From: Reijer Grimbergen ETL GO JP> Date: 6 nov 1997 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 711, November 5th 1997) Last week I already reported on the second game of the Ryu-O match between Tanigawa and Sanada. I said that it seemed a rather one-sided victory for Tanigawa. However, as the Shukan Shogi analysis showed, Sanada was much closer to victory than I thought. Here are the comments (which can also be found at http://www.etl.go.jp:8080/etl/suiron/~grimberg/SHOGI/kifu.html): Black: Tanigawa, Ryu-O White: Sanada, Challenger 10th Ryu-O sen, Game 2, October 28th and 29th 1997 1.P7g-7f 0/0 0/0 2.P8c-8d 0/0 2/2 3.G6i-7h 2/2 0/2 4.G4a-3b 0/2 2/4 5.S7i-6h 7/9 0/4 6.P3c-3d 0/9 2/6 7.B8h-7g 0/9 0/6 In the first game of this match, it was kind of surprising to see Tanigawa choose a Furibisha strategy. Since this is not his natural strategy, he was expected to use it only if he would get a comfortable lead in the match. This game's opening is no surprise, though. Tanigawa is a specialist in the Kakugawari (Bishop Exchange) opening. 8.P8d-8e 0/9 3/9 9.S3i-3h 1/10 0/9 10.S7a-7b 0/10 1/10 11.P2g-2f 7/17 0/10 12.B2bx7g+ 0/17 2/12 13.S6hx7g 0/17 0/12 14.S3a-4b 0/17 0/12 15.P1g-1f 9/26 0/12 16.P1c-1d 0/26 2/14 17.P9g-9f 10/36 0/14 18.P9c-9d 0/36 4/18 19.P4g-4f 11/47 0/18 20.P6c-6d 0/47 7/25 21.S3h-4g 9/56 0/25 22.S7b-6c 0/56 0/25 23.K5i-6h 4/60 0/25 24.G6a-5b 0/60 7/32 25.S4g-5f 12/72 0/32 26.S4b-3c 0/72 3/35 27.G4i-5h 4/76 0/35 28.K5a-4b 0/76 1/36 29.K6h-7i 4/80 0/36 30.S6c-5d 0/80 3/39 31.P6g-6f 16/96 0/39 32.P7c-7d 0/96 14/53 33.P4f-4e 30/126 0/53 Aggresive, Tanigawa-like opening play. Since white has not played the 4d pawn, black takes control of the center. White's position is very strong, though and hard to break down. 34.N8a-7c 0/126 19/72 35.P3g-3f 12/138 0/72 36.K4b-3a 0/138 10/82 37.N2i-3g 6/144 0/82 38.R8b-6b 0/144 27/109 39.B*4f 11/155 0/109 Strong square to drop the bishop. It seems Sanada had nothing special against Tanigawa's strategy and is forced into a waiting game (sakusen-make). 40.R6b-6a 0/155 22/131 41.K7i-8h 10/165 0/131 42.L9a-9b?! 0/165 8/139 Criticized by Morishita, whi felt that immediately 42.S6c followed by P5d would have been better. 43.R2h-4h 8/173 0/139 44.G5b-4b 0/173 32/171 All waiting moves by white. He can only be patient until black starts the attack. 45.L1i-1g 59/232 0/171 Tanigawa decides that attacking on the edge is more promising than attacking through the center. 46.S5d-6c 0/232 54/225 The sealed move and a subtle defense move. 46.K2b is not so good, because of 47.N2e S2d S5e which favours black. 47.S5f-4g 18/250 0/225 Another preparation move, this time to defend the head of the knight against a later pawn drop on 3f. 48.P5c-5d 0/250 9/234 49.R4h-1h 13/263 0/234 50.S3c-2d 0/263 33/267 51.P2f-2e 9/272 0/267 52.S2d-3c 0/272 2/269 53.P1f-1e 34/306 0/269 54.P1dx1e 0/306 6/275 55.L1gx1e 0/306 0/275 56.L1ax1e 0/306 1/276 57.R1hx1e 0/306 0/276 58.P*1c 0/306 0/276 59.R1e-1i 7/313 0/276 60.R6a-8a 0/313 5/281 61.P*1b 2/315 0/281 62.S3c-2b 0/315 1/282 63.P3f-3e 14/329 0/282 64.P3dx3e 0/329 3/285 65.B4fx3e 1/330 0/285 66.G4b-5b 0/330 5/290 67.P4e-4d 5/335 0/290 68.P4cx4d 0/335 26/316 69.B3ex4d 1/336 0/316 70.L*4b 0/336 45/361 71.B4dx2b+! 7/343 0/361 Strong bishop sacrifice and the only way to continue the attack. 72.K3ax2b? 0/343 2/363 Better would have been 72.Gx2b. After 73.P1a+ Lx4g+ Gx4g P8f Sx8f B*5h the position can go either way. 73.P1b-1a+ 10/353 0/363 74.K2bx1a 0/353 0/363 75.P2e-2d? 0/353 0/363 If Tanigawa would have played 75.P*3c Gx3c P*1d Px1d Rx1d P*1c P*3d G3b S*3c Nx3c Px3c+ Gx3c L*3f he would have won quickly. "I should have looked at that more carefully" -Tanigawa. Now Sanada gets chances to get back in the game. 76.K1a-2b 0/353 10/373 77.P2dx2c+ 2/355 0/373 78.G3bx2c 0/355 0/373 79.P*2d 2/357 0/373 80.G2cx2d 0/357 0/373 81.L*2h 0/357 0/373 82.P*2c 0/357 1/374 83.L2hx2d 9/366 0/374 84.P2cx2d 0/366 0/374 85.S*3d 0/366 0/374 86.P*3c! 0/366 13/387 Strong defense. After this, black is struggling to make his attack work. 87.G*2c 13/379 0/387 88.K2b-3a 0/379 0/387 89.S3dx3c+ 0/379 0/387 90.K3a-4a 0/379 4/391 91.P*4c 4/383 0/391 92.L4bx4c 0/383 8/399 93.+S3cx4c 1/384 0/399 94.G5bx4c 0/384 0/399 95.P*4d 0/384 0/399 96.G4cx4d 0/384 4/403 97.L*4f 0/384 0/403 98.K4a-5b 0/384 4/407 99.L4fx4d 0/384 0/407 100.B*5e? 0/384 1/408 Great move, but at the wrong time. If white would have played 100.P8f first, the outcome of the game would have been very doubtful after 101.Sx8f (Px8f P*8e is very difficult to defend) B*5e L4b+ Kx4b N4e S*4d R3i P*3h Rx3h P*3g. 101.L4d-4b+ 17/401 0/408 102.K5b-6b 0/401 17/425 The difference with the variation above is that with the silver still defending the pawn on 6f, black can win the bishop by P5f and wins, so white can not take the lance here. 103.S4g-4f! 10/411 0/425 Great silver sacrifice adding decisive strength to black's attack. 104.B5ex4f 0/411 7/432 105.R1i-4i 0/411 0/432 106.B4f-3e 0/411 7/439 107.R4i-4c+ 0/411 0/439 108.P8e-8f 0/411 1/440 109.S7gx8f 3/414 0/440 110.L*8d 0/414 4/444 111.P*4d 7/421 0/444 112.L8dx8f 0/421 7/451 113.P8gx8f 0/421 0/451 114.S*6i 0/421 2/453 115.G*5c 7/428 0/453 116.K6b-7a 0/428 0/453 117.G5cx6c 0/428 0/453 It is close, but white has no mate and no defense. 118.R8ax8f 0/428 4/457 119.P*8g 4/432 0/457 120.S6ix7h+ 0/432 10/467 121.K8hx7h 0/432 0/467 122.R8fx8g+ 0/432 0/467 123.K7hx8g 0/432 0/467 124.B*6i 0/432 1/468 125.S*7h 4/436 0/468 126.P*8f 0/436 4/472 127.K8gx8f 0/436 0/472 128.S*8e 0/436 5/477 129.K8f-7g 0/436 0/477 130.S8ex7f 0/436 0/477 131.K7g-6h 0/436 0/477 Resigns 0/436 1/478 Time: 07:16:00 07:58:00 The king runs away to safety on the right side of the board. With a pile of pieces in black's hand, white has no chance to defend. Starting from today, the third game will be played. This game Sanada has to win to keep small chances of turning the match around. In other shogi news: 1) A big battle between Sato and Moriuchi in the A-class Junisen. Moriuchi had started with three losses and Sato had only one win. A must-win game for both players and a great fight that lasted deep into the night. Both players thought they would win in the end, but it was Moriuchi who found a brilliant defense sacrifice to take the game. The analysis by both players ended around four o'clock in the morning. Both players are now 1-3 and have no chance of becoming this year's challenger and have to focus on staying in the A-class. 2) In C2 a complete round was played. Because of the uneven number of players most players have only played five games. Biggest upset in round six was the win of Takeichi over co-leader Namekata. The other leaders Sato Shiyuji (against Tamura), Katsumata (against Kitajima) and Toyokawa (against Numa) did not make a mistake and kept their perfect record. Since there are three spots for the C1 class, all these three have to do is keep winning. None of them have the luxury of dropping a game, though. 3) In the Osho league things have become unclear again after the victory of Takahashi over leader Tanigawa. Tanigawa, Takahashi and Moriuchi now all have 2-1 with Maruyama and Sato Yasumitsu following at 1-1. Only Nakahara (1-2) and Murayama (0-2) don't seem to have a chance of becoming the challenger of Habu. 4) Shimizu lost another title! After dropping the Osho title earlier this year against Saito, Shimizu lost the fifth and deciding game in the Ladies Oi title match against Yauchi. 17 year old Yauchi took her first title after a gruelling endgame in a fight that lasted 181 moves. More next week, Reijer -- Reijer Grimbergen Electrotechnical Laboratory 1-1-4 Umezono Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken 305 JAPAN E-mail: grimberg etl go jp WWW: http://www.etl.go.jp:8080/etl/suiron/~grimberg Tel: +81-(0)298-54-3316 Fax: +81-(0)298-54-5918