Ahiru/Duck Castle Guide: Building and Usage Tips

Ahiru(アヒル) means “duck” in Japanese. It’s a charming name, isn’t it?

Take a closer look at this unusual shape. The position of the king and the silver generals on the sides, along with the gold generals open on both sides, resembles a duck’s legs. This resemblance is why it is named “Duck Castle.”

Despite what may seem like a weak spot at the top of the 9th file’s bishop, don’t worry. This is actually a trap, like a duck’s decoy.

How To Build A Duck formation

1. Lift the rook.
2. Open the bishop’s line of sight from the edge.
3. Coordinate the gold and silver generals to build the castle.
4. Move the king into the castle.

It’s common for the opponent’s rook pawn on the 8th file to advance, but in the Duck Castle setup, we handle this by lifting the rook for defense. First, get the rook into a floating position.

In this setup, we do not open the bishop’s diagonal. Instead, we open the bishop’s line of sight from the edge.

And this defense formation, with the arrangement of the gold and silver generals, provides strong protection for your position. Even if you give your opponent pieces, they will find it difficult to attack from any direction. The gold general is positioned next to the knight, making it very challenging for your opponent to launch an effective attack.

Tips and Tricks: What Kind of Trap is the Duck’s Decoy?

If the silver general extends to target the bishop’s head, the opponent is already trapped.

A tricky move is to respond with 7-5 Bishop, and if the opponent advances with 9-6 Pawn, you can use 9-6 Lance takes Pawn! This move cleverly turns the edge attack against the opponent.

The floating rook is also doing a great job.

Here’s another variation of this cunning swindle move. Try it out!

Use the decoy bishop dynamically and launch a relentless attack. Even in the midst of fierce piece exchanges, the Duck Castle, with no openings for counterattacks, will put you in a favorable position.

Return to Castles List