Castles · 雁木
Gangi.
Two silvers side by side in front of the king, golds at their shoulders: a wall across the middle of the board.
How it goes together
The pawns go up first to make room: 7f opens the bishop’s road and 6f clears the square the left silver wants. The left silver climbs 7h, 6g; the right silver comes over 4h, 5g, and the two stand shoulder to shoulder. Gold to 7h, king one step left to 6i, the other gold to 5h, and the pawns on 3f, 4f and 9f go up in front. ja.wikipedia gives the name three meanings over the centuries: this two-silver shape is the Gangi of the 1940s to the 2000s, and since the 2010s the word covers any static rook castle with the left silver on 6g, the Silver Horns Gangi (silvers 6g and 4g) among them.
Move by move
Black only, from the start position. Pawns first, then the silvers one at a time, then the golds and the king.
Step through the moves, or press play.
Tap a move to jump to it. Arrow keys work once the board has focus.
Thirteen moves. The source’s order goes on with 6e and the rook to 4h: that is the attack a Gangi is built for, and it is not part of the castle.
What it is good against
Attacks from above. The source’s verdict is 上からの攻めに強い: a frontal push meets the two silvers and the pawns in front of them.
Where it breaks
Attacks from below. The source’s verdict is 下からの攻めに弱い: the king on 6i is one step from his starting square, and a rook that breaks into the back ranks finds little between it and him.
When to build it
Static rook against static rook, where the other choice is the Yagura. The Gangi keeps the king nearer the centre.
Build it at the board.
The app’s lesson walks the king into a Mino one step at a time, and its review names the castle you were building when a game turned.