In shogi（Japanese chess）, there are two ways to play: the “flying rook” style, that the starting piece shape is moved widely to the side, and the “static rook” style, that the rook is not moved from the starting piece shape. There are mainly three ways to move the rook, but the shogi AI gives a negative evaluation to all of them. The swinging rook party was originally a minority. Since the appearance of shogi AI, the proportion of players who play it has been decreasing the higher the ranking of the player. However, among top shogi players, the “flying rook” strategy, which AI evaluates as unfavorable, is being reconsidered. Players who actively adopt the swinging rook have appeared, and it has even been played in the title match against seven-time champion Sota Fujii.
Around 2020, most of the top players played static rook. One of the reasons for this is the use of shogi AI, which has been widespread since around 2016. The ability to memorize and reproduce the advantageous fighting style shown by AI has become directly linked to victory or defeat. It seems that professional players have come to feel that the reasoning of shogi AI is so accurate that there is no room for intuition. In the battle style between static rook players, a certain degree of deductive reasoning is possible, and a theory (standard) has been established. The use of shogi AI has worked to the advantage of young players in their 20s in research and matches that require physical strength and time. A top shogi player in his 30s seems to have felt tired of the trend toward AI research. Furthermore, as AI research progresses, some 30-something players have lamented that they have “thrown away” the sensibilities they have accumulated in actual matches. In the world of competition, not only logic but also the sensibility of the game, which is an important element. He seems to have lamented the fact that there is less room to hone this sensibility.
In recent years, the trend that has dominated static rook players is now blowing a new wind into the swinging rook. The background to the reevaluation of the swinging rook seems to be the sense of stagnation in battles between static rook players due to the AI research battle. It may be that playing the AI’s standard moves is tiring. And it may be that a new horizon has been opened up in the strategy of the rook opening. The pursuit of “best” and “truth” is the best part of shogi and other intellectual games. The inspiration that comes from the game leads to fun. Individuality is revealed by the way information is collected, combined, and matured. Seven-crown champion Fujii says, “Even in the rook opening style, the 9th dan Sato and 8th dan Sugai have completely different styles.” Shogi players in their 30s who keep a little distance from AI seem to have experienced more sensitivity and inspiration than younger players. They may be storing what is called social intelligence (game sense) in their temporal lobes. The world of shogi seems to provide a place to explore human creativity, even in a world that AI is in full swing.
