Openings · 戦法
Ninety-one openings, and where to start.
A shogi opening is a plan for where the rook and the king go, and everything else follows from that. This is every opening the site covers: thirty-five that swing the rook to the left, fifty-six that keep it at home, each with a move order you can step through on the board, the castle it goes with, and what to do once it is built.
The one question: where is your rook?
Every opening in shogi belongs to one of two families. In a static rook opening (居飛車, ibisha) the rook stays on its starting file and the king castles on the left. In a ranging rook opening (振り飛車, furibisha) the rook swings to the centre or the left and the king castles on the right. Decide that by move five, choose the castle that goes with it, and the rest of the opening is development.
Ranging rook: the rook swings left
Thirty-five openings, listed by family. The Fourth File Rook comes first, with Ōhashi’s Yōryū form, which stops the king on 3h; its bishop-exchange forms, the Bishop Exchange Fourth File Rook, White’s Leghorn Special and White’s Tateishi, which ends as an Ishida; the Fujii System, which attacks with the king still at home; and White’s King’s Head Silver against a rapid attack.
Then the Third File Rook family: the Ishida, Masuda’s Ishida, the Quick Ishida and Suzuki’s New Ishida, the two openings that swing the rook on the first or the second move, and White’s Fourth-to-Third File Rook and Sugai Third File Rook.
Then the Central Rook, with White’s Silver Horns and Cheerful Central Rooks, the Primitive Central Rook that attacks at once, and White’s Left Anaguma; the Opposing Rook, with its American, Direct and Sakata forms; the Double Ranging Rook, which is what happens when both players swing, with White’s Kimokimo Gold against the Ishida; and the surprises: the Demon Killer and its Opposing Rook cousin, the Wrong Diagonal Bishop, the Bishop Head Pawn for either side, White’s two traps, the Pac-Man and the Tonari, and the Ninth File Rook.
Learn the Fourth File Rook properly first: the Third File, Central and Opposing Rooks castle the same way, with the rook a file or two along.
Fourth File Rook 四間飛車Ranging rook · MinoThe rook to the fourth file from the left, the king to the right, a Mino, and patience. The most played amateur opening in Japan because it is a system: the same moves against anything, each with a reason, and a counter waiting on the sixth file when the opponent finally attacks. The bot’s search levels play it from their book, and the Mino levels play it because people do.Yōryū Fourth File Rook 耀龍四間飛車Ranging rook, a Fourth File Rook · no fixed castle (the king stops on 3h)A Fourth File Rook whose king stops on 3h, one square short of the Mino, with the right gold beside it on 4h and the right silver at home. The king can then stay put while the castle grows into a Gold Twins or a Yagura shape. Ōhashi Takahiro’s opening; it won the Masuda Kōzō Award, announced in 2021.Bishop Exchange Fourth File Rook 角交換四間飛車Ranging rook, a Fourth File Rook · Half MinoA Fourth File Rook that leaves the bishop’s diagonal open and trades bishops on purpose, at the moment White’s king steps to 4b. The left silver covers the rook file, the king goes into a Half Mino, and both sides play on with a bishop in hand. Fujii Takeshi won the 2014 Masuda Kōzō Award for it.Leghorn Special レグスペRanging rook, played by White · Anaguma, on White’s sideWhite’s Bishop Exchange Fourth File Rook with an Anaguma: the rook to 4b, the bishops traded once Black’s king reaches 6h, and the king walked into the 9a corner. Named after its inventor’s nickname, White Leghorn; drawn here from White’s side.Tateishi Fourth File Rook 立石流四間飛車Ranging rook, played by White · Silver Mino, on White’s sideWhite’s Fourth File Rook that turns into an Ishida: the pawns go to 3e and 4e, the bishops come off, and the rook floats to 4d and moves across to 3d. The amateur Tateishi Katsumi won a special Masuda Kōzō Award for it, announced in 2004. Drawn here from White’s side.Fujii System 藤井システムRanging rook · no castle, the king stays on 5iA Fourth File Rook that refuses to castle. Invented in the 1990s by Fujii Takeshi to stop static rook players burying their king in an Anaguma: the king stays on 5i, the knight comes to 3g, the edge pawns advance, and the attack begins the moment the opponent starts digging. If they castle normally instead, the king walks into a Mino as usual. It changed professional shogi and it is the reason the Anaguma is no longer a free lunch.King’s Head Silver 玉頭銀Ranging rook, played by White · Mino, on White’s sideWhite’s answer to the Pawn-45 Early Fight: the centre pawn stays home and the left silver climbs to 5d and 6e and takes the pawn on 7f, in front of Black’s king. shogilounge says Watanabe Akira gave up that attack because of it. Drawn here from White’s side.Third File Rook 三間飛車Ranging rook · MinoOne file further left than the Fourth File Rook, so the rook stands directly behind the pawn that will be pushed to 7e. Quieter than the Ishida, which is its aggressive relative, and a good answer to a static rook player who likes to attack on the eighth file: the rook is already there to meet them. Its weakness is the diagonal from 2b, which the 6f pawn has to keep closed.Ishida 石田流Ranging rook · MinoA Third File Rook that comes forward: rook to 7f behind an advanced pawn, knight to 7g, bishop round to 9g, so that the whole left side points at the opponent. Fast and sharp, and one of the most popular ranging rooks (fourth in the 2019 『将棋戦法事典100+』 ranking). Pushing the pawn to 7e on move three, with the bishop’s diagonal still open, is the Quick Ishida, which has a page of its own.Masuda’s Ishida 升田式石田流Ranging rook, a Third File Rook · Half MinoThe Quick Ishida start played as a full opening: the king walks to 2h, the rook lifts to 7f, White trades bishops, and the left gold guards against drops. Masuda Kōzō introduced it in the 1971 Meijin match.Quick Ishida 早石田Ranging rook, a fast attack with traps · none (the king stops on 4h)The Ishida as a fast attack: the pawn to 7e on move three with the bishop’s diagonal still open, the rook behind it, and a bishop drop waiting for a static rook that trades its rook pawn too soon. The line here ends in a king and rook fork. Against a calm defence it turns into the ordinary Ishida.New Ishida 新石田流Ranging rook, a Quick Ishida · none (the king never moves)Suzuki Daisuke’s move in the Quick Ishida: the pawn to 7d on move seven, before the king has moved. White’s bishop dropped on 6e is met by Black’s own on 5f, and Black gives the rook for a bishop to win play and a pawn. It won the Masuda Kōzō Award, announced in 2005.First Move Rook-78 初手▲７八飛戦法Ranging rook, a Third File Rook · Half MinoThe rook swings to the third file on the very first move, with the bishop’s diagonal still closed, and the king walks to 3h before the diagonal opens. Also called the Cat Trick (猫だまし); it heads for Masuda’s Ishida without losing a move.Second Move Rook-32 ２手目△３二飛Ranging rook, played by White · none yet (the line stops before either side castles)White’s version of the First Move Rook-78: the rook to 3b on move two, the king to 6b, and a bishop dropped on 7d to meet Black’s on 6e. Imaizumi Kenji’s line won the 35th Masuda Kōzō Award; drawn here from White’s side.Fourth-to-Third File Rook ４→３戦法Ranging rook, played by White · Mino, on White’s sideWhite’s way to an open-diagonal Ishida: the rook stops on 4b first, where it guards 4c against a bishop dropped on 6e, the king walks to 7b, and only then does the rook swing to 3b and float to 3d. Tobe Makoto’s opening, grown from Shima Akira’s 3-4-3. Drawn here from White’s side.Sugai Third File Rook 菅井流三間飛車Ranging rook, played by White · none yet (the line stops before White castles)White’s bishop-exchange Third File Rook: the Sakata Opposing Rook’s start, the gold taking back on 3c, and the rook to 3b behind it instead of 2b. Sugai Tatsuya played it in the 2017 Ōi title match, in the game that won him his first title. Drawn here from White’s side.Central Rook 中飛車Ranging rook · Half MinoThe rook to the centre file, and the centre pawn pushed to 5e early, on Black’s fourth move in the line on its page, so that the rook already looks into the enemy camp; another form keeps the pawn back on 5f. The Cheerful Central Rook, usually White’s, swings the rook with the bishop’s diagonal still open and has a page of its own. Simple to learn and hard to meet.Silver Horns Central Rook ツノ銀中飛車Ranging rook, played by White · Kimura Mino, on White’s sideThe classical Central Rook, White’s here: the diagonal closed, the rook on 5b, both silvers raised beside the centre file like horns, and the king in a Kimura Mino. Ōyama Yasuharu played it through title matches; ja.wikipedia says it faded because it had no answer to the Static Rook Anaguma. Drawn here from White’s side.Cheerful Central Rook ゴキゲン中飛車Ranging rook, played by White · Half MinoWhite’s Central Rook, with the bishop’s diagonal left open while the rook swings to 5b and the pawn takes 5e. First in the 2019 ranking of a Japanese opening dictionary, and drawn here from White’s side. The main reply is Black’s Super High Speed Silver.Primitive Central Rook 原始中飛車Ranging rook, a Central Rook · none (the king stays on 5i)The rook to the centre on move one, the left silver up beside the centre pawn, and an attack on 5c with the king still at home. Simple, well known, and rarely successful against a defender who knows the answer; the line here is the attack working.Central Rook Left Anaguma 中飛車左穴熊Ranging rook, played by White · Static Rook Anaguma, on White’s sideWhite’s Central Rook with the king castled on its own left: the pawn on 5e closes the bishop’s line, the rook floats on 5d, and the king walks 4b, 3b, 2b into a Static Rook Anaguma on 1a. An amateurs’ opening, spread by the University of Tokyo shogi club. Drawn here from White’s side.Opposing Rook 向かい飛車Ranging rook · MinoThe rook swings all the way to the eighth file, facing the enemy rook across the board, with the bishop moved up to 7g to make room. The idea is to push the 8g pawn and exchange on the file the opponent’s own rook wants, taking the initiative on their side of the board. Played mostly against a static rook, whose rook still stands on the file yours has come to face, and above all against one that has pushed 8e too early.American Opposing Rook メリケン向かい飛車Ranging rook, an Opposing Rook · none (Black attacks with the king at home)Black closes the diagonal and pushes the pawn to 7e, so White has to push 8e; then the rook swings to 8h, the left gold comes up to 7h, and Black attacks on the eighth file with the king still at home. Devised by Yokoyama, a former apprentice professional and amateur champion.Direct Opposing Rook ダイレクト向かい飛車Ranging rook, played by White · Mino, on White’s sideWhite trades bishops on move four and swings the rook from 8b straight to 2b, with no stop on the fourth file; a bishop dropped on 6e is met by White’s own on 7d. Very popular among professionals around 2013. Drawn here from White’s side.Sakata Opposing Rook 阪田流向かい飛車Ranging rook, played by White · none (White’s king stops on 5b)White takes back on 3c with the gold, a shape that usually looks bad, swings the rook to 2b and sends the gold up the file with the rook behind it. Named after Sakata Sankichi, who played it once, in 1919; the line itself is older. Drawn here from White’s side.Double Ranging Rook 相振り飛車Ranging rook · Gold TwinsWhat happens when both players swing the rook. This page follows the source’s long-standing standard, Black’s Opposing Rook against White’s Third File Rook, with Black building the Gold Twins, the castle made for attacks from the front.Kimokimo Gold きmきm金Ranging rook, played by White · none (White’s king stays on 5a)An amateur’s answer to the Ishida: the left gold marches 3b, 3c, 4d and 3e, the rook swings to 2b, and gold and bishop aim at the second file. The name is slang for “creepy”, after the gold’s route. Drawn here from White’s side.Demon Killer 鬼殺しRanging rook, a surprise attack · none (the king never moves)A famous surprise attack, and a trap: the knight jumps on move three, a bishop drop on 5e hits two pieces, and the rook breaks in on 7c. Worth knowing mainly so it never works on you; against the correct defence it comes to nothing.Demon Killer Opposing Rook 鬼殺し向かい飛車Ranging rook, a surprise opening by White · none (no source gives White’s castle in this line)Shima Akira’s Opposing Rook for White, with the diagonal left open as bait: if Black trades bishops and drops one on 6e, the knight leaps to 4e at once. ja.wikipedia calls it the one opening of the Demon Killer family that is not worse against correct play. Drawn here from White’s side.Wrong Diagonal Bishop 筋違い角A surprise opening, here with a Fourth File Rook · MinoBlack trades bishops on move two, drops the bishop on 4e and wins the 3d pawn, while White keeps a bishop in hand all game. One of the oldest openings in shogi, played among professionals almost only by Takeichi Saburō. Here with a Fourth File Rook and a Mino.Bishop Head Pawn 角頭歩戦法Ranging rook, a surprise opening · none (the king stays on 5i)Black pushes the pawn in front of its own bishop; when White pushes the rook pawn, the bishops come off and the knight jumps to 7g, shutting the eighth file. Then a Fourth File Rook with a bishop in hand. Yonenaga Kunio’s surprise from the 1960s.White’s Bishop Head Pawn 後手角頭歩Ranging rook, a surprise opening by White · none (by move sixteen the game is an endgame)White’s version is a different trap: the pawn in front of White’s bishop invites Black’s rook pawn exchange, then the bishops come off, the knight jumps to 3c and White offers its rook on 2b. Black’s best try still ends with no pawn in hand. Drawn here from White’s side.Pac-Man ４四歩パックマンRanging rook, a surprise opening by White · none (the line ends before either king castles)A White trap on move two: the pawn on 4d is free for Black’s bishop, the rook swings at the bishop that took it, and a bishop dropped on 9e gives check. The line plays the refutation too: block with the rook Black has just won, then move the king. Drawn here from White’s side.Tonari 都成流Ranging rook, a surprise opening by White · none (the king stays on 5a)White lets Black exchange rook pawns and answers with the gold to 3a, then the bishop to 4d, the silver to 3c, a pawn dropped on 2f and the rook to 2b. Tonari Ryūma’s trap from his apprentice days: no defence makes it good for Black, but correct play gives a normal game. Drawn here from White’s side.Ninth File Rook 九間飛車Ranging rook, a surprise opening · none yet (the king has not moved)The rook goes all the way to the edge, behind the lance on 9g and the edge pawn on 9f. A 2024 idea from a study video on Nakamura Taichi’s YouTube channel that Shogi Wars made a collection item; the six moves are a blog’s recipe for that item, not a teaching line.
Static rook: the rook stays home
Fifty-six openings, and they share much less. The rook keeps its own file and the king castles on the left, but where the attack comes from is the whole question. The first group is played against another static rook.
The Yagura comes first, with the lines that grow out of it: for Black the Silver-37, the Waki and Morishita Systems and Spearing the Sparrow, and Crab Silvers and the Static Bishop Left Mino Rapid Attack, which attack a Yagura without building one; for White the Yonenaga, Nakahara and Akutsu Rapid Attack Yagura and the Yagura Central Rook.
Then the Climbing Silver; the Bishop Exchange with its Reclining Silver, the Kimura Joseki that grows out of it, and its Rushing Silver and Tempo Loss forms; the Right King, which castles on the rook’s side; the Double Wing with Nakahara’s Rushing Silver, the UFO Silver, the Tsukada Special and the Twisting Rook, which ends as an Ishida; and the Side Pawn Capture with its lines, White’s Bishop-33 and Chūza’s Rook, Black’s Aono and Yūki answers to them, and White’s Knight-33, Bishop*45, Double Side Pawn Capture and Pawn*23.
Most of these only happen if both players go along with them, and the games turn sharp early.
The second group answers a ranging rook: the Static Rook Anaguma, the Iijima Bishop Pullback and the Subway Rook for a slow game, and the King’s Head and Center Vanguard Pawns, which take space in front of the castle; then the rapid attacks from a Boat castle (the Left Silver-46, the Yamada and Saginomiya Joseki, the Pawn-45 Early Fight, the Right Silver-46, the Ponpon Knight and the Bird Catcher), the Left Mino Rapid Attack, which plays the same attack from a stronger castle, and the Right Fourth File Rook in its rapid-attack and Left Mino forms; White’s Sleeve Rook and Climbing Gold against the Ishida; and the Super High Speed Silver against the Cheerful Central Rook.
The surprises come last: the Ureshino and the Murata System, which keep the bishop’s diagonal closed, the Kamaitachi in its 19-move line and against a Fourth File Rook, White’s No Guard, and the First File Rook.
Yagura 矢倉Static rook · YaguraBoth rooks at home, both kings on the left in Yagura castles, and a slow race to attack the other fortress. The main line of professional shogi for most of a century, with a move-order theory deeper than any other opening. For amateurs the plan is the right silver to 3g and 4f with the knight behind it, or the Climbing Silver.Yagura Silver-37 矢倉３七銀Static rook, the Yagura · YaguraBlack’s attacking system in the Double Yagura: the right silver up to 3g at move 25, before the king castles. Against White’s bishop on 6d, Black castles first, builds the silver on 4f and the knight on 3g, then breaks with the pawn to 3e, the knight to 2e and an attack on the edge.Waki System 脇システムStatic rook, the Yagura · YaguraBlack meets White’s bishop on 6d with a bishop of its own on 4f. Both sides castle into near-mirror Yaguras with the bishops still facing, since whoever trades spends a move; then Black trades, sends the silver up to 2f and attacks the edge. Named after Waki Kenji, who studied it in depth.Morishita System 森下システムStatic rook, the Yagura · YaguraAfter the 24-move Yagura, Black moves the bishop to 6h and castles before choosing an attack, keeping the right silver at home. Here the knight goes to 3g and the rook to the 3rd file and then the edge; Black wins the edge pawn and breaks in the centre. Morishita Taku calls it a way of thinking rather than a strategy.Spearing the Sparrow 雀刺しStatic rook, the Yagura · YaguraRook, lance, edge pawn and bishop massed on the 1st file against a White king castled on 2b, right by the edge; then the knight jumps to 2e and is given up on 1c. ja.wikipedia says the bishop aimed at 1c, like a spear held at a sparrow, gives the name.Crab Silvers カニカニ銀Static rook, a rapid attack on the Yagura · none (the king and golds never move)Kodama Kōichi’s rapid attack against a Yagura: the king and golds never move, the two silvers stand on 6f and 4f like a crab’s claws, the rook comes to 5h with the bishop on 9g and the knight on 7g, and Black breaks through the centre. It won the Masuda Kōzō Award, announced in 2003.Yonenaga Rapid Attack Yagura 米長流急戦矢倉Static rook, played by White · Crab, on White’s sideWhite’s rapid attack on a Yagura still being built: a Crab castle, the bishop’s diagonal left open, the pawn to 6d and the knight to 7c, then the break on the 6th file. Yonenaga Kunio won the Jūdan title with it in the mid-1980s. Drawn here from White’s side.Nakahara Rapid Attack Yagura 中原流急戦矢倉Static rook, played by White · no castle (one gold beside the king)White trades the 5th-file pawn with the bishop and takes it home to 2b, brings both silvers to 5d and 4d and the gold up to 6c, and presses Black from the centre with one gold by the king. Nakahara Makoto’s favourite; the line here is a 2016 title-match game. Drawn here from White’s side.Akutsu Rapid Attack Yagura 阿久津流急戦矢倉Static rook, played by White · no castle (the king stays thin)White keeps the bishop’s diagonal open, trades the 5th-file pawn with it, pulls it back to 7c and brings the silver to 6d, aiming at the pawn to 6e. Watanabe Akira played it in the last two games of the 2008 Ryūō title match and won both. Drawn here from White’s side.Yagura Central Rook 矢倉中飛車Static rook, played by White · no castle (the king stays thin)White swings the rook to 5b inside a Double Yagura, trades the 5th-file pawn, pulls the rook back to 5a and attacks with the silver on 5d and the knight on 7c. ja.wikipedia calls it the main White rapid attack of the late 1980s. Not the ranging rook named after Yagura Norihiro. Drawn here from White’s side.Static Bishop Left Mino Rapid Attack 居角左美濃急戦Static rook, a rapid attack on the Yagura · Left Mino, with the king on 7iAgainst a Yagura, Black leaves the bishop at home, castles in a Left Mino with the king on 7i and attacks from the 4th file, giving the rook for a silver: the Left Mino stands up to a rook dropped from the side. Better known as White’s weapon; this is Black’s version, the one with a full source.Climbing Silver 棒銀Static rook · Yagura or a boat castleThe right silver marches straight up behind the rook’s pawn: 3h, 2g, 2f. Rook, pawn and silver then press on 2d, where the bishop is the only defender. The first attacking plan every beginner learns, and it works in any static rook opening; against a ranging rook the same right silver climbs on a diagonal instead, 4h, 5g, 4f and on toward 3e.Bishop Exchange 角換わりStatic rook · the 兜矢倉 (Helmet) or 片矢倉 (Half) YaguraThe bishops come off early, each side taking the other’s and recapturing with a silver. Both players then hold a bishop in hand for the whole opening, and every square a bishop could be dropped on has to be watched. The classic continuation puts the right silver on 5f (the Reclining Silver) and the knight on 3g; the theory is deep and changes every year. Not a beginner’s opening, but the one most professionals play when they want a fight.Reclining Silver 腰掛け銀Static rook · no finished castle; the king stops on 7iThe Bishop Exchange’s most symmetrical child: both right silvers come to the fifth file, 5f and 5d, both kings walk to mirror squares, and the camps end as mirror images. Black attacks, White defends, and the fight starts with a pawn pushed to be taken.Kimura Joseki 木村定跡Static rook, the Bishop Exchange · no named castle (each king beside a gold and a silver)Kimura Yoshio’s line of the symmetric Reclining Silver, from move one to the position where White resigns: both kings go into the corner, and Black breaks through with pawn sacrifices on five files and a rook given up at the end. It only arises because White moves the king to 2b, which ja.wikipedia calls the losing move.Rushing Silver 早繰り銀Static rook, in the Bishop Exchange · none (the king stays on 5i)The right silver rushes 3h, 3g, 4f in the Bishop Exchange and breaks with the pawn to 3e, to trade itself for a White silver. One of the three Bishop Exchange attacks, with the Climbing Silver and the Reclining Silver.Tempo Loss Bishop Exchange 一手損角換わりStatic rook, played by White · the Helmet Yagura, on both sidesWhite trades bishops on 8h before Black’s bishop has moved: a move lost, and in return the rook’s pawn can stay on 8d, so 8e stays free for the knight. Both sides build the Helmet Yagura; drawn here from White’s side.Right King 右玉Static rook · none (the formation is the castle)The king stays on the rook’s side, on 4h, with the rook dropped to 2i and the generals spread across the board instead of piled into a corner. Thin but balanced, a formation for waiting and countering; specialists call it mainly White’s, because many lines end in a repetition draw.Double Wing Attack 相掛かりStatic rook · no castle, the kings stay near the centreBoth players run the rook’s pawn up the board and exchange it, both rooks come out early, and the game turns open and tactical before either king has moved. The kings often stay near the centre in a loose formation rather than a castle. A fast, honest opening with little to memorise and a great deal to calculate; chess players tend to like it.Nakahara’s Rushing Silver 中原流早繰り銀Static rook, in the Double Wing · Central HouseNakahara Makoto’s Rushing Silver in the Double Wing Attack: the rook floats on 2f, the king steps to 5h, and the pawn goes to 3e before the silver comes to 4f.UFO Silver UFO銀Static rook, the Double Wing · StrawberryA Climbing Silver in the Double Wing that goes 3h, 2g, 3f instead of straight up, threatening to jump to 2e. Once White has defended with the bishop on 3c and the silver on 2b, Black stops and castles in the Strawberry. It appeared in three games of the 2008 Meijin match.Tsukada Special 塚田スペシャルStatic rook, the Double Wing · none (both kings stay home)Tsukada Yasuaki’s 1986 race from the floating-rook Double Wing: the pawn dropped back on 2d as soon as White pushes to 6d, the rook along its rank to take that pawn, and an attack on the edge. It won him 22 official games in a row before Tanigawa Kōji found the answers.Twisting Rook ひねり飛車Static rook, the Double Wing · Bald MinoA Double Wing that turns into an Ishida: the floating rook goes to 3f to pull White’s gold up to 3c, then crosses to 7f, and the king castles in a Mino with no pawn on its head. Once called a winning method for Black, until White learned to castle firmly first.Side Pawn Capture 横歩取りStatic rook · no castle, on either sideAfter the rook pawns are exchanged, black’s rook takes the pawn beside it on 3d, and white gets a free tempo in return. Both sides have a rook out in the open on move seven; the positions are the sharpest in shogi, with whole systems named after single moves. Professionals love it; beginners should watch a few before trying one.Side Pawn Bishop-33 横歩取り△３三角Static rook, played by White · Central House, on both sidesWhite’s usual answer to the Side Pawn Capture: the bishop to 3c stops the bishop trade, the rook comes back to 8d, and both kings settle in a Central House. en.wikipedia calls it the most common Side Pawn variation. Drawn here from White’s side.Chūza’s Rook 中座飛車Static rook, played by White · Nakahara, on White’s sideChūza Makoto’s idea from 1997: the silver to 2b first, then the rook back only to 8e, from where it guards its whole rank, with the Nakahara castle. The Side Pawn Capture page’s line ends on this rook move. Drawn here from White’s side.Aono Side Pawn 青野流Static rook, the Side Pawn Capture · none yet (the king stands on the Central House square)Black’s answer to the bishop on 3c: leave the rook on 3d, step the king up to 5h and bring the right knight out through 3g. It won Aono Teruichi the Masuda Award, announced in 2018, and ja.wikipedia says that by 2020 professionals had almost stopped playing the Side Pawn Capture as White.Yūki Side Pawn 勇気流Static rook, the Side Pawn Capture · none (the king stands on 6h to guard the gold)The Aono idea with the king on 6h instead, beside the gold it guards, so that the right knight comes out at once even after White takes the side pawn back. Sasaki Yūki’s line won the Masuda Award, announced in 2018, alongside Aono’s.Side Pawn Knight-33 横歩取り△３三桂Static rook, played by White · none (White’s king steps to 6b)White blocks the bishop trade with the knight on 3c and keeps the bishop for later. Kitamura Masao’s line, made popular in 1990 by Yashiki Nobuyuki; it declined after Black found the king to 5h and an attack on the edge. Drawn here from White’s side.Side Pawn Bishop*45 横歩取り△４五角Static rook, played by White · none (both kings stay home)White trades bishops, throws a pawn in on 2h and drops the bishop on 4e, aiming to break in on 8h. Tanigawa Kōji twice won in 36 moves with it, but exact defence leaves Black better, and the line here plays that defence. Drawn here from White’s side.Double Side Pawn Capture 相横歩取りStatic rook, played by White · none (both kings stay home)White refuses to play a pawn down: bishops off, and White’s rook takes Black’s side pawn too. Rooks and bishops come off and are dropped again in a race that can end inside fifty moves; Black is thought better with exact play. Drawn here from White’s side.Side Pawn Pawn*23 横歩取り△２三歩Static rook, played by White · none (both kings stay home)The old way to meet the Side Pawn Capture: a pawn dropped on 2c at the rook, then a bishop dropped on 2e. Black gives the rook for a gold, and after Mori Keiji’s pawn to 1f the bishop has nowhere safe to go. Drawn here from White’s side.Static Rook Anaguma 居飛車穴熊Static rook · Static Rook AnagumaThe static rook player’s answer to a ranging rook: build the most solid castle in the game in the left corner, then attack without fear. King to 9i behind the lance, silver sealing the door on 8h, two golds beside it. Ten moves is a great deal to spend, and the whole plan is a bet that a ranging rook player will wait rather than punish it. Once it stands, every exchange favours the safer king.Iijima Bishop Pullback 飯島流引き角Static rook, against a ranging rook · Left Mino, the low formA static rook answer to a ranging rook that never opens the bishop’s diagonal: the bishop steps back to 7i, comes out on 5g, and the king goes into a low Left Mino the Fujii System cannot aim at. Mostly played by White; this is Iijima Eiji’s own form for Black.Subway Rook 地下鉄飛車Static rook, against a ranging rook · PaperweightAgainst a ranging rook Anaguma, Black castles in the Paperweight, clears the bottom rank, lifts the edge lance and runs the rook from 2i to 9i, behind it, to attack the Anaguma’s edge. ja.wikipedia says the plan takes many moves and is not often played.King’s Head Vanguard Pawn 玉頭位取りStatic rook, against a ranging rook · High Silver YaguraBlack builds the Boat, pushes the pawn in front of the king to 7e, holds it with the silver on 7f and castles behind it into the High Silver Yagura. ja.wikipedia says it was a main answer to ranging rooks, above all in the 1970s, until the Static Rook Anaguma took over.Center Vanguard Pawn ５筋位取りStatic rook, against a ranging rook · BoatAgainst a Fourth File Rook that leaves its centre pawn at home, Black takes 5e with a pawn, holds it with a silver on 5f and builds a thick centre behind it, two silvers and two golds on the 6th and 5th files. Its slow form was a standard answer to ranging rooks in the late Shōwa era.Left Silver-46 ４六銀左戦法Static rook, a rapid attack on a ranging rook · BoatA Boat castle rapid attack against a Fourth File Rook: when White’s silver comes to 4c, the left silver goes 6h, 5g, 4f and the third-file pawn breaks at the bishop. Also called the diagonal Climbing Silver.Yamada Joseki 山田定跡Static rook, a rapid attack on a ranging rook · BoatYamada Michiyoshi’s joseki from 1957, for a White silver still on 3b: the third-file pawn goes first, then the left silver to 4f and 3e, and Black trades bishops before White can.Saginomiya Joseki 鷺宮定跡Static rook, a rapid attack on a ranging rook · BoatAono Teruichi’s joseki, made famous by Yonenaga Kunio: the 6i gold steps up to 6h, the rook swings to 3h before the attack, and after the bishop trade a silver and a dropped pawn sit on 3e and 3d.Pawn-45 Early Fight ４五歩早仕掛けStatic rook, a rapid attack on a ranging rook · BoatThe other answer to White’s silver on 4c: the fourth-file pawn goes to 4e instead of the silver, the knight comes to 3g, and Black forces the bishops off while White’s Mino is still a move short.Right Silver-46 Rapid Attack ４六銀右戦法Static rook, a rapid attack on a ranging rook · BoatThe Boat rapid attack with the right silver: it climbs 4h, 5g, 4f against White’s silver on 4c while the left silver stays at home on 7i, two moves faster than the Left Silver-46 and with the king better covered. Tsukada Yasuaki made it his own from 1984.Ponpon Knight ポンポン桂Static rook, a rapid attack on a ranging rook · BoatThe right knight jumps twice, to 3g and then to 4e, the head of White’s pawn on 4d: if White takes, the bishops come off and Black breaks through on the 2nd file a knight down. Also called the Tomizawa Kick. It works only against White’s silver on 4c with the pawn on 6d played.Bird Catcher 鳥刺しStatic rook, a rapid attack on a ranging rook · Boat, with the bishop on 7iAgainst a ranging rook, Black never opens the bishop’s diagonal: the bishop drops back to 7i and backs the left silver as it climbs to 4f, like a bird-catcher holding out his pole. One source says Ureshino players who meet a ranging rook arrive here.Left Mino Rapid Attack 左美濃急戦Static rook, a rapid attack on a ranging rook · Tenshukaku MinoBlack castles in the Tenshukaku Mino, a Mino on the left as good as White’s, then plays the Boat’s right-silver rapid attack from it: the silver to 4f, the pawn to 3e, the rook to 3h and a bishop trade. ja.wikipedia says the same moves come out better for Black from the stronger castle.Right Fourth File Rook Rapid Attack 右四間飛車急戦Static rook, a rapid attack on a ranging rook · BoatThe Right Fourth File Rook as a rapid attack on a Fourth File Rook: silver 5f, rook 4h, the king in a Boat, and the knight jumping to 2e so that silver and rook break in on the fourth file. ja.wikipedia traces the line to a book of 1804.Right Fourth File Rook 右四間飛車Static rook · Left MinoA static rook player’s hammer, and the name misleads: this is the fourth file counting from the RIGHT, so the rook never leaves its own half. Rook to 4h, silver to 5f, knight to 3g and bishop to 7g, with the pawn on 4f ready to break. It beats a Fourth File Rook player who is slow and a Yagura player who has not guarded 4e, and it loses to anyone who has read about it. Wonderful for learning what an attack with four pieces on one square feels like.Sleeve Rook 袖飛車Static rook, played by White · Boat, on White’s sideWhite’s answer to Black’s Ishida: a Boat with the king on 3b, the rook one file over to 7b with a silver beside it, and the break on the 7th file before the Ishida’s pieces are ready. Either side can play a Sleeve Rook; this line is White’s because its one full source is. Drawn here from White’s side.Climbing Gold 棒金Static rook, played by White · no named castle (one gold and one silver by the king)Against Black’s Ishida, White sends the gold from 6a up to 7b and 8c, trades off the 7th-file pawns and holds the floating rook down with the gold, then attacks the edge. A gold suits the job because it can step sideways. Drawn here from White’s side.Super High Speed Silver 超速▲３七銀Static rook, against the Cheerful Central Rook · Boat, with the silver on 6hOne of Black’s main answers to the Cheerful Central Rook: the king stays on 6h, the right silver rushes 4h, 3g, 4f at the pawn on 5e, and here the left silver joins it on 6f. Hoshino Yoshitaka devised it as an apprentice and won the 2011 Masuda Kōzō Award.Ureshino 嬉野流Static rook, often filed as a surprise opening · no castle (the king steps once, to 6i)The silver moves first, the bishop drops back to 7i, and the left silver climbs diagonally at the opponent’s corner while the king barely castles. Made by an amateur, now played by professionals, and reworked in 2021 (新嬉野流) to meet the known △4四角 counter.Murata System 村田システムStatic rook, with the bishop’s diagonal kept closed · none yet (in the source’s lines the king steps to 6i)Murata Akihiro’s system keeps the bishop’s diagonal closed, so that White cannot steer into a Bishop Exchange or a Side Pawn game: silvers on 6h and 4h, the gold on 7h, the centre pawn to 5f, and the rest decided once White has shown a plan. It won a special Masuda Award, announced in 2024.Kamaitachi かまいたち戦法Static rook, a surprise opening · none (the king never moves)Suzuki Eishun’s amateur trap: the right silver to 5g, the rook pawn never pushed, and 8g left without a guard. If White exchanges rook pawns, a bishop dropped on 7g hits the rook and the silver, and the famous 19-move line ends with Black winning. Few still fall for it.Kamaitachi against Fourth File Rook かまいたち戦法（対四間飛車）Static rook, a surprise opening · none (the king on 7h with golds on 6h and 6i, a shape no source names)The Kamaitachi against a Fourth File Rook: the pawn to 5e, the right silver all the way to 6e before White can push to 6d, the rook floating on 5f, and the left silver behind it on 6f. Shogi Wars calls the Ishida its natural enemy.No Guard ノーガード戦法Static rook, a surprise opening by White · none (neither king moves)White’s trap in a Side Pawn opening: no gold to 3b, the rook pawns exchanged at once, and if Black exchanges back, a bishop dropped on 3c at the rook and the silver. With best play the material ends about even; the answer is a pawn dropped on 8g. Drawn here from White’s side.First File Rook 一間飛車Static rook, a surprise opening · Anaguma, usuallyA surprise opening: the edge pawn pushed twice, the rook behind it on 1h and then up on 1f, usually followed by an Anaguma in the same corner. The rook can later swing across into an Ishida. By the usual counting it stands on the ninth file, a joke several sources make.
Which to learn first
If you like to wait for the other side to commit, the Fourth File Rook: it is a system, the same moves every game, and the Mino castle comes free with it. If you like to attack, the Climbing Silver: it is the plainest attack in the game and it teaches how three pieces on one square break a position. Play one of the two for fifty games before you look at the others. The bot’s search levels play the Fourth File Rook and the Yagura from their book, and the Mino levels play what people play, so you will see both across the table.
Try one tonight.
The bot’s search levels play the Fourth File Rook and the Yagura from a book and the Mino levels play what people play; the review afterwards shows you the move where you left the line.