you would usually attack with.Lozenge Yagura 菱矢倉King 8h, golds 7h and 6g, silvers 7g and 6f. All four generals defend, and the silver on 6f makes the castle thick above and in the centre. It is slow to build, since it starts from a Complete Yagura, and ja.wikipedia says players more often just call it the 6f-silver shape.Silver Yagura 銀矢倉King 8h, gold 7h, silvers 7g and 6g. The 6g silver guards the 7h gold, which in a Gold Yagura only the king protects, but a silver has no sideways move, so 5g beside it is left open. Bringing the right silver round costs more moves than bringing a gold.High Silver Yagura 銀立ち矢倉King 8h, golds 7h and 6g, and the left silver up on 7f, holding the pawn on 7e. Pawn and silver take space in front of the king and press on a Mino from above. With the silver a step forward, it is weaker from the side than a Gold Yagura.Kikusui Yagura 菊水矢倉King 8i, silver 8h, knight 7g, golds 7h and 6g. The king sits one rank lower than in a Gold Yagura, further from an attack coming down the files. The price is the side, where a rook on the bottom rank checks at once, and the knight on 7g, whose head is a target. It is also called the crouching Yagura (しゃがみ矢倉).Yagura Anaguma 矢倉穴熊Two moves on top of a Gold Yagura: lance to 9h, king to 9i. The king is as far from the fighting as it can get, so checks are slow to come in a race. The castle is loosely knit, though: the 7h gold has no defender at all, and the edge file is now the king’s own.Crab カニ囲いGolds on 7h and 5h, the left silver between them on 6h, and the king one square left of where he started. Quick to build and solid against attacks from above, weak from the side. Yagura players usually pass through it, and players who want a fast game often attack straight from it.Half Yagura 片矢倉The king on 7h instead of 8h and the left gold on 6h instead of 7h, with the silver on 7g and the other gold on 6g as in a Gold Yagura. The two golds stand one above the other, and that is what makes it hard to hit with a dropped bishop, so it is mostly played once the bishops have come off. It is also called the 天野矢倉, after the Edo-period master Amano Sōho, who favoured it.Doi Yagura 土居矢倉Here the left gold climbs to 6g instead of the right one, and the king steps into the 7h square it left. The right gold stays on 5h. The castle is thinner than a Gold Yagura but better balanced, and it stands up well to dropped bishops. Doi Ichitarō played it in a 1940 Meijin title match, and professionals took it up again from 2017.Bonanza ボナンザ囲いKing 7h, silver 7g, golds on 6h and 5h, and the 6g pawn left at home. It is a Half Yagura whose second gold never climbed from 5h to 6g, and it is built only once the bishops are off the board. The 2006 version of the computer program Bonanza played it often, and the name stuck.Helmet Yagura 兜矢倉The usual castle of the Bishop Exchange. The silver and gold of a Yagura stand on 7g and 7h, but the right gold stays back on 5h and the king stops on 6h between them. It takes few moves and leaves few squares for a dropped bishop, which matters when both players hold one.Gangi 雁木Silvers on 6g and 5g, golds on 7h and 5h, the king on 6i behind them. Strong against an attack from above, weak from below. The classic twentieth-century Gangi; since the 2010s the name covers any castle with the left silver on 6g.Silver Horns Gangi ツノ銀雁木One of the new-type Gangi that spread among professionals after 2017. The left silver stands on 6g as in every Gangi, but the right silver goes to 4g, so the two silvers stand out from the corners of the 5h gold like horns. The Japan Shogi Association’s column counts strength against a bishop trade among its main features.Central House 中住まいKing 5h, golds 7h and 3h, silver 4h. Not a fortress but a spread, ready for rooks and bishops dropped into the back ranks. The castle of Side Pawn Capture and Double Wing Attack, where the major pieces fly early.Spread Golds 金開きThe Central House reduced to its golds: the left gold to 7h, the right gold to 3h, the king one step up to 5h, the silvers unmoved on 7i and 3i. A balance rather than a fortress, ready for rooks and bishops dropped into the camp. Black reaches it in the Aono line of the Side Pawn Capture.Nakahara 中原囲いThe king one step left to 6i, the left gold up to 7h, the right silver to 4h, and the right gold slid across into 5i beside the king on the bottom rank. It looks thin, but it is low, quick, and leaves the king room to run either way. Today it is mostly White’s castle in the Side Pawn Capture.Strawberry いちご囲いBoth golds step up, the king steps diagonally into the gap between them, and the left silver stays on 7i to guard the bishop. Players use it in Double Wing and Side Pawn games, where fighting can start before there is time for anything bigger. Sources say the name comes from the shape looking like a strawberry, though nobody seems sure.Duck アヒル囲いKing 5h with silvers on 6h and 4h and golds out on 7i and 3i, behind a row of unmoved pawns. It leaves no square for a dropped rook or bishop, so the Duck player trades the big pieces on purpose. A surprise castle, fairly popular with amateurs; professionals do not play it.
Build one tonight.
The app’s review names your castle and how far along it was when the game turned. Its bot builds them too, so you can see each shape from the other side of the board.