Ginkan Anaguma Guide: Solid Silver Clown Against Ranging Rook
| Your Strategy | Static Rook |
| Opponent’s Strategy | Ranging Rook |
| Pros | A solid setup that avoids attacks by keeping the bishop’s diagonals closed. |
| Cons | There are no escape squares for the king and few attacking pieces. |
| Move count | 16 |
The Ginkan Anaguma /銀冠穴熊 (aka The Silver Crown Bear-in-the-Hole) is a defensive shogi castle designed to protect the king by moving it deep into the corner of the board, resembling a bear hiding in a hole.
The difference from the basic Anaguma is that it doesn’t open the bishop’s diagonal and that it features a silver helmet.
How To Build A Ginkan Anaguma formation
- Advance the right silver and make sure it is ready for use.
- Move the left silver to the position of the castle’s helmet.
- Move the king into the empty space.
- Move the bishop down and bring the king closer to the innermost part of the castle.
- Move into the hole for added protection.
- Cover it with the two gold generals.
The Ginkan Anaguma not only offers the solid defense of a basic Anaguma but also provides the advantage of stronger vertical attacks through the Silver Crown formation. As the name “Bear-in-the-Hole” suggests, this strategy involves moving the king deep into the corner of the board and shielding it with gold and silver generals. While the idea is simple, setting it up takes quite a few moves.
↑ See above, if the bishop exchange occurs before your basic Anaguma is fully set up, your opponent might exploit that weakness. In contrast, the Ginkan Anaguma keeps the bishop’s diagonal closed, providing a more secure defense.
｜
