Double Wing Attack, Floating Rook

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In shogi, Floating Rook (浮き飛車 ukibisha) is a variant of the Double Wing Attack (相掛かり aigakari) opening and joseki in which Black's rook (飛) falls back to the f rank (R-2f) aiming to protect this rank and prevent White from exchanging pawns (歩) on the eighth file to get a pawn in hand.

From this position, there are numerous subvariants.

Development

6. R-2f.

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6. ... 7b or 6. ... 6b. White has two options regarding their right silver: it could advance either to the seventh file or the sixth file. The seventh file (7b) option is more common and has become the standard move in Double Wing Attack while the sixth file is an older move according to professional player Kiyokazu Katsumata (勝又清和).

6. ... 7b. Moving the silver up to the seventh file allows White the following possibilities:

(i) to play a faster Climbing Silver advancing directly through the eighth file

(ii) to keep an opening for the king to escape (if necessary) through a K-6b – K-7a path

(iii) allows the silver to protect the 8c square from Black's pawn drop on 8c or dangling pawn drop on 8d should White's rook move off of the eighth file

(iv) prevent Black's rook from capturing the silver (if moved instead to 6. ... 6b) in a Tsukada Special type of attack

However, this gives up defending 5c with the silver and moving to the central file via that square.

6. ... 6b. Moving the silver to the sixth file allows White the following possibilities:

(i) to immediately protect the pawn resting on 5c

(ii) to eventually move their silver to the 5c square

However, the silver on 6b and the gold on 6a may form a wall blocking the king from escaping toward the right side of White's board if under attack. White can still attempt a Climbing Silver strategy although it will be a slower Oblique Climbing Silver strategy since White must first move a pawn out of the way first.

Both moves allow for a Reclining Silver positioning of the silver on 5d.

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After move 22, Floating Rook Double Wing Attack branches off into several different substrategies, which are detailed below.

Reclining Silver

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In order to play (Double or Mutual) Reclining Silver, Black must advance their right silver to the 5f square through 4g while White advances their silver to 5d through 6c.

Since a pawn is blocking the path of the silver, it must be pushed forward first. White usually makes this pawn push (on the sixth file) earlier than Black's pawn push on the fourth file.

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13. ... P-3d. White activates their bishop by opening the bishop diagonal. It's possible that opening the diagonal could have been done sooner before moving the silvers and edge pawns.

Clanging Silvers

Clanging Silvers (ガッチャン銀 gatchan gin)

Nakahara Floating Rook

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Nakahara Double Wing Attack (中原流相掛かり nakahara-ryū aigakari) is a Floating Rook variant has Black advancing the third file pawn.

This allows a space on the 3g square for either the silver or the knight to move to.

White responds by activating their bishop.

Silver-3g Nakahara

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Nakahara's silver variant starts with a silver advanced on the third file.

White likewise advances their silver.

Black then aims for an attack on the third file.

Knight-3g Nakahara

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Nakahara's knight variant moves the knight to 3g instead of the silver.

Tsukada Special

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Main article: Tsukada Special

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

Rook on Pawn

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Rook on Pawn (タテ歩取り or 縦歩取り tatefudori) is a subclass of Floating Rook openings in which the Floating Rook player moves their rook to the third file aiming to capture their opponent's pawn used to open their bishop diagonal at the 3d square. This rook attack can occur preemptively by moving their rook before their opponent's pawn push and, thus, preventing (at least initially) their opponent from opening their bishop diagonal. This option is known as Cat's Rook on Pawn (ネコの縦歩取り neko no tatefudori). Hosking calls this Floating Rook Cat Variation. Or, the rook can attack the pawn after it has been pushed forward and the bishop diagonal is already open forcing their opponent to respond to protect that pawn. This option is called Floating Rook Hanamura Variation by Hosking.

This type of opening often leads to the Floating Rook player also moving their rook to their left side of the board transitioning from an initial Static Rook strategy to a Ranging Rook strategy, which is usually Third File Rook. When this happens, the opening is referred to as Twisting Rook (ひねり飛車 hineribisha).

Note that Rook on Pawn attack does not necessarily have to transition to a Twisting Rook position and that Twisting Rook may be played without first attacking the third file pawn.

Rook on Pawn Climbing Silver

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Rook on Pawn Climbing Silver (タテ歩棒銀 tatefu bōgin) or 飛尻出棒銀 hijiride bōgin combines the Rook on Pawn technique with a Climbing Silver strategy.

See also

• Double Wing Attack
• Double Wing Retreating Rook
• Tsukada Special
• Static Rook

Bibliography

• Aono, Teruichi (2009) [1983]. Better moves for better shogi. Translated by Fairbairn, John (2nd ed.). Ishi Press. ISBN 978-4-87187-999-6.
• Aono, Teruichi (1983). Guide to shogi openings: Shogi problems in Japanese and English 将棋定跡のカギ: 和英 定跡問題集. Translated by Fairbairn, John. 山海堂. ISBN 4-381-00598-8. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Fairbairn, John (1986). Shogi for beginners (2nd ed.). Ishi Press. ISBN 978-4-8718-720-10. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Hosking, Tony (1997). The art of shogi. The Shogi Foundation. ISBN 978-0-95310-890-9. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Kitao, Madoka [in Japanese] (2011). Joseki at a glance. Translated by Kawasaki, Tomohide. Nekomado. ISBN 978-4-9052-2501-0. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• "kieta senpō no nazo" 消えた戦法の謎. Shogi.Net. Mainichi Communications Co. 1995. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help) · Partial translation of 消えた戦法の謎 kieta senpō no nazo by Kiyokazu Katsumata.