From: Takako Noda <mxc06231 <at> ja2 <dot> so-net <dot> or <dot> jp>
Date: 24 feb 1997
Subject: "QUEST" Tsukata Special (6) *RESEND

* Sorry, the previous post was not wordwrapped.

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 6. 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.
(TO BE CONTINUED)