shogi , also known as Japanese chess, is a strategy board game for two players. It is one of the most popular board games in Japan and is in the same family of games as Western chess, ''chaturanga, Xiangqi'', Indian chess, and '' janggi''. ''Shōgi'' ...

, Double Ranging Rook (also Double Swinging Rook, Mutual Swinging Rook) (相振り飛車 ''ai-furibisha'') is a class of

Ranging Rook Ranging Rook or Swinging Rook (振り飛車 ''furibisha'') openings in shogi position the rook to the center or left of the player's board to support an attack there. Ranging Rook strategies used in Ranging Rook vs Static Rook are among the old ...

opening Opening may refer to: * Al-Fatiha, "The Opening", the first chapter of the Qur'an * The Opening (album), live album by Mal Waldron * Backgammon opening * Chess opening * A title sequence or opening credits * , a term from contract bridge * , ...

s in which both players choose a Ranging Rook position. The term does not apply when one player (or both) moves their rook to their respective fourth or third files (

Right Fourth File Rook In shogi, Right Fourth File Rook (右四間飛車 ''migi shikenbisha'') is a Static Rook opening in which the rook is positioned on the fourth file if played by Black or the sixth file if played by White. Typically, Right Fourth File Rook develo ...

Sleeve Rook In shogi, Sleeve Rook (袖飛車 ''sodebisha,'' also translated as ''Right Third File Rook, Sideways Rook'' or ''Sidestepped Rook'') is a Static Rook opening in which the rook is moved to the third file if played by Black or the seventh file if ...

) as these are still considered to be Static Rook positions. Double Ranging Rook games were relatively rare compared with Double Static Rook and Static Rook vs Ranging Rook games. However, more recently, they have gained in popularity somewhat as Fairbairn noted in the 1980s. The most often played game among professionals is Black's Opposing Rook vs White's Third File Rook.

Opposing Rook vs Third File Rook

1. P-76 P-34. 2. P-66. 2...R-32.

Opposing Rook's early eighth pawn advance variation

3. B-77.

Opposing Rook's left silver development

3. S-78.

Third File Rook's Mino castle with delayed 35 pawn push variation

3...K-62. 4. S-67. 4...S-72. Here White starts to create the

Mino castle The Mino castle (美濃囲い ''minō gakoi'' or 本美濃囲い ''hon minō gakoi'') is a castle used in shogi. Mino castle is a very commonly used defensive formation that may be used within both Ranging Rook and Static Rook positions again ...

structure giving up the possibility of making a

Bear-in-the-hole castle The Bear-in-the-hole or Anaguma castle (穴熊 ''anaguma'', badger, lit. "hole-bear") is a castle used in shogi. (An anaguma is a Japanese badger.) It is commonly used in professional shogi. History The Bear-in-the-hole was initially a castle ...

. 5. B-77. Moving up the bishop to the seventh file allows a space on the 88 square for the rook to move to. Additionally, the bishop needs to be defended by the left knight as left silver and left gold will eventually be moved to different locations. 5...K-71. The king hunkers down. 6. R-88. 6...S-42. 7. P-86. 7...P-54. 8. P-85. 8...S-53. 9. K-48. 9...G49-52. 9. G69-58.

=Transpositions

= The opening position above can be reached by different move sequences, some of which are shown below. :

Third File Rook's early 3e pawn push variation

Double Opposing Rook

Third File Rook vs Third File Rook

Third File Rook vs Opposing Rook

Ishida vs Opposing Rook Early P14

1. P76 P34, 2. P75. Ishida position by Black. 2...P14. White's early edge pawn push. Black closing their bishop diagonal and aims for the Gold Excelsior castle. White aims for a

and develops the left knight for attacking. A left edge attack may be possible for White. Game example:

Toshiaki Kubo is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 9-dan. He is a former Ōshō and Kiō title holder.　 Early life Kubo was born in Kakogawa, Hyōgo on August 27, 1975. He learned shogi when he was about four years old, and at the encouragement o ...

Hisashi Namekata is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 9-dan. Early life Namekata was born in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture on December 30, 1973. As a sixth-grade elementary school student, he finished third in the 10th in 1985. After graduating element ...

Meijin is one of the eight titles in Japanese professional shogi, and is the most prestigious title, along with Ryūō. The word ''meijin'' (名 ''mei'' "excellent, artful", 人 ''jin'' "person") refers to a highly skilled master of a certain field (t ...

ranking tournament on March 15, 2015.

Fourth File Rook vs Third File Rook

Fourth File to Third File Rook

４→３戦法 The player starts off playing a Fourth File Rook position with an open bishop diagonal that then transitions to a Third File Rook position after the player moves their king into an Incomplete

. This strategy is flexible to be used against a Ranging Rook opponent (for a Double Ranging Rook game) as well as against a Static Rook opponent.

Fourth File Rook vs Fourth File Rook

References

Bibliography

* * Fujii, Takeshi 2007 相振り飛車を指しこなす本. Vol. 1. * Fujii, Takeshi 2007 相振り飛車を指しこなす本. Vol. 2. * Fujii, Takeshi 2008 相振り飛車を指しこなす本. Vol. 3. * Fujii, Takeshi 2008 相振り飛車を指しこなす本. Vol. 4. * * * * * *