Demon Killer Guide: Aggressive Trap Opening with Tactical Play
The Demon Killer is a highly aggressive opening strategy that combines the rook, bishop, and knight to break through the opponent’s formation. Known as a trap opening, it is a very famous tactical play.
How to Make the Opening Moves ＆ Why
Move your rook to the 7th file and boldly advance the pawn in front of it. This is similar to the Ishida Style! While advancing the pawn is dynamic, the Demon Killer takes it a step further with bold knight jumps.
Your opponent will likely push their pawn and rook toward your bishop. But don’t worry about it; they’ve already fallen into your trap.
Thanks to the knight’s high jump, your opponent is forced to make a defensive move (as shown by the silver in the diagram). And look! Your rook’s path and bishop’s path are now wide open.
Next Moves: A Famous Development Example
There’s a shogi proverb that says, “A high-jumping knight is easy prey for a pawn,” but ignore that! The element of surprise with the knight is a major characteristic of this strategy.
In other words, it’s a surprise strategy that actively utilizes the rook and bishop to break through the opponent’s defenses or drop pieces before they are fully prepared to defend.
The opponent is led astray and toyed with by the knight. Even if they manage to capture it, they won’t be able to use it right away. Additionally, the frightening aspect of the Demon Killer strategy is that you can completely ignore building your castle. Instead, focus on launching an all-out attack using your rook, bishop, and silver, pushing hard all the way to the endgame.
