A shogi opening (戦法 senpō) is the sequence of initial moves of a shogi game before the middle game. The more general Japanese term for the beginning of the game is joban (序盤). A jōseki (定跡) is the especially recommended sequence of moves for a given opening that was considered balanced play at one point in time for both sides by professional players. (However, some jōsekis have become outdated when they are reevaluated to no longer give balanced play.) Jōsekis also typically include commentary about the possible reasons to deviate from the jōseki especially regarding blunders.