Shogi Game 14 (professional, full annotation by professional). The following is again a contribution from (mainly) Murooka Katsuhiko (just like games 3, 9, 11 and 12). This article is a good example of the achievement of teamwork: Murooka Katsuhiko played the game and did the analysis, Onno Brouwer wrote down everything that Murooka-san said, Pieter Stouten turned it into an article and Mike Sandeman corrected the English in most of the article. Here Murooka explains one of the games he played in the final league of the Judan (10-dan) Tournament. Pieter Stouten 28-th June 1990. Cosmetic correction 4-th July 1990. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Black: Murooka Katsuhiko, 5-dan; White: Tsukada Yasuaki, 6-dan. 1.P2f P8d 2.P2e P8e 3.G7h G3b 4.P2d Px2d 5.Rx2d P'2c 6.R2f S6b (6. ... S7b is also possible) 7.P1f P1d Instead of the exchange of edge pawn pushes, the following is possible: 7.S3h P6d 8.P'2d Px2d 9.Rx2d. If white playes 9. ... P'2c black captures the pawn on 6d, so he plays 9. ... P1d and now: 10.P7f P8f 11.Px8f Rx8f 12.P1f. Black threatens to take the pawn on 6d because he can answer 13. ... P'2h with 14.N1g. Play continues as follows: 12. ... S6c 13.P1e Px1e 14.P'1d P'2c 15.R2e R8b 16.Rx1e and black has a better position. This brand new way of playing by black has been developed by Tsukada and he has won many games with it. Many more exciting variations are possible; we only give the main line here. 8.S3h P3d 9.P7f P5d Mr. Tsukada avoids the variation given above, because he does not want to play against his own system. After 9.P7f there are three possibilities: 9. ... P5d or 9. ... P8f 10.Px8f Rx8f or 9. ... P6d 10.R3f Bx8h+ (not 10. ... G3c 11.B7g, giving a slight positional advantage to black) 11.Sx8h B'2h 12.Rx3d Bx1i+ 13.P'2b with advantage for black, but it is a very difficult position. For this variation 6. ... S7b would have been a better move because white's king has an easier way to escape then. 10.P4f S5c P4f is better than P3f. White has opened the diagonal 7a-5c-1g, so black wants to exchange bishops, but he does not want to leave holes for white bishop drops. 11.Bx2b+ Sx2b Black expects 11. ... P4d or P5e and he does noy like the resulting positions. So, although it loses a tempo, he exchanges bishops. 12.S8h P8f 13.Px8f Rx8f 14.P'8g 14.B'7e is not good: 14. ... Rx7f 15.Bx5c+ Rx7h+ with advantage for white. 14. ... R8b 15.P3f If black does not play P3f then white plays N3c/P2d/S2c. But if white plays 15. ... N3c now, then 16.P3e Px3e 17.P'3d follows. 15. ... G5b 16.K6h P4d 17.S4g G5b-4c 17. ... G5b-4b, which is seen often after exchange of bishops, is not good because the pawn on 4d is weak. 18.G5h K4a 19.N3g K3a 20.P6f N3c 21.P9f P9d Instead of 21.P9f the obvious move 21.S7g is not possible, because of 21. ... P2d. White wants to play S2c/K2b now, so black captures the pawn on 2d. But then the following happens: 22. ... P'2e 23.Nx2e S2c 24.Nx3c+ Sx2d 25.N'2c K4a 26.+Nx4c Gx4c 27.Nx1a+ and white has the initiative. He could drop his rook on 2i for example. If the silver were still on 8h, black could ignore this move, because after 28. ... Rx8i+ he would play G7i and white cannot afford to give black a rook in hand. Five years ago Futakami played in the same position against Nakahara 21.R2i and after 21. ... P2d he captured the pawn. 22.R2i K4a Some players prefer 22. ... P5e. It is probably not good to play 22. ... P7d: 23.P3e Px3e 24.B'6a R6b (after any other move black plays 25.P'3d) 25.Bx8c+ and black can capture the pawn on 7d. 23.S7g Now this move is possible because, after 23. ... P2d 24.Rx2d P'2e 25.Nx2e S2c 26.Nx3c= is check. 23. ... K3a 24.N2e Also possible is: 24.K7i P2d 25.K8h S2c, but then it has become very difficult for both black and white to attack. 24. ... P2d 25.Nx3c+ G3bx3c 26.G4h Black wants to attack, so he first defends his weak squares on the right side. 26. ... P6d If 26. ... K3b then 27.P3e Px3e 28.P'2f Px3f 29.Sx3f is good for black. Now it is becoming clear why 26.G4h was necessary. If black had not played it either P'3g or B'3h would be possible. 27.P3e Px3e 28.P'3f P6e The "semeai" (mutual attack) starts. 29.Px3e Px6f 30.Sx6f P'6g 31.K5h 31.Kx6g is not good because of a possible knight drop on 5e. The pawn on 3e signifies a bigger advantage for black than the pawn on 6g does for white, because white's stronghold can easily be eliminated. 31. ... S2c 32.P5f Black's plan is to play S5g/R6i/Rx6g, which gives him an extra pawn and a better positioned rook, but white attacks quicker. 32. ... P1e 33.Px1e P'1h 34.Lx1h P'1g 35.Lx1g N'2e 36.L1f Black can play neither 36.R1i (because of 36. ... B'2h) nor 36.R2g (because of 36. ... B'1h). 36. ... N1g+ 37.R1i +Nx1f 38.Rx1f Mr. Tsukada had not realised that 37.R1i was possible. This makes his whole edge attack unsound. Instead of 37. ... +Nx1f both +N2g and B'2h give black the advantage: 37. ... +N2g 38.R6i B'2f 39.S5g with Rx6g to follow, or 37. ... B'2h 38.R2i +N1h 39.R6i B1g+ 40.Rx6g +Bx1f 41.S7e and in both cases white has no pawn in hand ("fugire"), which makes defending very difficult. So 37. ... +Nx1f is the only move. 38. ... B'3i (threatening P6h+ next) 39.S5g B2h+ 40.G3h This last move is inaccurate, because black could now break decisively into the enemy camp by: 40.P1d Lx1d 41.P'1e +B2g. If 41. ... Lx1e then 42.Rx1e L'1d 43.P3d Lx1e (43. ... G3cx3d 44.R6e) 44.Px3c+. So white must play 41. ... +B2g 42.R1i P'3f 43.Px1d P3g+ 44.P1c+ +Px4h 45.Sx4h G'6h 46.K5g Gx7h 47.+Px2c P6h+. Black declined this variation, because he saw no winning sequence from the position after 47. ... P6h+. In the analysis afterwards the following was found: 48.R1a+ L'2a 49.S'2b K4a 50.+Rx2a K5b 51.B'4a K6b 52.L'6e K7b 53.L6c+ K8c. The pointe is that black can defend now with 54.P'6g because white's rook is blocked by his king. He has a clear win after this sequence. 40.G3h gives white the chance to exchange his bishop for a gold at anytime. 40. ... +B2i 41.P1d Sx1d 42.P3d G3cx3d 43.N'2f G2e 44.Nx1d Gx1f 45.N'3e G4b 46.P'3c K4a White cannot play 46. ... P6h+, because of 47.Gx6h Rx8g+ 48.S'3b Gx3b 49.Px3b+ Kx3b 50.B'4c K4b (50. ... K4a 51.G'5b K3a 52.N2c mate) 51.G'5b K3c 52.Gx5c and black will win. After 46. ... P6h+ 47.Kx6h does not work, because black will lose his most important attacking piece, the knight on 3e, after 47. ... R'6e. 47.P3b+ Gx3b (if Kx3b then 48.B'2c and mate on the next move) 48.B'7a R5b 49.S'4c P6h+ White has to play P6h+ now in order to be able to defend the sixth file. 50.Gx6h G4b 51.P'6d L'6b 51. ... P'6b is to passive a defence: 52.P6c+ Px6c 53.P'6d Px6d 54.Sx5b+ Kx5b 55.R'8b and black will win easily. 52.Sx4b+ Sx4b 53.G'6c P'6a 54.N2b+ R'7i 55.Gx5b If 55.+N3b Kx3b 56.Gx5b S3a white has counter-attacking chances. Also, his king might escape. So black avoids this dangerous variation. 55. ... Kx5b 56.+N3b Lx6d After e.g. 56. ... Rx8i+ 57.+Nx4b white would be mated so Lx6d is the only move. 57.P'6e Lx6e 57. ... S'4i 58.K6g Lx6e 59.P'6f Rx8i+ threatens mate with 60. ... +Rx8g etc., but black is quicker: 60.+Nx4b K6c and 61.R'8b threatens "tsume" (mate by consecutive checks) and defends 8g at the same time ! 58.+Nx4b K6c 59.P'6d Kx6d If 59. ... K7b then 60.S'6c and if 59. ... K7d then 60.S'7e. 60.R'8d P7d 61.S'5c white resigns. Murooka/Brouwer/Stouten/Sandeman