Rahul Sharma (Editor)

Static Rook

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Static Rook (居飛車 ibisha) openings in shogi typically have the player's rook at its start position, which is the second file (2h) for Black and the eighth file (8b) for White.

Contents

Explanation

Static Rook openings also include openings in which the rook has moved one or two squares to the player's left but still remains on the right side of the board.

Relation to castles

Most Static Rook openings coincide with a castle development on the player's left side of board. In the adjacent diagram is an example of a castle built on the left side of the board paired with a Static Rook position. The castle is a Left Silver Crown Anaguma (with advanced edge pawn).

Climbing Silver

The Climbing Silver (棒銀 bōgin) attack involves advancing a silver upward along with an advanced or dropped pawn supported by the rook aiming to break through the opponent's camp on their bishop's side.

In the board diagram here, the Black's silver has successfully climbed to the e rank on the first file (1e).

A subsequent attack by Black, for example, could aim to sacrifice this silver in order to remove White's lance and then drop a Dangling Pawn within White's camp that threatens to promote.

Climbing Silver formations may be used with several different Static Rook openings such as Yagura, Double Wing, and Bishop Exchange.

Primitive Climbing Silver (原始棒銀 genshi bōgin) is a variant of Climbing Silver that attempts to use only a silver, rook, and pawn to attack. It is called primitive since such a simple strategy will not be successful if defended against properly.

Reclining Silver

Reclining Silver (腰掛け銀 koshikake gin) is a formation in which a player's right silver has advanced to the front of their camp on the middle 5th file and has an advanced pawn on the silver's right and pawn directly under the silver. The reclining name is meant to describe the way this silver rests on these two pawns as if it were seated on them.

In the board diagram, both Black and White have created Reclining Silver positions. Black has their silver on 5f (with pawns on 4f and 5g) while White has their silver on 5d (pawns on 5c, 6d).

Reclining Silver can often played as a component of different Static Rook openings such as Double Wing or Bishop Exchange. (However, it can also be played in Double Ranging Rook games.)

Yagura

Yagura (矢倉) or Fortress is a Static Rook opening as well as the name of a castle associated with the opening.

When both players use a Yagura opening, it is known as a Double Yagura (相矢倉 ai-yagura).

The board diagram here shows the standardized first 24 moves of a typical Double Yagura opening where both players aim to build Yagura castles. Here the Yagura castles are not yet complete. At this point, the Double Yagura opening branches off into numerous strategies.

Side Pawn Capture

Side Pawn Capture is a Double Static Rook opening.

The side pawns referred to are the pawns that are advanced in order to open both players' bishop diagonal (on 4d for White and 7f for Black).

In this opening, this pawn is captured by an opponent's rook in a gambit move.

Bishop Exchange

Bishop Exchange (角換わり kakugawari) is a Double Static Rook opening in which each player's bishop is captured so that they keep their bishops in hand.

Double Wing Attack

Double Wing Attack (相掛かり aigakari) is a Double Static Rook opening where both sides play Static Rook with the first several moves on each side being identical or very similar. Both sides advance their bishop pawns to the e rank. Then, golds are moved to defend each bishop's head. Afterwards, pawns on both rook files exchange. Then, the joseki branches off into several different josekis and strategies.

Tsukada Special

Tsukada Special (塚田スペシャル tsukada supesharu) is a Floating Rook variant of the Double Wing Attack opening developed by professional Yasuaki Tsukada.

Static Bishop Left Mino

Static Bishop Left Mino (居角左美濃 ikaku hidari minō) is a Static Rook strategy used in Double Static Rook games by White when Black attempts a Yagura strategy.

Left Silver-5g Rapid Attack

Left Silver-5g Rapid Attack (5七銀左急戦 go-nana gin hidari kyūsen) is a fast attacking formation used with several different Static Rook openings by Black against White's Ranging Rook positions. Black's attacking formation is usually combined with a Boat castle (at least initially).

Super High Speed Silver-3g

Super High Speed Silver-3g (超速3七銀 chōsoku san-nana gin) is a rapid attacking formation used with a Static Rook position by Black often against White's Cheerful Central Rook.

Iijima Bishop Pullback

Iijima Bishop Pullback (飯島流引き角 Iijima-ryuu hiki kaku) is a Static Rook opening used against a Ranging Rook opponent.

It is characterized by not opening the bishop's diagonal and instead moving the bishop down (to 3a if played by White or 7i if played by Black) so that it can then exit one's camp via the central file.

Kurukuru Bishop

Kurukuru Bishop (クルクル角 kurukuru kaku) is a Static Rook opening similar to the Iijima Bishop Pullback.

It is characterized by not opening the bishop's diagonal with a pawn push and instead moving the bishop up to the player's left edge (B-9g for Black, B-1c for White). The player subsequently moves their up to the middle e rank and then down to central file (B-7e ... B-5g for Black, B-3e ... B-5c for White.) The player can then castle their king leftwards into a Left Mino.

References

Static Rook Wikipedia