Big4 Guide: Is the Solid Castle a Passive Defense?

The BIG4 is a defensive shogi castle designed to protect the king by moving it deep into the corner of the board, with most pieces forming a defensive wall around it. Its core structure prioritizes defense over offense, focusing on placing pieces in a formation that shields the king.

How To Build A Big 4 formation

1. Advance the right silver and make sure it is ready for use.
2. Move the left silver to the position of the castle’s helmet.
3. Move the king into the empty space.
4. Move the bishop down and bring the king closer to the innermost part of the castle.
5. Move into the hole for added protection.
6. Cover it with the two gold generals.
7. Place the final piece of the puzzle by pulling the right silver closer to the castle.

Steps 1 to 6 are the same as in Ginkan Anaguma. Once the silver is perfectly in place, the solid Big 4 formation is complete. After that, you can focus on attacking without worrying about the king’s defense.

The Ginkan Anaguma and Big 4 not only offer the solid defense of a basic Anaguma but also provide the advantage of stronger vertical attacks through the Silver Crown formation, shielding the king with gold and silver generals. While the concept is simple, setting it up takes several moves.

The key difference from the basic Anaguma is that it doesn’t open the bishop’s diagonal and features a “silver helmet” for added protection.

↑ See above, if the bishop exchange occurs before your basic Anaguma is fully set up, your opponent might exploit that weakness. In contrast, the Big 4 avoids opening the bishop’s diagonal, preventing an exchange.

In conclusion, while the Solid Castle is primarily a defensive structure, it can also be an effective strategy, especially for players who prefer a more cautious approach to the game.

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