| Quest of the lost systems |
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| Chapter One: Yagura |
| Section 2: Formation with black Rook on 2i |
Moves from Diagram 4 :(from White)
P-7e; Px7e Bx7e; P-5e Px5e; Rx5e B-4b;
R-5i S-7d; N-2e S-2d; B-4f P-6d; P*7e Sx7e;
P*7f P-8f; Px8f Sx8f; Sx8f Rx8f; P*8g R-8b;
S*5a
After those moves, if White plays B-5c, Black can counter with the series
of moves: Nx1c- through P*5d. Thus, the game was another example to prove
that the center-attack worked. Tanigawa won this game, and went on to claim
the meijin title. He was just 20 years old when he played this game.
This R-on-2i formation is never played now. But why? A clue to the mystery
can be found in the following game. Take a look at Diagram 5, from a Mei-sho-sen
(now defunct) game, played by Yonenaga(b) and Kato(w) on October 31st, 1984.
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
+---------------------------+
|wL wN * * * * * wN wL |a
| * wR * * * * wG wK * |b White in hand: nothing
| * * wS wP * wG wS wP wP |c
|wP * wP wB wP wP wP * * |d
| * wP * * * * * * bP |e
| * * bP bP bP * bP bP * |f
|bP bP bS bG bB bP bN * * |g Black in hand: nothing
| * bK bG * * bS * * * |h
|bL bN * * * * * bR bL |i
+---------------------------+
Diagram 5. Yonenaga(b) vs Kato(w), up to K-8h.
The R-2i formation is essentially a passive strategy, in which Black
delays his/her plan until he/she sees how the opponent deals with the position.
This is exactly what White takes advantage of. White's answer at Diagram
5 is B-4b. You may say it's just a move waisted, but it evades in advance
a possible attack on B's head by P-6e, an effective countermeasure against
White's offence. This kind of slow move gives Black a headache, because
White will then play S-8d if Black does nothing about it.
Moves from Diagram 5: (from White)
B-4b; P-4f S-8d; N-2e S-2d; P-6e N-7c;
After White's B-4b, Black, seeing that P-6e was pointless, played P-4f
instead, only to give White enough time to build up the intended foothold:
S on 8d and N on 7c. The rest of the game went in favor of Kato, who eventually
won the game.
