Shogi Game 25 (amateur - ladies' professional, full annotation). Below follows a game that Reijer Grimbergen played against ladies' professional Miss Saida, while being in Japan last September. Together with professional 5-dan Murooka Katsuhiko he provides a full analysis. Personally, I think this game together with the accompanying analysis provides extremely useful material for study. It is especially suitable for players who already understand some of the basics of Shogi, but I think that players of all levels can benefit from it. Reijer Grimbergen Submitted 23-th November 1990. Pieter Stouten Archived 7-th February 1991. Corrected 12-th February 1991. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Black: R.Grimbergen, 4-dan amateur White: H.Saida, 1-dan ladies' professional Nihon Shogi Renmei, Tokyo September 19-th, 1990. 1.P2f P3d 2.P7f P4d 3.S4h S3b 4.P5f R4b R.G.: Murooka had told me that Miss Saida played Fourth File Rook almost without exception. However, when you are on a holiday in a country like Japan there is not much time for specific preparation, so the only thing I could do was improvise. 5.K6h K6b 6.K7h S7b 7.G4i-5h K7a 8.P3f G4a-5b 9.S6h P9d 10.P9f K8b 11.P2e B3c 12.P1f P1d 13.S6h-5g P5d 14.G6i-6h Murooka: After 13... P5d, Black has many choices. 14.B9g R4a 15.B8f is the famous "Yamada Joseki", 14.B7i to go to the 7i-1c diagonal is also possible. Alternative plans are: 14.R3h, 14.S3g and the game move 14.G6i-6h. 14... L1b Murooka: Against quick attack with S6h-5g, this defence system of G4a-5b, P5d and L1b is very difficult to beat, even at professional level. I recommend this, if you like furibisha [= Ranging Rook/RG] opening. 15.P4f Murooka: 15.S3g and 15.R3h are ways to fight for an opening advantage. After 15.P4f the white silver is waiting on 3b until its time has come. R.G.: Now I have no choice but to play a defensive-style opening. The main problem in this position is that white hasn't played P6d yet, so I can't play the attack 15.P3e Px3e 16.S4f P3f 17.S3e P4e 18.Bx3c+ Sx3c 19.B'8h since white's counter 19... B'6d is rather severe. Also, Murooka's plan to play B9g to chase the rook away to 4a, followed by the maneouvre B8f ... S6f ... B6h in order to attack over the second and third files has now become impossible. Due to 14.G6i-6h the bishop cannot get to the diagonal 7i-1c anymore. 15... P6d 16.S4g P7d 17.P5e Murooka: Exchanging the pawn with the bishop is losing a tempo, but what else? Black has already lost the opening advantage (black has to play much more aggressive before this point). Other moves make a dull position: something like 17.N3g or 17.P6f is very pleasant for the furibisha side. R.G.: This is a position I've played a lot of times in the past year. I've tried a lot of different moves here, but none of them were really satisfactory. 17.N3g isn't useful with the silver on 3b (the attack P4e Px4e Bx3c+ followed by P2d fails because white can recapture with the silver and defend 2d). I think 17.R3h is best, a move I played earlier on my Japan-trip against Hayasaki, a 16-year old 5-dan from Oita. In this game followed 17... S4c 18.P3e Px3e 19.Rx3e R3b 20.R3f N7c 21.N3g P8d 22.P2d Px2d 23.P'2b Rx2b 24.P4e and I managed to get some sort of attack. I lost the game, but it wasn't because of my opening play. However, at the Nijmegen Shogi Club Marc Theeuwen played 17... P4e in reply to 17.R3h, and after 18.Bx3c+ Sx3c 19.Px4e Rx4e he threatens 20... Rx2e so I have no other option but to give up my plans on the third file and play 20.N3g or 20.R2h. In both cases the Ranging Rook side has a good position (the attack P5e is very difficult to counter). Stouten: I think 20.B'3b is a playable alternative. After 20... Rx2e, black can play 21.P'2h and subsequently capture a few white pieces, while white does not have immediate counter chances. Of course, the fact that this is not seen in professional play should make one suspicious. R.G.: After a long period of time I decided to play 17.P5e. I planned to play my left silver to 5f and attack (without the knight) by means of P4e and P2d. 17... Px5e 18.Bx5e G6c 19.B8h S4c 20.S4g-5f (19) N7c (16) Murooka: White has a slightly better position. R.G.: It was only now that I fully realized the drawbacks of my plan. N6e followed by a pawn drop on the fifth file is a constant threat. 21.P2d Px2d 22.P4e S5d? Murooka: 22... S5d weakens square 3d, called "kaku tou" in Japanese (bishop's head). Other moves: A) 22... Px4e? 23.Bx3c+ Nx3c 24.Rx2d and black has a clear advantage. B) 22... R2b (too passive) 23.P3e Px3e 24.Px4d Bx4d (24... Sx4d?? 25.P'3d) 25.S5e and black has a slightly better position. C) 22... R5b and white keeps a little advantage. R.G.: I never expected this move. I think Miss Saida counted on the variation 23.Px4d Bx4d 24.Bx4d Rx4d 25.P'4e Sx4e 26.S5e R4a and if 27.Rx2d then 27... B'3c and white threatens both R5a and P'5f with a severe attack. I think she underestimated my following move... 23.P3e! Murooka: Why not! 23... Sx4e 24.Sx4e? Murooka: 25.N3g! and black has a small advantage. E.g. 25... S3f 26.Px3d B2b 27.Rx2d Sx3g+ 28.R2c+ and black has a good position. The following unavoidable exchange of bishops is a bad idea since it allows white to get rid of a weak, passive piece without having to pay for it. Normally the game is now over, but later the Dutch champion finds a good fighting chance in the endgame. R.G.: I never contemplated Murooka's move. Somehow I had the feeling that after any other move than the one I played white would exchange silvers and my silver would become a loose piece while at the same time weakening 5g. But, as Murooka told me after the game, blocking the long diagonal which leads to the rook has much higher priority. It is vital to avoid severe bishop drops like the one I have to deal with in the game. Finally, after 24... Sx5f 25.Sx5f I still can play Px3d. 24... Px4e 25.Bx3c+ (29) Nx3c (21) 26.B'8h R.G.: Only move. 26.Rx2d looks natural, but after 26... P4f 27.P'4h N4e white threatens to play 28... Nx5g+ or B'3c. I decide to attack the knight and take with the rook on 2d if this knight is defended. Miss Saida decides to let my bishop promote instead. 26... N2e 27.B3c+ R5b R.G.: Ideal rook position for an attack on the fifth file. 28.S'4c R5c 29.P'5e R.G.: Because none of the variations after 29.P'5d Gx5d seemed attractive (30.Sx5d+? Rx3c) I decided to use my last pawn to close the rook file and solve the problem of the bishop fork on lance and rook if my horse (=promoted bishop/PS) would move. Slowly, I am getting short of useful moves. 29... N6e 30.S6f (40) B'4f (25) 31.R4h P'5f 32.Sx6e R.G.: I am not sure if white's natural way of attacking is the best. I now get a chance to exchange some passive pieces for active ones, almost without material costs. I didn't hesitate long: all or nothing. 32... Px6e 33.Rx4f Px4f 34.P5d Gx5d 35.Sx5d+ (47) Rx5d (30) R.G.: The point: 35... Rx3c fails because of 36.B'5e S'7c 37.N'8e and black has a strong attack. 36.+B4c S'6c 37.N'8e S'6d R.G.: A surprise. I counted on 37... S'8d. I think Miss Saida didn't like 38.+Bx5d Sx5d 39.B'6d S'7c 40.Nx7c+ S8dx7c 41.B5c+ S5d-6c 42.R'2a. During the game I wasn't too sure about the strength of the black attack, but looking at it now, I think she was right. It is very difficult to defend against Rx6a+. 38.P9e R.G.: A famous Shogi proverb: "If you don't know anymore, push the edge pawn". I had only one minute left before entering byoyomi. Murooka: Maybe 38.B'1h!?. I think 38.P9e is the best try in this bad position for black. You don't really worry about Px9e and it takes white a lot of time to make a decision. R.G.: After 38... Px9e I counted on 39.G'9d. I thought this was a very good move since 39... Lx9d fails to 40.B'9c K9b 41.+Bx6a, and after any other move I planned to play 40.Lx9e with a severe edge attack. However, when I showed this variation to Mr. Horiguchi Koji (5-dan professional) he at first looked very surprised and then said dryly: "Maybe not so effective". He showed some variations that lost easily for black. No wonder that after the game Miss Saida felt a bit sorry that she had not played 38... Px9e. 38... P5g+ 39.G6hx5g R.G.: After 39.G5hx5g I feared 39... S'5i. Although I still can't figure it all out, it is clear to me that black has to defend, because after 40.Px9d Sx6h+ 41.Kx6h R'4h 42.K7g Rx5g+ black has no mate (43.P9c+ K7a 44.B'4d P'5c) and white has (43... +Rx6g 44.Kx6g G'6f). In time trouble and counting on my 41st move I decide to sacrifice a gold for an extra attacking move. 39... P'5f 40.Px9d (60) Px5g+ (53) 41.B'6b!! Murooka: The Dutch champion shows his class. White can't accept black's offer: 41... Gx6b 42.P9c+ Lx9c 43.Lx9c+ K7a 44.G'8b mate. However, the black bishop also defends on the 5a-9e diagonal. R.G.: First byoyomi move. When I saw it while contemplating move 39 I knew it was a very good one. However, although 1 minute byoyomi is much more comfortable than 30 seconds, I couldn't look at all possible variations. I did have some hope of winning the game, though. After the game Miss Saida told me that she hadn't seen this move at all. It made me feel a little proud to see more than a professional. Unfortunately, my efforts would be wasted... 41... S'6i 42.K7g?? Murooka: 42.Kx6i was the best chance for black. I show you some variations: A) 42.K8h R'7h 44.K9g Lx9d and white can take the bishop and win. B) 42.Kx6i +Px5h 43.K7h +P6h! and then: 1) 44.Kx6h?? R5h+!! 45.Kx5h R'4h!! 46.Kx4h G'4g and mate. 2) 44.K7g?? R'7h 45.K8f Rx7f+ 46.K9e (46.Kx7f S7e 47.K7g G'7h mate) 46... +Rx8e 47.Kx8e G'8d 48.K8f R5f and mate follows. 3) 44.K8h R'7h 45.K9g P'9f 46.Kx9f Lx9d 47.P'9e Rx7f+ (white can't take the bishop now because of S'9c and mate) 48.G'8f Gx6b 49.S'9c K7a 50.Gx7f. In this line white still has the better position but it will take a lot of work to actually win it. R.G.: Throws away the last chance. All I could see in one minute was 42.Kx6i +Px5h 43.K7h +P6h and white has some new checks and the "safe" variation 42.K7g R'7h 43.K8f and I thought white could only play 43... S7e or 43... G'7e. In both cases I can take the general. 42... R'7h 43.K8f Rx7f+ R.G.: Oops. 44.Kx7f S7e and mate. 44.K9e Gx6b (60) R.G.: I should have resigned here, but I wasn't ready to do that. To revenge my loss, I give some more checks... 45.P9c+ Lx9c 46.Nx9c+ Kx9c 47.L'9d K8b 0-1