Chapter 3 Kaku-Kawari (Bishop Exchange Opening)

Section 2 Bo-Gin
SECTION 2 Kaku-kawari Bo-Gin
History of trial-and-error

The kaku-kawari bo-gin may seem simple at a glance, but is profound in its own right. You may ask, what's so profound about the bo-gin? Let me begin with the basic idea and the successful position it leads to. Look at Diagram 1. Take note that White's Silver is on 6c and a Pawn on 1d.

White in hand: B 
  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
+---------------------------+
|wL wN  * wG wK  *  * wN wL |a
| * wR  *  *  *  * wG  *  * |b
|wP  * wP wS wP wP wS wP  * |c
| *  *  * wP  *  * wP  * wP |d
| * wP  *  *  *  *  * bP  * |e
| *  * bP  *  *  *  * bS bP |f
|bP bP bS bP bP bP bP  *  * |g
| *  * bG  *  *  *  * bR  * |h
|bL bN  *  * bK bG  * bN bL |i
+---------------------------+
Black in hand: B 
Diagram 1  Up to S-6c

Moves from Diagram 1
1.P-1e Px1e 2.Sx1e Lx1e
3.Lx1e P*1c 4.P*1b S-2b
5.B*6f
(Diagram 2)

The third move cited above, Sx1e, is a well-known tesuji. The rest of the moves are no less famous.

White in hand: B S 
  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
+---------------------------+
|wL wN  * wG wK  *  * wN  * |a
| * wR  *  *  *  * wG wS bP |b
|wP  * wP wS wP wP  * wP wP |c
| *  *  * wP  *  * wP  *  * |d
| * wP  *  *  *  *  * bP bL |e
| *  * bP bB  *  *  *  *  * |f
|bP bP bS bP bP bP bP  *  * |g
| *  * bG  *  *  *  * bR  * |h
|bL bN  *  * bK bG  * bN  * |i
+---------------------------+
Black in hand: L 
Diagram 2.  Up to 5. B*6f

At Diagram 2, the position is in favor of Black. He has two effective moves to play: P1a+ and L*8d.

But you cannot be too optimistic about it. Bo-gin may be effective against the reclining Silver, which White in Diagram 1 is likely to play. But against the haya-guri-gin, it is said to be not effective. Next I will explain how these tactics fare against each other.

Let me remind you that the reclining Silver side usually plays P-4d, and P-4e, thereby restraining the haya-guri-gin player's moves. So, we cannot tell at all which one is the best of the three tactics: bo-gin(climbing Silver), haya-guri-gin(rushing Silver), and koshikake-gin(reclining Silver). Doesn't this strike you as intriguing?

Now we will look into the history to see how the haya-guri-gin had its day against the bo-gin.

Moves from the very beginning:
1.P-7f P-8d 2.G-7h G-3b
3.P-2f P-8e 4.B-7g P-3d
5.S-8h Bx7g+ 6.Sx7g S-2b
7.S-3h S-7b 8.P-2e S-3c
9.S-2g P-7d 10.S-2f S-7c
11.S-1e B*5d 12.B*3h P-4d (Diagram 3)

White in hand: nothing
  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
+---------------------------+
|wL wN  * wG wK  *  * wN wL |a
| * wR  *  *  *  * wG  *  * |b
|wP  * wS wP wP  * wS wP wP |c
| *  * wP  * wB wP wP  *  * |d
| * wP  *  *  *  *  * bP bS |e
| *  * bP  *  *  *  *  *  * |f
|bP bP bS bP bP bP bP  * bP |g
| *  * bG  *  *  * bB bR  * |h
|bL bN  *  * bK bG  * bN bL |i
+---------------------------+
Black in hand: nothing
Diagram 3  Up to 12. P-4d.
The B*5d as a countermeasure to Black's bo-gin was first played by Masao Tsukada. Kozo Masuda's answer to that as a Black player was B*3h. It was back in 1950's that these moves were played. Yasuharu Oyama played many kaku-kawari games in which he mainly played White. The players wracked their brains how to realize a favorable position after (w)P-4d. Thus, the position in question(Diagram 3) was a pet problem for them, from which they refined the tactics move by move through trial and error. Now, there are two effective moves to play by Black: P-2d and K-6h. Let me show you two actual game records where Black successfully steered the game in his favor.

First, from the Aono-Nakahara game played in 1989 as the Oh-za-sen, No1. They had exactly the same position as shown in Diagram 3.

Moves from Diagram 3:
1.P-2d Px2d 2.Sx2d Sx2d
3.Rx2d G-3c (Diagram 4)

White in hand: S P 
  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
+---------------------------+
|wL wN  * wG wK  *  * wN wL |a
| * wR  *  *  *  *  *  *  * |b
|wP  * wS wP wP  * wG  * wP |c
| *  * wP  * wB wP wP bR  * |d
| * wP  *  *  *  *  *  *  * |e
| *  * bP  *  *  *  *  *  * |f
|bP bP bS bP bP bP bP  * bP |g
| *  * bG  *  *  * bB  *  * |h
|bL bN  *  * bK bG  * bN bL |i
+---------------------------+
Black in hand: S P 
Diagram 4. Up to 3. G-3c.
The last move, (w)G-3c, was a natural good move, preventing the Black's Rook from penetrating into White's camp. If Black plays R-2h here, the following will await him: P*2g, Rx2g, Bx2g, Bx2g, R-2b. Not very promising for Black.

Moves from diagram 4:

1.R-2e S*2d 2.R-2h R-2b
3.S-6f P*2g 4.Rx2g Bx2g+
5.Bx2g S-3e 6.P*2h (Diagram 5)

White in hand: R 
  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
+---------------------------+
|wL wN  * wG wK  *  * wN wL |a
| *  *  *  *  *  *  * wR  * |b
|wP  * wS wP wP  * wG  * wP |c
| *  * wP  *  * wP wP  *  * |d
| * wP  *  *  *  * wS  *  * |e
| *  * bP bS  *  *  *  *  * |f
|bP bP  * bP bP bP bP bB bP |g
| *  * bG  *  *  *  * bP  * |h
|bL bN  *  * bK bG  * bN bL |i
+---------------------------+
Black in hand: B S P 
Diagram 5. Up to 6. P*2h.
Aono played R-2e, temporarily, to induce White's S*2d, then took the Rook back on 2h. Playing S-6f, bringing pressure on Bishop's head, Black exchanged R for B. At Diagram 5, Black enjoys a better position, with Bishop and Silver in hand.

Moves from diagram 5:
P-4e 7.S-5e K-4b
8.G-3h P-7e 9.Bx4e G-5b
10.P-3f S-4d 11.Sx4d Gx4d
12.B*8h (Diagram 6)

White in hand: R S 
  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
+---------------------------+
|wL wN  *  *  *  *  * wN wL |a
| *  *  *  * wG wK  * wR  * |b
|wP  * wS wP wP  *  *  * wP |c
| *  *  *  *  * wG wP  *  * |d
| * wP wP  *  * bB  *  *  * |e
| *  * bP  *  *  * bP  *  * |f
|bP bP  * bP bP bP  *  * bP |g
| * bB bG  *  *  * bG bP  * |h
|bL bN  *  * bK  *  * bN bL |i
+---------------------------+
Black in hand: S2 P2 
Diagram 6. Up to 12. B*8h.
Black's S-5e through B*8h was a series of smart moves.

After Diagram 6:
S*5e 13.B-5f S7c-6d 14.B-8c+ N-7c
15.P-5f

Black continued playing skillfully, ending up taking White's S on 5e, which secured Black's victory.

Back at (b)S-6f, what would have happened if White had played S-2e? Actually, we have another game record with that very move in it.

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