From: Larry Kaufman <lkaufman <at> WIZARD <dot> NET>
Date: 2 dec 1999
Subject: Re: Unusual Opening

At 03:42 PM 12/2/99 +0900, you wrote:
>Larry Kaufman <lkaufman <at> WIZARD <dot> NET> writes:
>
>>      A shogi fan recently asked me a question which I could not answer, so
>> I am referring his question to the list.
>>      He says that a certain Japanese opponent playing static rook meets his
>> ranging rook with the following setup (assume ranging rook is sente): Pawns
>> on 3d, 4d, 5d, 6d, 7d, and 8e, King on 5b, Golds on 4b and 6b, Silvers on
>> 4c and 6c, knights on 3c and 7c, Rook on 8a.  The rook may then be
>> transferred to 2a to support P-2d-2e-2f.  The Japanese player claims this
>> is a new fad in Japan, though I myself have never seen it (though a similar
>> strategy is known for handicap games of two piece and up).  He asks whether
>> anyone knows anything about this strategy, for example name, history,
>> whether it is played by pros, and how it should be combatted.
>>      Does anyone out there know anything about this?
>
>>      Larry Kaufman
>
>Are you sure the right gold of white is on 4b? It seems to me very difficult
>to get a bishop on 5c with the gold on 4b.

     I'm sure the player put his gold on 4b, though perhaps he merely
learned the system wrong.  Perhaps the gold went initially to 3b, the
bishop to 5c, and then the gold to 4b.

If the gold is on 3b instead
>of 4b, this opening is known as the "Chikatetsu Hisha" (or "Subway rook").
>The trick opening book by Mori Keiji has a small chapter on it. It seems
>like it was originally developed as a way to fight the Ibisha Anaguma.
>The book (like Terao-san) mentions Ito Hatasu as one of the few professionals
>who have tried this opening in professional play. The trick opening book
>is heavily biased towards the tricky side, so there is no good variation
>given for black. The general comment is that the Chikatetsu Hisha is hard
>to play because white will run out of moves if black defends correctly.
>This is all I can say, since I never really studied this opening.
>
>Hope this helps,
>Reijer

     By a curious coincidence, this August when in London I visited George
Hodges, who told me that a certain pro considered a similar opening (but
with bishops exchanged) to be a certain win for black at rook handicap.  He
also called it "subway rook".  When Dave Murphy came over, we analyzed it
together.  This was probably the last shogi of Dave Murphy's life.

     Thanks, Larry