This is a revised edition of a popular series that has sold over 500,000 copies.

"Although I've managed to remember how the pieces move and the rules, I'm still unsure about which pieces to move and where at the beginning," you might be feeling anxious if you're just starting to learn shogi.

The first goal in shogi is to separate the roles of the pieces attacking the opponent's territory from those defending your own. This phase of the game is called the "opening." In the opening, it's essential to create better forms of attack and defense than your opponent. By doing so, you can steer the game in your favor.

This book introduces many strategies, saying, "If you move your pieces this way, you can achieve good forms of attack and defense." These strategies are known as "opening methods" in shogi. At first, it’s perfectly fine to mimic these strategies. As you play more, you'll come to understand the significance and benefits of these methods and gradually apply them in your own way.

By learning the concepts and steps of the opening methods introduced in this book and experimenting with them, please discover your own favorite strategy. Doing so will make shogi even more enjoyable.

*This book has been renewed with new information added to "Yoshiharu Habu's Children's Shogi: A Beginner's Guide to Opening Moves," published in 2011.

Supervised by Yoshiharu Habu
Size: A5, Page Count: 208

Table of Contents

Introduction
Prologue: What is the Opening?
Chapter 1: Understanding the Basics of Opening Methods
Chapter 2: Let's Try the Ranging Rook Strategy
　The Semi-Attack Strategy / The Semi-Yagura Strategy
Chapter 3: Let's Try the Narrow Rook Strategy
　The Middle Rook Strategy / The Four-Pawn Rook Strategy / The Three-Pawn Rook Strategy / The Opposing Rook Strategy
Chapter 4: Learn Various Strategies that Make Shogi Even More Fun
　The Angle Exchange Rod Silver Strategy / The Quick Silver Strategy of the Angle Exchange / The Sitting Silver Strategy of the Angle Exchange / The New Style of the Sitting Silver Strategy of the Angle Exchange / The Horizontal Pawn Capture Strategy / The Twisting Rook Strategy / The Happy Middle Rook Strategy
Chapter 5: Learn the Characteristics and Construction of Castles
　The Crab Castle / The Goose Castle / The Silver Yagura Castle / The Amano Yagura Castle / The Silver Crown Castle / The Anaguma Castle / The Middle Resident King Castle / The Right King Castle + Underground Rook / The Tenshukaku Mino Castle / The Millennium Castle / The Silver Standing Yagura Castle / The Elmo Castle / The Gold Double Castle