From: Reijer Grimbergen ETL GO JP> Date: 27 nov 1997 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 714, November 26th 1997) A crushing defeat to end Sanada's dream of becoming the Ryu-O title holder. It might as well have been 2-2 after four games, but instead Tanigawa defended his title in straight games. Here is the fourth game with some comments: Black: Tanigawa, Ryu-O White: Sanada, Challenger 10th Ryu-O sen, Game 4, November 18th and 19th 1997 1.P7g-7f 0/0 0/0 2.P8c-8d 0/0 3/3 3.S7i-6h 1/1 0/3 4.P3c-3d 0/1 1/4 5.P6g-6f 0/1 0/4 6.S7a-6b 0/1 6/10 7.P5g-5f 1/2 0/10 8.P5c-5d 0/2 4/14 9.S3i-4h 0/2 0/14 10.S3a-4b 0/2 1/15 11.G4i-5h 1/3 0/15 12.G4a-3b 0/3 1/16 13.G6i-7h 0/3 0/16 14.K5a-4a 0/3 4/20 15.K5i-6i 3/6 0/20 16.P7c-7d 0/6 6/26 17.G5h-6g 13/19 0/26 18.G6a-5b 0/19 3/29 19.S6h-7g 5/24 0/29 Like in game three, again the Yagura opening is played. Here we see the move order that is most common in professional games these days. 20.S4b-3c 0/24 14/43 21.B8h-7i 4/28 0/43 22.B2b-3a 0/28 1/44 23.P3g-3f 2/30 0/44 24.P4c-4d 0/30 1/45 25.S4h-3g 12/42 0/45 26.B3a-6d 0/42 30/75 27.B7i-6h 13/55 0/75 28.G5b-4c 0/55 6/81 29.K6i-7i 3/58 0/81 30.K4a-3a 0/58 2/83 31.K7i-8h 4/62 0/83 32.K3a-2b 0/62 14/97 33.S3g-4f 21/83 0/97 34.S6b-5c 0/83 15/112 35.N2i-3g 3/86 0/112 36.P8d-8e 0/86 39/151 37.P2g-2f 55/141 0/151 38.S3c-2d 0/141 7/158 39.P1g-1f 1/142 0/158 40.P1c-1d 0/142 0/158 41.R2h-3h 44/186 0/158 42.S5c-4b 0/186 36/194 43.P2f-2e 57/243 0/194 Played after long thought and a surprise. The pawn on 2e is blocking the knight square and is therefore in the way of black's natural attacking move N2e to open the rook file. It could be that Tanigawa is trying to take advantage of the end of the first day. Sanada has a tough decision to make here: weaken the edge with S2d-3c or displace the silver with S2d-1c. 44.S2d-1c 0/243 31/225 The sealed move and the end of the first day. 45.B6h-5g 23/266 0/225 46.S4b-3c 0/266 26/251 47.B5g-3i 7/273 0/251 Interesting bishop manouvre. Black is aiming at the rook on 8b, now both white silvers have moved to the king side. 48.L1a-1b 0/273 48/299 White has to wait for what is coming. He decides to use the time to further strengthen his king by making an Anaguma. This has the further advantage that the silver on 1c can eventually go to 2b. 49.S4f-5g 10/283 0/299 50.K2b-1a 0/283 9/308 51.P6f-6e 7/290 0/308 52.B6d-4b 0/290 9/317 53.B3i-2h 2/292 0/317 54.P6c-6d 0/292 2/319 55.P6ex6d 46/338 0/319 56.B4bx6d 0/338 2/321 57.P*6e 2/340 0/321 58.B6d-7c 0/340 1/322 59.P7f-7e 9/349 0/322 60.R8b-6b? 0/349 44/366 60.Px7e looks very dangerous, but was actually the correct move. After 61.P1e Px1e Lx1e P*1d P*7d B5a N4e white seems in serious trouble but after R9b Nx3c+ Bx3c P7c+ Nx7c Bx7c+ Bx1e the situation is very unclear. White has lost a silver for a lance and black has promoted the bishop, but the pawn on 7e is a stronghold for a white attack and the threat B5i+ is difficult to defend against. Both players had read this variation to the end and both players did not like it. It seems Tanigawa had the most reason not to like the position, so Sanada should have played this variation. 61.P7ex7d 0/349 0/366 62.B7c-8b 0/349 0/366 63.B2h-1g 35/384 0/366 64.S1c-2b? 0/384 18/384 After this move white gets in big trouble. 64.Rx6e was the correct move. Then 65.S5g-6f R6a S7e!? S1c-2b P*6d G5c N4e seems good for black, but after Gx6d Nx3c+ Gx3c Sx6d Bx6d it is actually white who has the easier position. Tanigawa would have played 65.S5g-6f R6a P*6e instead (with the plan S7e P6d which is slower but safer), and then we reach a position similar to the game position after 64.S1c-2b. White has won a pawn, but seems to have lost a move. However, the rook position is very different. On 6a the rook is not on the bishop's diagonal. In the game, Sanada will actually spend a move to put this rook on 6a to get this piece out of harm's way. So, white is clearly better off here. 65.S5g-6f 6/390 0/384 66.P1d-1e?! 0/390 7/391 Played in style. Sanada likes to defend by attacking the opponent's pieces that are attacking his position. Playing your own Shogi in any circumstance is admirable, but against Tanigawa this might not be the right choice. White opens up his position and the best attacker in the game takes advantage. 67.P4g-4f 1/391 0/391 68.P1ex1f 0/391 1/392 69.B1g-2f 0/391 0/392 70.P3d-3e 0/391 9/401 71.P4f-4e 2/393 0/401 72.P8e-8f 0/393 10/411 73.S7gx8f 18/411 0/411 74.P3ex3f 0/411 5/416 75.P4ex4d 4/415 0/416 76.S3cx4d 0/415 0/416 77.P*4e 0/415 0/416 78.S4d-5c 0/415 0/416 79.P5f-5e! 0/415 0/416 Sacrifices the knight to strengthen his attack by the idle rook. Both bishop and rook are now very strong. 80.P3fx3g+ 0/415 4/420 81.R3hx3g 0/415 0/420 82.P*3e 0/415 11/431 83.R3gx3e 4/419 0/431 84.P*3d 0/419 1/432 85.R3e-3f 0/419 0/432 86.R6b-6a 0/419 1/433 It is painful to have to play a defense only move in a position like this, but there is no other defense against Px5d (Gx5d P*5e). If Sanada would have played the variation above, this rook would already have been on 6a. 87.P*1d 5/424 0/433 88.P*6d 0/424 6/439 89.S6f-7g 7/431 0/439 90.P6dx6e 0/431 1/440 91.P*6b 9/440 0/440 92.R6a-7a 0/440 3/443 93.P*3c 3/443 0/443 94.G3bx3c 0/443 6/449 95.L1ix1f 0/443 0/449 96.B8bx5e 0/443 2/451 97.P1d-1c+ 0/443 0/451 98.L1bx1c 0/443 2/453 99.P*1d 0/443 0/453 100.L1cx1d 0/443 0/453 101.L1fx1d 0/443 0/453 102.P*1c 0/443 0/453 103.L*4d 0/443 0/453 104.P*7f? 0/443 0/453 The losing move. A tesuji to mess up the Yagura castle, but this extra pawn gives Tanigawa just the extra threats to win straight in the attack. After the simple Px1d, things would have not been that easy for Tanigawa. 105.G6gx7f 2/445 0/453 106.S5cx4d 0/445 0/453 107.P4ex4d 0/445 0/453 108.B5ex4d 0/445 0/453 109.P2e-2d 2/447 0/453 110.P1cx1d 0/447 3/456 111.P*1c 1/448 0/456 112.N2ax1c 0/448 0/456 113.P6b-6a+ 0/448 0/456 114.R7ax7d 0/448 7/463 115.B2fx4d 3/451 0/463 116.G4cx4d 0/451 0/463 117.B*5a 0/451 0/463 118.G3cx2d 0/451 3/466 119.S*3c 1/452 0/466 120.B*6i 0/452 6/472 A desperate attack which has no chance of succeeding. 121.S3cx2b+ 3/455 0/472 122.K1ax2b 0/455 0/472 123.S*3c 0/455 0/472 124.K2b-1b 0/455 0/472 125.B5a-4b+! 6/461 0/472 Of course Tanigawa does not hesitate. 125.R3i? would have been very bad after Bx7h+ Kx7h N*6f Gx6f Px6f and now S*6g is a mating threat. 126.R7d-7b 0/461 3/475 127.+P6a-6b 1/462 0/475 128.R7bx6b 0/462 2/477 129.+B4b-5c 0/462 0/477 130.B6ix7h+ 0/462 2/479 131.K8hx7h 0/462 0/479 132.N*6f 0/462 0/479 133.G7fx6f 1/463 0/479 134.P6ex6f 0/463 0/479 135.+B5cx6b 0/463 0/479 136.S*6g 0/463 0/479 137.K7h-8h 0/463 0/479 Resigns 0/463 0/479 Time: 07:43:00 07:59:00 It was a busy week in professional shogi last week. Here are the other headlines: 1) In the A-Junisen Yonenaga beat Moriuchi to get his second win in five games. Yonenaga really needed this win to keep good chances of staying in the top class. Moriuchi now has a very disappointing record of 1-4, but with a relatively easy schedule and a good position in the class will probably be able to save himself in the remaining games. Things look very bleak for Takahashi, who lost to Sato. Sato is now 2-3, but Takahashi now has lost all five games and will need to win all of his remaining games to be certain to stay in the A-class. 2) In C2 round seven was played and two of the leaders lost. Toyokawa lost to Nozuki, who had calculated a difficult mate more than 30 moves before it actually appeared on the board. Katsumata lost to Chuza to drop back into the pack of players with one loss. Leader is now Sato Shiyuji with seven wins out of seven games. He only has to play three more games and two wins ensure promotion, so the other players seem to be fighting for the remaining two C1 spots. Okazaki (who narrowly missed promotion last year) and Fukaura (is this finally going to be his year?) have their chances in their own hands. Ueyama, Katsumata, Toyokawa and Mori have to win everything and hope for a mistake of their rivals. 3) In the Kio in form Maruyama preferred a unsound attack to a waiting game and was punished by Minami. Minami and Goda now meet in the final of the winners knockout, while Maruyama has to try his luck against Izuka in the losers round. 4) Nakahara beat Murayama in the Osho league to go 2-2, one point behind the leaders Maruyama, Takahashi and Sato Yasumitsu. Nakahara still has some chances to become the challenger of Habu, but Murayama is now out of contention with three straight losses. 5) The Kise leagues have started. There are four groups of four players who play a round robin tournament. Best two players in each group qualify for the knock-out to decide the challenger of Kisei Yashiki. In group A former Kisei Miura lost to Nakamura. In group B Goda beat Habu to extend his winning streak to twelve games. In group D Moriuchi lost to Fujii. These are the first games in the groups, so not much can be said about them at the moment. 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