Static Rook castle · Anaguma
Static Rook Anaguma opening
居飛車穴熊
Against a Ranging Rook, Black digs the king into the 9i corner behind the lance and closes it with silver 8h and gold 7i. Slow to build, very hard to break.
Static Rook Anaguma is Black's slow, solid answer to a Ranging Rook. The king is buried in the 9i corner behind the lance, and silver 8h and gold 7i close the lid. It takes many moves, but once finished it is one of the hardest castles to reach with checks. It suits patient players; beginners usually learn a quicker castle first.
Move 20 of 20: △P-1d
Main line and variations
The standard 20-move setup. Tap a move to jump to it.
▲ = Black (moves first, bottom) · △ = White. Notation: piece letter, then the destination square; x = capture, * = drop, + = promote.
Key ideas
- Order: bishop to 7g, lance to 9h, king 8h then 9i, silver 8h, gold 7i.
- Keep the bishop on 7g during construction to watch the long diagonal.
- If White attacks early, finish the lid (silver 8h) before counterattacking.
Typical mistakes
Two positions where natural-looking moves go wrong. Play the move you would choose on the board.
Typical mistake 1 of 2
Black to move. Many players reach for Bx4d here — find the better move.
Why Bx4d is a mistake
The pawn on 4d is protected by White's rook on 4b. Bishop takes, rook takes: a bishop for a pawn.
Better: L-9h.
Typical mistake 2 of 2
Black to move. Many players reach for S-6h here — find the better move.
Why S-6h is a mistake
With both bishop lines open, moving the silver from 7i leaves the bishop on 8h unguarded, and White takes it.
Better: P-2f.
The moves
Main line: 1.▲P-7f 2.△P-3d 3.▲P-2f 4.△P-4d 5.▲P-2e 6.△B-3c 7.▲K-6h 8.△R-4b 9.▲K-7h 10.△K-6b 11.▲P-5f 12.△K-7b 13.▲B-7g 14.△K-8b 15.▲L-9h 16.△S-7b 17.▲K-8h 18.△G4a-5b 19.▲K-9i 20.△P-1d
- Variation 1 (instead of move 12): White moves the gold before the king. 12.△G4a-5b 13.▲B-7g 14.△K-7b
- Variation 2 (instead of move 14): White builds the silver first. 14.△S-3b 15.▲L-9h 16.△K-8b
- Variation 3 (instead of move 20): White starts a fight on the 4th file before the Anaguma is finished. 20.△P-4e 21.▲S-8h 22.△R-4d
FAQ
What is the build order for the Anaguma?
Bishop to 7g, lance to 9h, king to 8h and then 9i, silver to 8h, gold to 7i. Keep the bishop on 7g during construction to watch the long diagonal.
What if White attacks before the Anaguma is finished?
Finish the lid with silver to 8h before you counterattack. Until the silver is there, the corner is open.
Related
Lessons: The Anaguma (Bear-in-the-Hole) · Static Rook vs Ranging Rook · Piece Values and Trades
Terms:
Rivals who play it: Kuma, “The Bear” · Gen, “Old Master”
More openings:
I'll be in my den. Come dig me out.
Practise the Static Rook Anaguma in the app
The app's opening library walks you through all 12 openings move by move. Then try the Static Rook Anaguma against Kuma and get every game explained in plain English.
Free on iPhone & Android. Coming soon to the App Store and Google Play. Privacy