Castles · 美濃囲い
Mino.
Three king steps, a silver, a gold. The first castle everyone learns, and five moves to build.
How it goes together
The rook has swung to the left, so the king walks right into the space it left: 5i to 4h, 3h, 2h. The right silver steps up beside him to 3h, and the left gold steps diagonally to 5h, where the other gold on 4i still guards it. The three generals lean on each other, and the king sits behind all of them.
Move by move
The Fourth File Rook opening, as the app’s bot plays it. The rook swings to 6h first, then the king walks, and the generals close in behind him. The opponent’s moves are left out so the shape is easy to follow.
Then 1f: the edge pawn steps up so the king has somewhere to go. Eleven moves in, the castle is complete and the rook is ready.
What it is good against
Fast, and very strong against attacks from the side: a rook coming along the second rank meets three generals in a row. The pawn on 1f, the usual eleventh move, gives the king an escape square on the edge.
Where it breaks
Its head. Attacks down the third and second files from above, and a knight landing on 3f or 1f, are what breaks a Mino. Against a bishop on the long diagonal it is safer than it looks, because the 3h silver covers 2g.
When to build it
Whenever your rook has moved to the left: it is the castle of the ranging rook. The Fourth File Rook opening in the app’s lessons builds exactly this.
Build it at the board.
The app names the castle you are building as you play, and its lesson walks the king into a Mino one step at a time.