Chapter 3 Kaku-Kawari (Bishop Exchange Opening)

SECTION 2 Kaku-kawari Bo-Gin
Tanaka-Izumi Game/Habu-Tanaka Game

Diagram 9 is from the Torahiko Tanaka-Masaki Izumi game played on July 2, 1993, as a preliminary in the Kisei-sen.

White: Izuzmi
White in hand: S 
  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
+---------------------------+
|wL wN  * wG wK  *  * wN wL |a
| *  *  *  *  *  *  * wR  * |b
|wP  * wS wP wP  * wG  *  * |c
| *  * wP  * wB wP wP wP wP |d
| * wP  *  *  *  *  *  *  * |e
| *  * bP  *  *  *  * bR  * |f
|bP bP bS bP bP bP bP  * bP |g
| *  * bG  *  *  * bB  *  * |h
|bL bN  *  * bK bG  * bN bL |i
+---------------------------+
Black: Tanaka
Black in hand: S P 
Diagram 9 Tanaka-izumi, up to R-2b.
Prior to the Diagram, Izumi had played P*2d instead of N-1c, then R-2b. At the Diagram you can see that the G on 3c is secured by the N, thereby preventing +Rx3c, which was a devastating variation in the game we just saw.

Moves from Diagram 9:
1.R-5f   K-4b     
2.R-5e!
Tanaka's R-5f was the same move he made in Tanaka-Takahashi game, and then R-5e: a good move.

         P-2e     
3.Rx8e   P-6d     
4.P*2h   P-2f   
5.G-3i   G-4c     
6.S-6f   N-3c     
7.R-8c+     (Diagram 10)
White: Izuzmi
White in hand: S 
  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
+---------------------------+
|wL wN  * wG  *  *  *  * wL |a
| *  *  *  *  * wK  * wR  * |b
|wP bR+wS  * wP wG wN  *  * |c
| *  * wP wP wB wP wP  * wP |d
| *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * |e
| *  * bP bS  *  *  * wP  * |f
|bP bP  * bP bP bP bP  * bP |g
| *  * bG  *  *  * bB bP  * |h
|bL bN  *  * bK  * bG bN bL |i
+---------------------------+
Black: Tanaka
Black in hand: S P 
Diagram 10. Up to 7. R-8c+.
Tanaka's Rook finally made it in the opponent's camp and got promoted. A series of smart moves on Tanaka's part. But the story doesn't end there. It was Tanaka himself who devised an effective counterattack against his own K-6h. In the A-class Jun-i-sen game, played on January 12th, 1994, Habu played this K-6h Bo-gin against Tanaka, the originator.

White: Tanaka
White in hand: nothing
  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
+---------------------------+
|wL wN  * wG wK  *  * wN wL |a
| * wR  *  *  *  * wG wS  * |b
|wP  * wS wP wP  *  * wP wP |c
| *  * wP  * wB wP wP  *  * |d
| * wP  *  *  *  *  * bP bS |e
| *  * bP  *  *  *  *  *  * |f
|bP bP bS bP bP bP bP  * bP |g
| *  * bG bK  *  * bB bR  * |h
|bL bN  *  *  * bG  * bN bL |i
+---------------------------+
Black: Habu
Black in hand: nothing
Diagram 11. Habu(b)-Tanaka(w), up to S-2b.
At Diagram 11, Habu had just played K-6h, and Tanaka pulled his Silver back to 2b. So, Tanaka's answer was to refuse the Silver exchange. The idea of S-2b itself was not a new one, but it has long been considered to be too passive, and therefore not a very good move.

I should also add that this very move of S-2b did appear a while before in another A-class Jun-i-sen game, in which Tanaka played against Tsukada. It was Tsukada who played S-2b and won the game. Tanaka played the same move against Habu, who played Tanaka's K-6h.

Moves from Diagram 11:
1.P-2d   Px2d     
2.Sx2d   P*2c     
3.S-1e   S-6d     
4.P-4f   R-8d  
The last move, R-8d, means that it gets out of the Black's Bishop path beforehand. Once his R is on in the safe spot, white can concentrate on the offensive. Black's King being on 6h, closer to the 7th file where an attack is likely to take place, is an encouraging factor for White.

Moves thereafter:
5.B-2g   Bx2g+    
6.Rx2g   K-4b     
7.P-4e   S-5e     
8.Px4d   Sx4d   
9.P-3f   N-3c    
10.S-2f   S-4e   (Diagram 12)
White: Tanaka
White in hand: B P 
  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
+---------------------------+
|wL wN  * wG  *  *  *  * wL |a
| *  *  *  *  * wK wG wS  * |b
|wP  *  * wP wP  * wN wP wP |c
| * wR wP  *  *  * wP  *  * |d
| * wP  *  *  * wS  *  *  * |e
| *  * bP  *  *  * bP bS  * |f
|bP bP bS bP bP  *  * bR bP |g
| *  * bG bK  *  *  *  *  * |h
|bL bN  *  *  * bG  * bN bL |i
+---------------------------+
Black: Habu
Black in hand: B P2 
Diagram 12. Up to 10. S-4e.
At Diagram 12, the position is in favor of White.

Moves from Diagram 12:
11.P-3e   S-3f    
12.R-2h   B*4f   
13.R-1h   N-4e    
14.G-5h   G-5b    
15.Px3d   P-7e    
16.S-6f   P-8f   
17.Px8f   Px7f    
18.R-3h   P*3g    
19.R-2h   P*4g    
20.K-7i   P-3h+ 
21.Rx3h   S-2g=   
22.R-3i   Bx1i+   

Tanaka won this game comfortably, but there was an inadvertent by-product as well: He had revealed an effective antidote to his own theory. There has been much investigation to find an answer to S-2b, but so far to no avail. So, K-6h had to follow innumerable other momentarily brilliant moves. Now it is history.

Yet another problem for the bo-gin player to solve is the position with White's S and P on 7c and 1d, respectively.

White in hand: B 
  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
+---------------------------+
|wL wN  * wG wK  *  * wN wL |a
| * wR  *  *  *  * wG  *  * |b
|wP  * wS wP 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 13. Up to S-7c.

1.P-1e   Px1e     
2.Sx1e   Lx1e     
3.Lx1e   P*1f     
4.P*1h   S-4d   
5.P-2d   (Diagram 14)

White in hand: B S 
  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
+---------------------------+
|wL wN  * wG wK  *  * wN  * |a
| * wR  *  *  *  * wG  *  * |b
|wP  * wS wP wP wP  * wP  * |c
| *  * wP  *  * wS wP bP  * |d
| * wP  *  *  *  *  *  * bL |e
| *  * bP  *  *  *  *  * wP |f
|bP bP bS bP bP bP bP  *  * |g
| *  * bG  *  *  *  * bR bP |h
|bL bN  *  * bK bG  * bN  * |i
+---------------------------+
Black in hand: B L 
Diagram 14. Up to 5. P-2d.
Nothing new on black's attack along the 1st file. White's P*1f is also a common measure. The question is whether Black should play P-2d or not.

Moves from Diagram 14:
         B*1i     
6.R-2g   Px2d     
7.Rx2d   S*2c     
8.R-2f   S-3e   
9.R-5f   B-2h+   
10.Rx5c+  P*5b    
11.+R-5f  +Bx2i   
12.L*2g   (Diagram 15)

White in hand: N 
  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
+---------------------------+
|wL wN  * wG wK  *  * wN  * |a
| * wR  *  * wP  * wG  *  * |b
|wP  * wS wP  * wP  * wS  * |c
| *  * wP  *  *  * wP  *  * |d
| * wP  *  *  *  * wS  * bL |e
| *  * bP  * bR+ *  *  * wP |f
|bP bP bS bP bP bP bP bL  * |g
| *  * bG  *  *  *  *  * bP |h
|bL bN  *  * bK bG  * wB+ * |i
+---------------------------+
Black in hand: B P2 
Diagram 15. Up to 12. L*2g.
Above is the position you are most likely to get to, which is difficult for either side.

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