Static Rook Anaguma.

Static rook · castles into Anaguma · 居飛車穴熊 ibisha anaguma

The idea

Against a ranging rook, the static rook player has a slow but powerful answer: build the most solid castle in the game in the left corner and then attack without fear. The king goes to 9i behind the lance, the silver seals the door on 8h, and two golds stand on 7i and 6h. It takes a long time, and while you build it the opponent is building too, so the whole plan turns on the ranging rook player’s habit of waiting: they usually let you finish. Once finished, a king that cannot be checked lets you trade pieces freely, and a series of trades against a Mino tends to end with the Mino broken and the Anaguma still standing.

How it goes together

Every move of the line, with reasons

#	Black	White	Why
1	▲７六歩 7g7f	△３四歩 3c3d
3	▲２六歩 2g2f	△４四歩 4c4d	The rook stays home; its pawn advances.
5	▲４八銀 3i4h	△４二飛 8b4b
7	▲６八玉 5i6h	△６二玉 5a6b	The long walk begins.
9	▲７八玉 6h7h	△７二玉 6b7b
11	▲５六歩 5g5f	△８二玉 7b8b
13	▲５七銀 4h5g	△７二銀 7a7b
15	▲７七角 8h7g	△３二銀 3a3b	The bishop out of the way, on the diagonal that watches the centre.
17	▲８八玉 7h8h	△４三銀 3b4c
19	▲９八香 9i9h	△５四歩 5c5d	The lance steps up. The hole is dug.
21	▲９九玉 8h9i	△５二金左 4a5b	And the king goes in.
23	▲８八銀 7i8h	△１四歩 1c1d	The silver seals the door.
25	▲７九金 6i7i	△６四歩 6c6d	First gold.
27	▲６六歩 6g6f	△３三角 2b3c
29	▲５八金 4i5h	△１五歩 1d1e
31	▲６八金右 5h6h		Second gold. The Anaguma is complete: king 9i, lance 9h, silver 8h, golds 7i and 6h.

The plan once you are set up

• Order matters: bishop out to 7g, king to 8h, lance up, king in, silver 8h, then the golds. The castle is weak until the silver closes the door.
• Then attack the ranging rook’s side with the rook, the bishop and the 5g silver, and trade whenever you can. Every exchange favours the safer king.
• Keep a pawn or two in hand for defence: the Anaguma’s one worry is a pawn dropped on 9g or a knight landing on 8f.
• Do not hurry. The whole opening is a bet that the opponent waits; if they do, you win the slow game.

What to watch for

• An opponent who attacks before the door is shut. Against an early 4e push or a rapid attack on the left, stop castling and defend first.
• The edge. Once the king is on 9i, a pawn on the 9th file and a lance behind it are the classic way in.
• Your own attack fading out. With the king safe it is tempting to shuffle; keep making threats, or the ranging rook player gets the same slow game you wanted.

What it is played against

A ranging rook, above all the Fourth File Rook. Against another static rook the king should go to a Yagura instead.