Strawberry Castle Guide: Building and Mastering Its Use
| Your Strategy | Static Rook |
| Opponent’s Strategy | Static Rook |
| Pros | Can adapt to aggressive strategies and change to different defensive formations as needed. |
| Cons | If not adapted to a different formation, it is not suitable for prolonged battles. |
| Move count | 3 |
Ichigo (いちご) means “strawberry” in Japanese. It’s a cute (kawaii) name, isn’t it?
It is mainly used in response to aggressive openings such as the “Double Wing Attack” (相掛かり) and the “Side Pawn Picker” (横歩取り), which often lead to fierce battles involving major piece exchanges. In such situations, it is crucial to build a castle as quickly as possible. One of the castles often chosen in these cases is the Ichigo-Gakoi (Strawberry Castle).
The Ichigo-Gakoi can be built in as few as three moves, and one of its key features is the ability to transition into other formations like Yagura or Anaguma depending on the situation.
How To Build A Strawberry formation
- Open the bishop’s diagonal.
- Place the left gold generals on top of the left silver generals to prepare for intense attacks from bishops and rooks.
- Move the king to the safe position at 6-8.
- Pull the right gold general closer to the king to strengthen the king’s defense.
It is also acceptable to open the bishop’s diagonal after building the castle.
Honestly, the Strawberry Castle is used against Static Rook strategies and is not effective against Swinging Rook.
Its main weaknesses are attacks from the side and the bottom ranks.
When facing Swinging Rook opponents, the 4th file can be easily breached, leading to a swift collapse of your position.
When using the Strawberry Castle, make sure your opponent is playing an aggressive Static Rook strategy.
Then, if necessary, transition to a more solid formation like the Yagura or Anaguma to adapt to the situation.
｜
