Openings · 三間飛車
Third File Rook.
Swing the rook one file further left than usual, so it stands directly behind the pawn it is going to push, and castle right into a Mino.
The idea
The Fourth File Rook’s quieter neighbour, and the difference is one file. The rook goes to the third file counting from the left, which puts it directly behind its own pawn, so pushing that pawn to 7e is an attack rather than a formality — and if you keep pushing you are in the Ishida, which is why the two are usually learned together. The move that looks spare is not: once the rook has left its home square the head of the bishop is the weakest point in the position, and 7g is what covers it. The silver then takes the long way round by 6h, because the square it would normally use belongs to the rook.
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 bishop’s diagonal, and give the rook a pawn to stand behind. |
| 2 | ▲６六歩 6g6f | Close it again, and make room for the silver. |
| 3 | ▲７八飛 2h7h | The rook swings to the third file from the left, directly behind its own pawn. |
| 4 | ▲７七角 8h7g | Not a spare move. With the rook off 2h the bishop’s head is the weak point, and this covers it. |
| 5 | ▲４八玉 5i4h | Now the king, the other way. |
| 6 | ▲３八玉 4h3h | Two steps. |
| 7 | ▲６八銀 7i6h | The silver goes round by 6h: 7h is the rook’s square now. |
| 8 | ▲２八玉 3h2h | Home. |
| 9 | ▲３八銀 3i3h | The castle’s silver. |
| 10 | ▲５八金左 6i5h | The gold steps up and the Mino is finished: king 2h, silver 3h, gold 5h, with the 4i gold never moving. |
The plan once you are set up
- Push the pawn to 7e once the castle is finished. That is the whole reason the rook stands where it does, and it is the move that turns this into a real attack.
- If the pawn exchange comes off, lift the rook to 7f in front of it. That is the Ishida shape, and the knight on 7g and the bishop on 9g are the follow-up.
- Against a static rook attacking down the eighth file, the bishop on 7g is the defender. Keep it there and keep 6f closed until you want the trade.
- The Mino comes first. Silver 3h and gold 5h before any pawn goes forward, because a ranging rook attack that fails leaves the king to answer on its own.
What to watch for
- The bishop’s head. It is why 7g is played early, and moving the bishop somewhere else without a plan for 8f is the usual way to lose quickly.
- A quick push in the centre while you are still walking the king. Stop castling and answer it.
- An Anaguma. Waiting stops working against a king in the corner, so push 7e and make something happen before the door shuts.
What it is played against
Either family. Most often a static rook, where the 7e push and the eighth file both matter; it is also one of the best answers to another ranging rook, because the rook is already on the side that game is fought on.
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.