Openings · 向かい飛車
Opposing Rook.
Move the bishop aside and put the rook on the same file as the opponent’s, with only pawns in between.
The idea
The rook swings all the way across to the eighth file, where it faces the opponent’s rook down a corridor with only two pawns in it. The bishop has to leave 8h before the rook can have the square, which is why it steps up to 7g first, and the silver is better placed before the swing than after it: if the bishops come off, the shape you want is already there. The plan is to push the pawn to 8f and exchange on the file the opponent’s own rook wants to use, so the initiative ends up on their half of the board. It is also the standard punishment for a static rook player who has pushed 8e too early, because that advanced pawn becomes something they have to defend.
How it goes together
Only Black’s moves are shown. This is a build order rather than a game: the opponent is left standing still, because a reply on every move would hide the shape instead of explaining it. Every move was still played through the engine, so the position is one the rules allow.
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 | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ▲７六歩 7g7f | Open the diagonal. |
| 2 | ▲６六歩 6g6f | Room for the silver. |
| 3 | ▲７八銀 7i7h | The silver first. If the bishops come off, this is the shape you want to already have. |
| 4 | ▲７七角 8h7g | The bishop steps up and vacates 8h. |
| 5 | ▲６七銀 7h6g | And the silver takes its square. |
| 6 | ▲８八飛 2h8h | The rook swings all the way over, facing the opponent’s rook with only pawns between them. |
| 7 | ▲４八玉 5i4h | Now the king, the other way. |
| 8 | ▲３八玉 4h3h | Two. |
| 9 | ▲２八玉 3h2h | Home. |
| 10 | ▲３八銀 3i3h | The castle’s silver. |
| 11 | ▲５八金左 6i5h | The gold, and the Mino is finished. |
The plan once you are set up
- The break is 8f. Push it when the exchange leaves your rook facing theirs on an open file, and the initiative is on their side of the board.
- Keep the silver on 6g and the bishop on 7g working together. They are what makes the eighth file safe to open.
- If they avoid the exchange, the rook has still cost them a defender: play the slow game, finish the castle, and improve with 1f.
- A bishop trade is usually fine here and often good, because with the rook on 8h the file is yours once the smoke clears.
What to watch for
- The 8h square before the bishop has left it. The rook cannot swing onto its own bishop, and playing these moves in the wrong order loses time for nothing.
- Their rook, on the file yours is on. Anything that opens the file opens it for both of you, so count the exchange before you start it.
- A static rook that never pushes 8e. Then there is no advanced pawn to attack, and the opening turns into a normal slow ranging rook game.
What it is played against
Most often another ranging rook, where both sides fight on the left, and as a surprise against a static rook that has already committed its rook pawn to 8e.
Play it against the bot.
The app’s bot plays real openings from a book, and the review afterwards tells you the move you left it. Try the line, then try the plan.