Fortress (矢倉 or 櫓 ''yagura'') is both a Static Rook
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
* , ...
(矢倉戦法 ''yagura senpō'') and a
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
in
shogi.
It is usually played in a
Double Static Rook
Double Static Rook (相居飛車 ''ai-ibisha'') positions are shogi openings in which both players use a Static Rook position.
Relation to castles
Most Static Rook openings coincide with a castle development on the player's left side of board. ...
opening, which is often a Double Fortress opening. However, it may also occur in different Double Static Rook openings such as Fortress vs Right Fourth File Rook.
The
Fortress castle
Fortress or Yagura (矢倉囲い or 櫓囲い ''yaguragakoi'') is a castle used in shogi. It is considered by many to be the strongest defensive position in shogi in Double Static Rook games.
The most common form of Fortress is the Gold Fortres ...
(矢倉囲い ''yagura gakoi''), which is the defining characteristic of Fortress games, was considered by many to be one of the strongest defensive positions in Double Static Rook games in the 1980s.
The term ''
yagura Yagura may refer to:
* Yagura castle
* Yagura opening
* Yagura (tombs)
* Yagura (tower)
is the Japanese word for "tower", "turret", "keep", or "scaffold". The word is most often seen in reference to structures in Japanese castle compounds bu ...
'' is the Japanese word for a tower-like structure in traditional Japanese castles.
Double Fortress
The most commonly encountered Fortress strategies occur in Double Fortress games where both players use a Fortress formation.
Historical Fortress
Earlier josekis for Fortress in the
Edo period
The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...
(usually spelled 櫓 at that time) were very different from the current josekis.
For instance, in one variation, it is White who delays pushing their rook pawn (whereas Black delays the rook pawn push in the modern era) and an early bishop trade occurs before both players' kings are moved into their castles.
vs Right Fourth File Rook
vs Snowroof
The
Snowroof strategy can be played against a Fortress opponent.
Rapid Attack Fortress
Rapid Attack Fortress strategies are characterized by the fact that White will start the fight following Black's blocking of the bishop's diagonal. These are active plans where White wants to avoid a development in which Black takes hold of the initiative. The side playing Fortress aims at building up a position wary of the rival's rapid attack. There are a number of variations:
* Sitting King Bogin (or "Super Rapid Attack Bogin")
*
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 devel ...
*
Central Rook Fortress
* Masuda Rapid Attack Fortress
* Yonenaga Rapid Attack Fortress
*
Akutsu Rapid Attack Fortress (also known as Nakahara, Goda or Watanabe Rapid Attack)
*
Crab Silvers
The rapid attack strategy will vary depending on whether in the fifth move Sente plays P-66 or S-77. For example, both Sitting King Bogin and Right Fourth File Rook are played following P-66, while Central Rook Fortress and Akutsu Rapid Attack Fortress are played following S-77. Yonenaga Rapid Attack Fortress can be played against either.
vs White's Left Mino
1. P-76 P-84
2. S-68 P-34
3. P-66 S-62
4. P-56 P-54
5. S-48 G61-52
6. G49-58 S-32
7. G-67 P-44
8. S-77 G-43
9. B-79 B-31
10. P-36
See also
*
Fortress castle
Fortress or Yagura (矢倉囲い or 櫓囲い ''yaguragakoi'') is a castle used in shogi. It is considered by many to be the strongest defensive position in shogi in Double Static Rook games.
The most common form of Fortress is the Gold Fortres ...
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Fortress vs Right Fourth File Rook
*
Static Rook
Static Rook (居飛車 ''ibisha'') openings in shogi typically have the player's rook at its start position, which is the second file (on the 28 square) for Black and the eighth file (on the 82 square) for White.
Explanation
Static Rook is a ...
*
Shogi opening
A shogi opening ( ) is the sequence of initial moves of a shogi game before the middle game. The more general Japanese term for the beginning of the game is ()''.''
A '' jōseki'' () is the especially recommended sequence of moves for a given o ...
References
Bibliography
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External links
* How to Defend in Shogi (by
Yasuharu Ōyama
Yasuharu Ōyama (大山 康晴 Ōyama Yasuharu, March 13, 1923 - July 26, 1992) was a professional shogi player, 15th Lifetime Meijin and president of Japan Shogi Association (1976 - 1989). He studied shogi under . He won 80 titles (2nd on record ...
):
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Basic Formation 4: Yagura*
* YouTube Hidetchi's:
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How to play Shogi (将棋): Lesson 14: Opening Principles· Contains some discussion of Fortress opening (from 2 min 28 sec)
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Rapid Encountered Yagura, Primitive Climbing Silver* Shogifan 将棋ファン
Yagura -1 矢倉* Shogi Openings (professional Akira Nishio's blog):
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* Shogi Shack:
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* Shogi Maze:
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* Shogi Opening:
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* Yet Another Shogi Site:
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Yagura Rapid Attack: Yonenaga/Fujimori style against ▲P35 variation*
Double Yagura: Identical formation* 将棋タウン
* Shogi Planet
(Yagura) Static Bishop + (left) Mino Castle* Lectures on the Latest Strategies
{{Shogi openings
Shogi openings
Static Rook openings
Fortress openings