Openings · 鬼殺し向かい飛車
Demon Killer Opposing Rook.
Swing the rook to 2b with the bishop’s diagonal still open; if Black trades bishops and drops one on 6e, jump the knight to 4e and drop your bishop back on 3c.
The idea
This line is White’s, Shima Akira’s Opposing Rook from the first pages of his book 『島ノート』. You play the bishop to 3c and the rook to 2b without closing the diagonal, so Black can trade bishops.
After the knight takes back on 3c the position looks loose, and a player who drops the bishop on 6e, aiming at 4c to make a horse, runs into the counterattack: the knight jumps to 4e at once, hitting 3g and 5g, and when Black covers both with the silver, you drop your own bishop back on 3c. shogi-rule.com, the source of the line, calls that one ideal form for White.
If Black does not trade, the game is an ordinary Opposing Rook in which Black has to close the diagonal. ja.wikipedia calls it the only opening in the Demon Killer family that is not worse for its player against correct moves. Moriuchi Toshiyuki used a similar setup as White against Habu Yoshiharu in the 2004 Meijin match and won.
How it goes together
Both sides’ moves are shown, because this opening is an agreement rather than a system: one player cannot reach it alone, so a one-sided list of moves would be a fiction.
Step through the moves, or press play.
Tap a move to jump to it. Arrow keys work once the board has focus.
Every move of the line, with reasons
| # | Black | White | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ▲２六歩 2g2f | △３四歩 3c3d | Black pushes the rook pawn: a static rook. You open the bishop’s diagonal. |
| 3 | ▲２五歩 2f2e | △３三角 2b3c | Black pushes on to 2e. The bishop to 3c, guarding 2d. |
| 5 | ▲７六歩 7g7f | △２二飛 8b2b | Black opens its own diagonal. The rook swings to 2b with the diagonal still open: the Opposing Rook. |
| 7 | ▲３三角成 8h3c+ | △同桂 2a3c | Black trades bishops now, before your left silver has come up. ja.wikipedia says this is the moment for it. The knight takes back. |
| 9 | ▲６五角 B*6e | △４五桂 3c4e | The bait taken: a bishop dropped on 6e, aimed at 4c for a horse. The knight jumps to 4e at once, hitting 3g and 5g. |
| 11 | ▲４八銀 3i4h | △３三角 B*3c | Black covers both squares with the silver to 4h. You drop your bishop back on 3c. shogi-rule.com calls this one ideal form for White. |
The plan once you are set up
- Open the bishop with the pawn to 3d, play the bishop to 3c and swing the rook to 2b, leaving the fourth-file pawn at home.
- If Black trades on 3c, take back with the knight.
- Against the bishop dropped on 6e, jump the knight to 4e at once.
- When Black covers with the silver to 4h, drop your bishop on 3c.
- If Black does not take the bait, carry on as an ordinary Opposing Rook.
What to watch for
- When Black trades. If the trade comes after your left silver has come up, you take back with the silver instead and get a better version of the Direct Opposing Rook, ja.wikipedia says.
- The trap needs Black’s bishop drop. Most opponents will not play it, and the opening still works as an Opposing Rook.
- For the player facing it: trade on move seven, then push the edge pawn to 9f rather than dropping the bishop.
What it is played against
ja.wikipedia’s advice to the static rook player is to trade bishops on move seven and, after the knight recaptures, push the edge pawn on the king’s side, to 9f, rather than drop the bishop.
Shogi Wars gives the other half: do not drop the bishop just because a horse looks possible.
Play it against the bot.
The bot’s search levels, 9 to 12, open from a book that holds two of these openings, the Fourth File Rook and the Yagura; the Mino levels play the openings people play. Either way the review afterwards shows you where the game left the line. Try the line, then try the plan.