Fortress opening

{{shogi diagram

| floatright

| Double Fortress

| –

| lg | ng | | | | kg | | ng | lg

| | rg | | sg | gg | | gg | |

| pg | | | pg | | | sg | pg | pg

| | pg | pg | bg | pg | pg | pg | |

| | | | | | | | |

| | | ps | ps | ps | | ps | |

| ps | ps | ss | gs | | ps | ss | ps | ps

| | | gs | bs | | | | rs |

| ls | ns | | ks | | | | ns | ls

|–

|

}}

{{main | Double Fortress}}

The most commonly encountered Fortress strategies occur in Double Fortress games where both players use a Fortress formation.

{{clear}}

Earlier josekis for Fortress in the Edo period (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.

{{shogi diagram

| floatright

| Fortress vs Right Fourth Rook

| –

| lg | ng | | gg | kg | gg | sg | ng | lg

| | | | rg | | | | bg |

| pg | | pg | | pg | pg | | pg | pg

| | pg | | | sg | | pg | |

| | | | pg | | | | |

| | | ps | ps | ps | | | ps |

| ps | ps | | | ss | ps | ps | | ps

| | bs | gs | ss | | | | rs |

| ls | ns | | | ks | | | ns | ls

| –

|

}}

{{main | Fortress vs Right Fourth File Rook}}

{{clear}}

{{shogi diagram

| floatright

| Fortress vs Traditional Snowroof

| –

| lg | ng | | | bg | kg | | ng | lg

| | rg | | | gg | | gg | |

| pg | | | | sg | sg | | pg | pg

| | | pg | pg | pg | pg | pg | |

| | pg | | | | | | ps |

| | | ps | ps | ps | | | |

| ps | ps | ss | gs | ss | ps | ps | | ps

| | | gs | bs | | | | rs |

| ls | ns | ks | | | | | ns | ls

| –

| Position after move 32 in an Ōza match between Habu (Black) and Nakamura (White) on September 18, 2013.

}}

The Snowroof strategy can be played against a Fortress opponent.

{{clear}}

{{shogi diagram

| floatright

| Modern Snowroof vs Fortress

| –

| lg | ng | | | | kg | bg | ng | lg

| | rg | | sg | | | gg | |

| pg | | | pg | | gg | sg | pg | pg

| | | pg | | pg | pg | pg | |

| | pg | | | | | | ps |

| | | ps | ps | | ps | ps | |

| ps | ps | bs | ss | ps | ss | ns | | ps

| | | gs | | gs | | | |

| ls | ns | | | ks | | | rs | ls

| –

| Position after move 29 of Momoko Katou (Black) vs Daisuke Nakagawa (White) August 25, 2017.

}}

{{clear}}

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
• 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.

{{Col-begin | width=auto | class=floatright}}

{{Col-2}}

{{shogi diagram

|

| Fortress vs Left Mino

| –

| lg | ng | | | kg | gg | bg | ng | lg

| | rg | | sg | | | sg | |

| pg | | pg | pg | | gg | | pg | pg

| | pg | | | pg | pg | pg | |

| | | | | | | | |

| | | ps | ps | ps | | ps | |

| ps | ps | ss | gs | | ps | | ps | ps

| | | | | | ss | | rs |

| ls | ns | bs | gs | ks | | | ns | ls

| –

| after 19 moves

}}

{{Col-2}}

{{shogi diagram

|

| Fortress vs Left Mino

| –

| lg | ng | | | | gg | | ng | lg

| | rg | | sg | | | sg | kg |

| pg | | | pg | | gg | | pg | pg

| | | pg | bg | pg | pg | pg | |

| | pg | | | | | | |

| | | ps | ps | ps | | ps | ps |

| ps | ps | ss | gs | | ps | ss | | ps

| | ks | gs | | | | | rs |

| ls | ns | bs | | | | | ns | ls

| –

| after 31 moves

}}

{{Col-end}}

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

{{clear}}

• Fortress castle
• Fortress vs Right Fourth File Rook
• Static Rook
• Shogi opening

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite book | last=Aono | first=Teruichi | title=Better moves for better shogi | edition=2nd | orig-year=1983 | year=2009 | publisher=Ishi Press | translator-last=Fairbairn | translator-first=John | isbn=978-4-87187-999-6}}
• {{cite journal | last=Fairbairn | first=John | date=1981 | title=How to play the fortress opening part 1 | journal=Shogi | issue=29 | pages=4–6 }}
• {{cite journal | last=Fairbairn | first=John | date=1981 | title=How to play the fortress opening part 2 | journal=Shogi | issue=30 | pages=14–15 }}
• {{cite book| last=Fairbairn | first=John | title=Shogi for Beginners | year=1984 | publisher=Ishi Press | isbn=978-4-8718-720-10}}
• {{cite book | last=Hosking | first=Tony | title=The art of shogi | year=1996 | publisher=The Shogi Foundation | isbn=978-0-95310-890-9}}
• {{cite book| last=Kitao | first=Madoka | title=Joseki at a glance | year=2011 | author-link=Madoka Kitao | publisher=Nekomado | translator-last=Kawasaki | translator-first=Tomohide | isbn=978-4-9052-2501-0}}
• {{cite book | last=Kitao | first=Madoka | title=Sabaki at a glance | year=2013 | publisher=Nekomado | translator-last=Kawasaki | translator-first=Tomohide | isbn=978-4-9052-2510-2}}

• How to Defend in Shogi (by Yasuharu Ōyama):
• [http://www.shogi.net/nexus/ukekata/part4.html Basic Formation 4: Yagura]
• [http://www.shogi.net/nexus/ukekata/part5.html Basic Formation 5: Gin-yagura]
• YouTube Hidetchi's:
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1-OC9aChFM&t=2m28s How to play Shogi (将棋): Lesson 14: Opening Principles] · Contains some discussion of Fortress opening (from 2 min 28 sec)
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdP8o12NCig Rapid Encountered Yagura, Primitive Climbing Silver]
• Shogifan 将棋ファン: {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20161118054450/http://shogifan.com/2016/10/28/yagura-1/ Yagura -1 矢倉]}}
• Shogi Openings (professional Akira Nishio's blog):
• [http://kingcrimsondiscipline.blogspot.jp/2014/10/about-yagura-castle.html About a Yagura castle]
• [http://kingcrimsondiscipline.blogspot.jp/2014/11/basic-tactics-for-breaking-yagura.html Basic Tactics For Breaking Yagura Castle (1)]
• [http://kingcrimsondiscipline.blogspot.jp/2014/11/basic-tactics-for-breaking-yagura_25.html Basic Tactics For Breaking Yagura Castle (2)]
• [http://kingcrimsondiscipline.blogspot.jp/2014/12/basic-tactics-breaking-yagura-castle-3.html Basic Tactics For Breaking Yagura Castle (3)]
• [http://kingcrimsondiscipline.blogspot.jp/2014/12/basic-tactics-for-breaking-yagura.html Basic Tactics For Breaking Yagura Castle (4)]
• Shogi Shack:
• [http://www.shogishack.net/pages/shogi-strategies/opening-showcase/yagura-intro.html Yagura Intro]
• Shogi Maze:
• [http://shogimaze.free.fr/senpou/openings002001.html Yagura Opening Formation]
• [http://shogimaze.free.fr/senpou/openings010001.html Yagura Strategy: How To Build The Formation]
• Shogi Opening:
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20161226221345/http://www44.atpages.jp/studyshogi/opening/yagura/p55-rapid-attack.html Yagura: Akutsu Style Pawn-55 Rapid Attack]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20161227055546/http://www44.atpages.jp/studyshogi/opening/yagura/ClimbingSilver.html Yagura: Time Lugging Climbing Silver]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20161226220400/http://www44.atpages.jp/studyshogi/opening/yagura/3-move-bishop-strategy.html Yagura: 3 Move Bishop Strategy]
• Yet Another Shogi Site:
• [http://dota2kupo.byethost32.com/openings/rapid/yonenagaP35.php Yagura Rapid Attack: Yonenaga/Fujimori style against ▲P35 variation]
• [http://dota2kupo.byethost32.com/openings/rapid/yonenagaP35.php Double Yagura: Identical formation]
• 将棋タウン: [https://www.shogitown.com/school/dictionary/strategy/i-yagura.html 矢倉戦法]
• Shogi Planet: [https://www.evernote.com/shard/s645/sh/cabdba3d-273c-4e21-b4ed-392bc384fa05/19c694252d65e7c11be8bdcfd793e641 (Yagura) Static Bishop + (left) Mino Castle]
• Lectures on the Latest Strategies: [http://alexshogi.byethost33.com/lectures/Lecture%202.htm Lecture 2: Yagura]

{{Shogi openings}}

Category:Shogi openings

Category:Static Rook openings

Category:Fortress openings