Tsukata Special: wondrous new discovery (1) Tsukata Special deserves to be called revolutionary, in the sense that its blitz-attack concept made a strong impact not only on the aigakari (double wing attack) but also on many other strategies. For instance, the furi-bisha openings which used to be regarded as rather passive strategies are now recognized as something that can be quite aggressive against slow tactics. Thus, offense is considered more important in today's game theory. The idea behind all this may well have been the Tsukata Special. The diagram 1 shows the very early stage of the game, which gives an impression that the players are yet to decide their openings. But here already, lurks a possibility of skirmish. 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 +--------------------------------------------+ White in hand: | wL | wN | | wG | wK | | wS | wN | wL | a +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | | | | wR | | wS | | | wG | wB | | b | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------+ | wP | | wP | | wP | wP | wP | wP | wP | c +-------------------------------------------- | | | | wP | | | | | | d +--------------------------------------------+ | | wP | | | | | | | | e +--------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | bR | | f +--------------------------------------------+ | bP | bP | bP | bP | bP | bP | bP | | bP | g +--------------------------------------------+ Black in hand: | | bB | bG | | | | bS | | | h +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | P | | bL | bN | bS | | bK | bG | | bN | bL | i | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------+ Diagram 1. P-6d After Diagram 1: (from black) P*2d, Px2d; Rx2d, P-1d; P-7f, P-8f; Px8f, Rx8f; P-1f, To drop P at 2d right after its exchange is a clever move, aiming at, of course, snatching P on 6d. After the above: (from white) R-8b; P-1e, Px1e: P*1d, P*2c; Rx6d, I can never forget the day I witnessed what was going to be called the Tsukata Special. It was one of the Osho League games, played by Yasuaki Tsukata and Makoto Nakahara, on August 22, 1986. I was right there next to them, because I was a record keeper. When I saw Black's P*2d, the honest reaction on my part was, "Tsukata-sensei doesn't know the joseki!?" It is not even joseki, but joshiki(obvious reasoning) that snatching P on 6d through P*2d, Px2d, Rx2d is impossible when S is at 3h, because White then will respond as P-1d, thereby claiming Black's N by P*2h in exchange for giving P on 6d. Therefore the Black Silver has to be at 3i. Tsukata-sensei, however, looked brimming with confidence, making P-7f. White then took a natural course, P-8f, Px8f, Rx8f, instead of S-6c, which would have met Black's B-7g to refuse P exchange. It was not until I saw Tsukata-sensei's P-1f that his intention dawned on me. For White's S-6c, he would attack from the first file as P-1e, Px1e, P*1d. What the Tsukata Special aims at are 1) snatching a P on 6d, and 2) a far-wing attack from P-1e. Nakahara carefully pulled his R back to 8b, but Tsukata determinedly proceeded, P-1e, Px1e, P*1d. At White's P*2c, Black made Rx6d. Moves afterwards: (from white) Rx8h+; Rx6b+, Gx6b; Sx8h, I was still dazed about those unusual opening moves, when suddenly White made Rx8h (if (b)Sx8h, then the famous B*8f), giving me another surprise. It was still before the lunch break. Tsukata-sensei undauntedly made Rx6b+ and then took R by Sx8h, which left me wondering which side was leading the game. Tsukata Special (2) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 +--------------------------------------------+ White in hand: | wL | wN | | | wK | | wS | wN | wL | a +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | R,B, 2Ps | | | | | wG | | | wG | wB | | b | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------+ | wP | | wP | | wP | wP | wP | wP | | c +-------------------------------------------- | | | | | | | | | bP | d +--------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | wP | e +--------------------------------------------+ | | | bP | | | | | | | f +--------------------------------------------+ | bP | | | bP | bP | bP | bP | | | g +--------------------------------------------+ Black in hand: | | bS | bG | | | | bS | | | h +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | R,S,2Ps | | bL | bN | | | bK | bG | | bN | bL | i | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------+ Diagram 2. Sx8h Moves after the diagram: (from white) P-3d; R*8c, B*7b; R-8g+, P-7d; P*8c, N-7c; P-8b+, B-5d; +P-8c, N-6e; K-4h, Lx1d; +P-7c, Gx7c; +R-8b, G-7b; +Rx9a, It was another clever move on Tsukata's part to promote his R at 8g. Nakahara tried to open his counter-attack by P-7d so that he could use his right N, to which Tsukata dropped P at 8c, then promoted it. It was now clear that Tsukata was leading the game. He maneuvered his pieces tactfully for the rest of the game, and won impressively. I remember Nakahara-sensei's pet phrase "Isn't it amazing?" was peppered all through the postmortem. I thought I saw something totally new, but I was wrong. Tsukata had just tried the same tactic against Koji Tosa at the NHK tournament. To my further amazement, it was not even Tsukata who first used it, but Osamu Nakamura, who tried a pilot scheme in the game with Toshio Miyata in the Ten'oh-sen. I have to confess that I didn't know all this until I wrote this chapter. Tsukata Special (3) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 +--------------------------------------------+ White in hand: | wL | wN | | wG | wK | | wS | wN | wL | a +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | 2Ps | | | | | | | | wG | wB | | b | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------+ | wP | | wP | wS | wP | wP | wP | | | c +-------------------------------------------- | | | | wP | | | | bR | WP | d +--------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | e +--------------------------------------------+ | | wR | bP | | | | | | bP | f +--------------------------------------------+ | bP | | | bP | bP | bP | bP | | | g +--------------------------------------------+ Black in hand: | | bB | bG | | | | bS | | | h +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | 2Ps | | bL | bN | bS | | bK | bG | | bN | bL | i | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------+ Diagram 3. Tsukata(b) vs Tosa(w), S-6c The diagram 3 shows an aspect from the NHK tournament game played by Tsukata(b) and Tosa(w) on June 30, 1986, which happens to be a variation of the aforementioned game, where White chose S-6c instead of R-8b. Moves from the diagram: (from black) P-1e, P*2c; R-2e, Px1e; P*1d, R-8b; Rx1e, P-3d; P*8g, P*1b; R-1f, The first file attack worked, which set the game in Black's favor. The Tsukata Special thus made its grand entrance, which influenced not only ibisha players but also furi-bisha players. It also became a target, to which many players devised their own counter-attacks. Tsukata himself didn't consider it good enough to become a regular strategy, and vaguely anticipated some countermeasure would come up after a time. The points under scrutiny then were: 1) Which is better, S-6b or S-6c? 2) When is the optimum timing for pushing up the far-wing Pawn? 3) Should K-4b be made before P-6d? etc. Tsukata, however, turned out to be a tough opponent to those would-be assassins. He gradually improved his system by making adjustment each time he was challenged. At the same time, other players began to try the system for themselves. When Akira Shima used it with black, Tsukata had to play against his own system. The most exciting of all those challenges to Tsukata would be that of Habu, a super rookie, who did not even have a year's experience after his debut in the professional world. Tsukata Special (4) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 +--------------------------------------------+ White in hand: | wL | wN | wG | | wK | | wS | wN | wL | a +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | 2Ps | | | | wS | | | | wG | wB | | b | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------+ | wP | | wP | | wP | wP | wP | | | c +-------------------------------------------- | | | | wP | | | | bR | wP | d +--------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | e +--------------------------------------------+ | | wR | bP | | | | | | bP | f +--------------------------------------------+ | bP | | | bP | bP | bP | bP | | | g +--------------------------------------------+ Black in hand: | | bB | bG | | | | bS | | | h +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | 2Ps | | bL | bN | bS | | bK | bG | | bN | bL | i | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------+ Diagram 4. Tsukata(b) vs Habu(w), up to G-7a The game, Tsukata vs Habu, took place on October 14, 1986, in the Zen-Nippon Pro-Tournament. G-7a was Habu's answer to the Tsukata Special. If Tsukata made R-6d here, he would have nothing to exchange his R for, in the event of White's Rx8h+. And another thing: Habu won't have to worry about Black's drop of P on 8b, if he shifts his R to, say, 7f. Moves after the diagram: (from Black) P-1e, Px1e; P*1d, P*2c; R-2e, P-1f; R-2f, In response to White's P*2c, Tsukata pulled his R one square back, and then another step back alongside White's P-1f. Smart moves. Moves afterwards: (from White) R-8b; Rx1f, P*8f; P*8e, Rx8e; N-7g, R-5e; S-6h, P*1b; P-7e, Rx7e; Rx8f, P*8b; K-4h, White has gained a Pawn up to this stage, but its R is in a difficult position to work effectively. All in all, Black seems to enjoy a slight advantage. After this, however, Habu tried hard to make the game even- positioned, until he made a fiasco past the middlegame, which eventually inflicted a defeat on him. Moves afterwards: (from White) P-3d; P-9f, S-4b; K-3i, K-4a; R-8d, P-3e; B-9g, R-4e; P-5f, P-9d; B-8h, R-4d; S-5g, P-1c; S-4f, Px1d; Sx3e, R-5d; R-8f, P-1e; B-7i, P-6e; K-2h, P-1f; P*1e, P-6f; Px6f, Lx1e; P*1h, B-1c; P-6e, N-3c; The last move, (w)N-3c was the irrevocable mistake. Then followed P*2d, P*3d; S-2f, Bx2d; Bx2d, Px2d; Sx1e, Habu's pure loss of L on 1e tolled his funeral. Tsukata Special (5) The following is from the final round of the B-2 Jun-i-sen in 1986, in which Tsukata and Nakamura were competing with each other for a B-1 berth. Only they didn't play each other in their final games. The situation was, Tsukata's win would automatically give him the ticket, while Nakamura would need a win plus Tsukata's loss for his promotion. 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 +--------------------------------------------+ White in hand: | wL | wN | | wG | wK | | wS | wN | wL | a +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | 2Ps | | | wR | | wS | | | wG | wB | | b | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------+ | wP | | wP | | wP | wP | wP | | | c +-------------------------------------------- | | | | wP | | | | bR | wP | d +--------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | e +--------------------------------------------+ | | | bP | | | | | | bP | f +--------------------------------------------+ | bP | | | bP | bP | bP | bP | | | g +--------------------------------------------+ Black in hand: | | bB | bG | | | | bS | | | h +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | 2Ps | | bL | bN | bS | | bK | bG | | bN | bL | i | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------+ Diagram 5. Tsukata(b) vs Yoshida(w), up to R-8b. Tsukata was playing Yoshikatsu Yoshida( then 7-dan, retired now), who happened to be the very first player to invent the nimble P*2d (in hineri-bisha, though). The record keeper was again me, who since that day had been fascinated by Tsukata-sensei and following him. Moves after the diagram: (from black) Rx6d, Rx8h+; Rx6b+, Gx6b; Sx8h, Among the countermeasures the Tsukata Special encountered after its debut, there was P*8f in response to black's P-1e in a game against Hiroji Kato (now retired), which didn't make Tsukata happy. So, he skipped moving along the first file in this game, and just shifted his R to 6d. The rest proceeded like the first game. Moves afterwards: (from white) P-3d; R*8c, B*5d; R-8b+, P*2g; G-3i, P-1e; +Rx9a, Bx8h+; Gx8h, R*7i; S*6i, Yoshida attacked from the first file, but it didn't work. Tsukata won this game, and was promoted to B-1. The game ended exceptionally early, at 3 :40 pm. Indeed, I'd never known a Jun-i-sen game that wrapped up earlier than this in my experience as a record keeper. The Tsukata Special became a boom, which culminated in Tsukata's establishing 22 consecutive wins, the record of the longest winning streak at the time. Then, other players like Yonenaga began using this strategy, which accelerated investigation to find an antidote. The one who finally stood against the Tsukata Special was Kohji Tanigawa (now Ryu-oh, the highest-prize-money title, approx. US$300,000 ). Tsukata Special (6) Tanigawa played Yonenaga on June 29, 1987, which decided the challenger for the Oh-i-sen. 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 +--------------------------------------------+ Tanigawa in hand: | wL | wN | | wG | wK | | wS | wN | wL | a +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | | | | wR | wS | | | | wG | wB | | b | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------+ | wP | | wP | wP | wP | wP | wP | wP | wP | c +-------------------------------------------- | | | | | | | | | | d +--------------------------------------------+ | | wP | | | | | | | | e +--------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | bR | | f +--------------------------------------------+ | bP | bP | bP | bP | bP | bP | bP | | bP | g +--------------------------------------------+ Yonenaga in hand: | | bB | bG | | | | | | | h +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | | | bL | bN | bS | | bK | bG | bS | bN | bL | i | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------+ Diagram 5. Yonenaga(b) vs Tanigawa(w), up to S-7b. Tanigawa moved his right S to 7b. A standardized move in the aigakari opening now. S-6b is almost obsolete these days. Most people make S-7b, without even thinking about it, it seems. S-7b does make sense against the hineri-bisha, but the idea began as a countermeasure against the Tsukata Special. Moves from the diagram: (from black) P-1f, P-1d; S-3h, P-6d; P-7f, P-8f; Px8f, Rx8f; P*2d, Px2d; Rx2d, R-8b; Rx6d, Compared with the Tsukata-Yoshida game (described in the previous posting), the only difference so far is the S-7b, where Yoshida made S-6b. The next move, however, reveals what Tanigawa had up his sleeve: P-3d. The move aims at a) after exchanging Bs, to drop B at 8f, a K-R fork, and b) to drop P at 2g. P-3d has to precede P-drop on 2g. Otherwise, black would shift his R to 2d, which would nullify White's intention. What if Black responds with Rx3d to P-3d? White would then make: Bx8h+, Sx8h, and P*6f, handing Black a devastated position. Yonenaga was forced into long deliberation, trying to come up with an idea to cope with all these threats. After 75 minutes, he made... K-4h, P*2g; G-3i, P*6h; Black's camp received a deadly blow with brilliant P-drops: After dropping a Pawn on 2g which would be hard for the opponent to take, Tanigawa dropped another P at 6h, which Yonenaga simply could not get rid of. Moves afterwards: (from black) P*8g, P-6i+; Bx2b+, Sx2b; S-8h, P-2h+; Gx2h, B*5e; R-6e, +P-6h; Rx5e, +Px7h; In exchange for B, Tanigawa took G, with S practically in hand (2-mai- gae), thereby establishing dominance over Yonenaga at this point. >From then on: (from Black) Rx5c+, G*5b; +R-5f, +Px8h; B*9f, S*6c; As was shown above, Tanigawa lavishly used pieces just captured to solidify his own camp, claiming the victory. The S-7b was said to be the fatal blow, and no one dared to take up the Tsukata Special thereafter. That is, no one but Tsukata himself. Tsukata alone was undaunted, revising and developing the strategy to prove his P*2d is viable. Tsukata Special (7)---The final showdown, Tsukata vs Tanigawa 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 +--------------------------------------------+ Tanigawa in hand: | wL | wN | | wG | wK | | wS | wN | wL | a +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | 2Ps | | | wR | wS | | | | wG | wB | | b | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------+ | | | wP | | wP | wP | wP | | | c +-------------------------------------------- | wP | | | bR | | | | | wP | d +--------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | e +--------------------------------------------+ | bP | | bP | | | | | | bP | f +--------------------------------------------+ | | | | bP | bP | bP | bP | | | g +--------------------------------------------+ Tsukata in hand: | | bB | bG | | | | bS | | | h +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | 3Ps | | bL | bN | bS | | bK | bG | | bN | bL | i | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------+ The game took place on 12, February, 1991, with Tsukata playing Black. The only difference from the Yonenaga-Tanigawa game just described, is that both players pushed Ps along the 9th file, which means, for Black, to widen his front by N-7g, in response to White's P-3d. If his P remained at 9g, his B would be killed at White's P*8g. Moves afterwards: (from White) Rx8h+; Rx6a+, Sx6a; Sx8h, At this point, Tsukata has exchanged his R for Tanigawa's G, seemingly an advantageous deal for him compared with the former R-S exchange, but shogi can't be explained solely in terms of material transaction. The next move from Tanigawa was ...R*8b! This move, an R drop in his own camp, turned out to be the trump card against the Tsukata Special. That was what the S-7b was all about. If White had been prepared with the S-6b formation, he would have been countered with Black's S*7a at his R*8b. Here we can see that all Black's intended attacks are likely to be suppressed, with slim chances to keep the front. Moves afterwards: (from Black) G*7a, S-5b; R*7b, R-8c; P*8d, Rx8d; P*8e, R-8c; Gx8a, Rx8a; Rx7c+, G*6b; Tsukata chose to stay on the offensive starting with G*7a, only to meet Tanigawa's calm parrying moves, which killed all the threats from Tsukata. The game ended in an impressive victory on Tanigawa's part, which marked the real end of the Tsukata Special. Later, after I became a professional myself, I had a chance to ask Tsukata-sensei about how his system was born. "At the kenkyu-kai (practice-game meeting), Nakamura-san (Osamu Nakamura, now 8-dan) first played it. After that, he played it against Mr. Miyata (Toshio Miyata, now 7-dan) in an official meet, and that was it. You see, Nakamura-san never plays the same thing twice. But I thought there must be more to it, and investigated it further myself. The first game I played in this style was in the NHK TV tournament against Mr.Tosa (Koji Tosa, now 6-dan). Oddly enough, it was Nakamura-san who acted as a commentator for the viewers then." "I didn't think it would last this long myself. It would be crushed soon enough, I thought, but turned out tougher than I expected. The system got me many wins, like twenty-two consecutive wins, and took me from the B-2 to the A-class." "The most exciting part was to see it actually got better as I hung on." "When I look back, the games that come to mind are those with Nakahara, Yoshida (who is the very first to conceive this idea), and Tanigawa." "Against Mr.Tanigawa, those pushing Ps on the 9th file were what I had in mind before the game, where I was planning to put N on 7g for his P- 3d. But Mr.Tanigawa's R*8b totally surprised me. I have to say, that did it. Yes, that was the end of it." "I sure would like to revive the system, but the problem is: Whether my opponent is willing to take me on." "People just pull their R back to 8b, even at P*2d in the hineri-bisha opening, when I'm sitting opposite them. They just evade it, you know, leaving me in the cold. But, I haven't quite given up!" The Tsukata Special indeed received a fatal blow in the Tsukata-Tanigawa game, but the system's concept was succeeded into the hineri-bisha, which spurred its popularity. The key word was just mentioned from Tsukata: P*2d. We will next see the history of the hineri-bisha opening. Tsukata Special (8) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 +--------------------------------------------+ White in hand: | wL | wN | | wG | | wK | | wN | wL | a +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | P | | | | wS | | | wS | wG | wB | | b | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------+ | | | wP | | wP | wP | wP | wP | wP | c +-------------------------------------------- | wP | | | wP | | | | | | d +--------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | e +--------------------------------------------+ | bP | wR | bP | | | | bR | | | f +--------------------------------------------+ | | | bN | bP | bP | bP | bP | | bP | g +--------------------------------------------+ Black in hand: | | bB | bG | | | bK | bS | | | h +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | 2Ps | | bL | | bS | | | bG | | bN | bL | i | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------+ Diagram 8. Hineri-bisha killer. One of the countermeasures for White against the hineri-bisha is not to open its B path. The diagram 8 shows the reason why the hineri-bisha was unpopular for a certain period of time. What should be noted is: S-7b and P-9d. White can efficiently solidate its fort, since G doesn't have to move to 3c to protect P on 3d. Black's R-3f should be one vain move. A few words about the R-3f: As long as White's R stays at 8f, Black can't push its P to 7e for hineri-bisha. Hence, R-3f, so that he can make P-7e. White should avoid exchanging Rs because of its yet-to-be- solidified camp. R-3f when there is no P on 3d is called neko-fu-dori (Cat's Fu-Trap), where R is likened to a cat crouching in front of a hole waiting for a mouse (fu) to come out. Instead of R-3f, Black devised a way to force White to pull its R back to 8b, based on the Tsukata Special concept. Tsukata Special (9) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 +--------------------------------------------+ Maruyama in hand: | wL | wN | | wG | | wK | | wN | wL | a +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | P | | | | wS | | | wS | wG | wB | | b | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------+ | | | wP | | wP | wP | wP | wP | | c +-------------------------------------------- | wP | | | wP | | | | | wP | d +--------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | e +--------------------------------------------+ | bP | wR | bP | | | | | bR | bP | f +--------------------------------------------+ | | | bN | bP | bP | bP | bP | | | g +--------------------------------------------+ Habu in hand: | | bB | bG | | | bK | bS | | | h +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | 2Ps | | bL | | bS | | | bG | | bN | bL | i | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------ Diagram 9. Habu vs Maruyama, up to K-4a Major moves prior to the diagram 9 were P-1f, P-1d followed by S-3h, then P-7f after seeing White's P-6d. White chose its R to stay on 8f, thus the diagram 9 is quite like the diagram 8. The game was played by Yoshiharu Habu(b) and Tadahisa Maruyama(w) on 10th, Feb., 1992 (NHK TV tournament), which should be a good example to prove the point I was about to refer to. The Tsukata Special inspired an idea of parsimony of moves into the hineri-bisha opening. In this game, the hineri-bisha side, Habu, opened fire at this moment. Moves after the diagram: (from Black) P*2d, Px2d; Rx2d, .... The idea is exactly that of the Tsukata Special: By P drop on 2d, Black schemes of taking P on 6d. If White makes S-6c, Black attacks along the first file, P-1e, Px1e, P*1c. Moves afterwards: (from White) .... P-3d; P-1e, P*2c; Rx3d, B-4d; Px1d, S-3c; R-3f, S-6c; P-1c+, Nx1c; P*2f, .... The last move cited, P*2f is a calm, good one. At this point, Black is dominant. The recent trend is: Whatever moves Habu makes are accepted by other players, and accredited as Joseki without fully analyzing them. To my surprise, however, a quick attack P*2d did not always turn out successful. Tsukata Special (10) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 +--------------------------------------------+ Nakahara in hand: | wL | wN | | wG | | wK | | wN | wL | a +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | 2Ps | | | | wS | | | wS | wG | wB | | b | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------+ | | | wP | | wP | wP | wP | | | c +-------------------------------------------- | wP | | | wP | | | | bR | wP | d +--------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | e +--------------------------------------------+ | bP | wR | bP | | | | | | bP | f +--------------------------------------------+ | | | bN | bP | bP | bP | bP | | | g +--------------------------------------------+ Yonenaga in hand: | | bB | bG | | | bK | bS | | | h +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | 2Ps | | bL | | bS | | | bG | | bN | bL | i | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------ Diagram 10. Yonenaga(b) vs Nakahara(w), up to Rx2d. Black's P*2d does not always bring about a positional advantage. Kunio Yonenaga played Makoto Nakahara in the final of the NHK TV Tournament, on March 6, 1995, in which Yonenaga, Black, chose exactly the same pattern of attack. Moves after the diagram:(from White) .... P-3d; Rx3d, B-4d; Then the game sank into one of those difficult games, with White suffering one P loss, which eventually ended with Nakahara's win. Moves afterwards:(from Black) R-3f, R-8b; P-7e, P*2h; N-1g, N-3c; G-3i, G-2c; S-2g, G-2d; .......... Tsukata Special (11) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 +--------------------------------------------+ White in hand: | wL | wN | | wG | wK | | wS | wN | wL | a +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | P | | | | wS | | | | wG | wB | | b | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------+ | wP | | wP | | wP | wP | wP | wP | | c +-------------------------------------------- | | | | wP | | | | | wP | d +--------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | e +--------------------------------------------+ | bP | wR | bP | | | | | bR | bP | f +--------------------------------------------+ | | | bN | bP | bP | bP | bP | | | g +--------------------------------------------+ Black in hand: | | bB | bG | | | bK | bS | | | h +------------------+ +--------------------------------------------+ | 2Ps | | bL | | bS | | | bG | | bN | bL | i | | +--------------------------------------------+ +------------------ Diagram 11. Up to P-9f As I studied more game records, I discovered an interesting pattern on White's part. At the above phase, shown in the diagram 11, most of the White players simply pulled their R back to 8b, or did so after making P-9d first, thereby giving Black an advantage of saving one move of R-3f. But why? Wasn't this what Black was hoping for? Why play right into the opponent's hands? The reasons I can think of are: 1) White just wanted to avoid P*2d, even if he had to give Black a one- move advantage. 2) White was no longer afraid of the hineri-bisha, since the Left-Kin Mino formation( with S-4b & G-3b) got popular spreading the idea that it demolishes the hineri-bisha. But now, the hineri-bisha popularity is again on the rise, and those who play White against it have to give a serious thought as to its countermeasures. Let me give you a few examples how the hineri-bisha prevails these days. The eighth round of the A-class Jun-i-sen played on Feb.,8, 1995 saw two exactly the same hineri-bisha openings in Tanigawa(b)-Shima(w) and Yonenaga(b)-Minami(w) games. They couldn't have known that the other pair was playing exactly the same manner up to 42nd move, since their rooms were separated. The play-off to decide the meijin challenger for that year played by Nakahara(b)-Morishita(w), was also a hineri-bisha game. It was quite rare that hineri-bisha should be used so frequently in the A-class Jun-i-sen games, which usually stick to the double-ibisha openings. The Tsukata Special has seemingly disappeared, but survived in disguise in hineri-bisha. The hineri-bisha popularity can be traced back to those ideas that shaped the Tsukata Special, which imbued fresh breath to aigakari and hineri-bisha openings. I would like to say the Tsukata Special came to a full circle after five years' life, rather than to an end. (End of Tsukata-Special) Takako Noda