From: Reijer Grimbergen ETL GO JP> Date: 30 jan 1998 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 722, January 28th 1998) Shukan Shogi of course opens with the second game of the Osho title match between Osho Habu and Challenger Sato. Habu again outplayed Sato and extended his winning streak in the Osho to ten games. Here is the game with some comments: Black: Sato Yasumitsu, Challenger White: Habu Yoshiharu, Osho 47th Osho-sen, Game 2, January 19th and 20th 1998 1.P7g-7f 3/3 0/0 2.P8c-8d 0/3 4/4 3.S7i-6h 0/3 0/4 4.P3c-3d 0/3 3/7 5.P6g-6f 15/18 0/7 6.S7a-6b 0/18 3/10 7.P5g-5f 0/18 0/10 8.P6c-6d 0/18 2/12 9.G6i-7h 29/47 0/12 10.S6b-6c 0/47 7/19 11.S3i-4h 0/47 0/19 12.S3a-4b 0/47 5/24 13.G4i-5h 2/49 0/24 14.P4c-4d 0/49 19/43 15.K5i-6i 5/54 0/43 16.S4b-4c 0/54 0/43 17.P2g-2f 13/67 0/43 18.P7c-7d 0/67 12/55 19.G5h-6g 27/94 0/55 20.B2b-3c 0/94 50/105 21.P3g-3f 18/112 0/105 22.N8a-7c 0/112 5/110 23.P2f-2e 23/135 0/110 24.R8b-4b 0/135 76/186 The Yodofuribisha opening. These same players also played this strategy in the second game of the 8th Ryu-O tournament, but then Sato was the white player who chose to avoid the Yagura opening. Playing the rook to the fourth file is not very common. Most Yodofuribisha games have the rook on 2b or 3b. 25.K6i-7i 20/155 0/186 26.P9c-9d 0/155 7/193 27.P9g-9f 4/159 0/193 28.K5a-6b 0/159 0/193 29.S4h-5g 18/177 0/193 30.G4a-5b 0/177 22/215 31.B8h-7g 11/188 0/215 32.G6a-7b 0/188 6/221 To complete the normal ranging rook position, white can play the silver back to 7b and play the king into the Mino after that by K7a-K8b, followed by G5b-6c. However, because this takes a lot of moves, this gives black the option of playing the strong Anaguma castle with L9h-K9i-S7i-S8h. Habu's formation is a preparation for a quick attack if black chooses the anaguma. 33.K7i-8h 11/199 0/221 34.P4d-4e 0/199 25/246 35.P6f-6e?! 70/269 0/246 The sealed move and a critical point in the game. Because white has especially prepared for a counter attack against the anaguma, Sato chooses attack instead of defense. Habu himself had not much confidence in his own quick attack after 35.L9h N8e B8f P6e K7i Px6f Sx6f G7c N7g S4c-5d P2d Px2d P5e Sx5e Sx5e Bx5e Rx2d P*2b. White's position seems to have a lot of holes and there is no clear attack. Also better would have been 35.N3g S4d P1f K7a L9h K8b K9i P5d S7i P5e, but Sato did not like the easy edge attack that white has either. Sato took more than an hour to make up his mind, but unfortunately he underestimated a Habu defense move. 36.S4c-4d 0/269 10/256 37.P6ex6d 29/298 0/256 38.S6cx6d 0/298 0/256 39.P2e-2d 1/299 0/256 40.P2cx2d 0/299 19/275 41.P3f-3e 9/308 0/275 42.G5b-4c! 0/308 16/291 The only move. After 42.Sx3e Bx3c+ Nx3c B*7g G4c P*3f Sx3f Rx2d P*2b P*3e black has a small advantage. Playing the gold to a bad shape position and leaving the king vulnerable is not a move one plays easily. 43.P3ex3d 19/327 0/291 44.G4cx3d 0/327 0/291 45.B7g-8f 3/330 0/291 46.S6d-6e 0/330 14/305 47.S5g-6f 25/355 0/305 48.S6e-5d 0/355 0/305 49.R2h-3h 3/358 0/305 50.P*3e 0/358 0/305 51.P7f-7e 19/377 0/305 51.P5e also looks good. 52.P*6e 0/377 35/340 53.S6f-5e 2/379 0/340 54.S4dx5e 0/379 2/342 55.P5fx5e 0/379 0/342 56.B3cx5e 0/379 2/344 57.S6h-7g 5/384 0/344 58.P7dx7e 0/384 22/366 59.R3h-5h 21/405 0/366 60.B5ex1i+ 0/405 6/372 61.B8fx7e 10/415 0/372 62.S*6d 0/415 9/381 63.P*5e 3/418 0/381 64.S5dx5e 0/418 4/385 65.B7ex6d 7/425 0/385 66.S5ex6d 0/425 0/385 67.P*5d 1/426 0/385 68.G7b-6c! 0/426 40/425 Up until this point, most of the commentators in the press room thought that Sato's attack was a good one and would win the game. After another good defense move by Habu the mood changes in Habu's favour. Sato's attack seems not good enough. 69.S*7d! 5/431 0/425 Only chance to win the game. 70.G6cx7d 0/431 15/440 71.P5dx5c+ 2/433 0/440 72.S6dx5c 0/433 0/440 73.S*5a? 4/437 0/440 After this, Habu manages to kill blacks attack and cash in his material advantage. Best move would have been 73.P*5d and then: 1) 74.L*5e Rx5e +Bx5e Px5c+ Kx5c L*5i P*5f Gx5f +Bx5f Lx5f P*5d B*3a which is also frightening for white. 2) 74.P*5e S*5a Kx5a Px5c+ which is much better than the game. In the first variation white also has moves like S*6i which seems to be threatening mate, but it is not completely clear who has the strongest attack. 74.K6bx5a 0/437 2/442 75.R5hx5c+ 0/437 0/442 76.P*5b 0/437 0/442 77.+R5c-2c 12/449 0/442 78.B*1b! 0/449 3/445 The start of a sequence of defensive moves that leaves Sato without moves. 79.+R2c-6c 0/449 0/445 80.+B1i-6d 0/449 0/445 81.+R6c-7b 6/455 0/445 82.S*6a 0/455 5/450 83.+R7b-8a 0/455 0/450 84.S*7b 0/455 2/452 85.+R8a-7a 0/455 0/452 86.L*6b! 0/455 2/454 Memorable words by the great Oyama: "Defensive pieces are beautiful". Habu has played this game in Oyama-style and can now counter from a completely safe position. 87.+R7ax9a 1/456 0/454 88.P*7f 0/456 4/458 89.S7g-6h 4/460 0/458 90.P6e-6f 0/460 7/465 91.G6gx6f 1/461 0/465 92.G7d-6e 0/461 0/465 93.G6fx6e 5/466 0/465 94.N7cx6e 0/466 0/465 95.+R9a-9c 0/466 0/465 96.G3d-3c! 0/466 2/467 Now the bishop on 1b also comes back into play, which ends the game. 97.L*5i 7/473 0/467 98.P4e-4f 0/473 0/467 99.P*6g 0/473 0/467 100.G*7g 0/473 3/470 101.N8ix7g 0/473 0/470 102.P7fx7g+ 0/473 0/470 103.S6hx7g 0/473 0/470 104.N6ex7g+ 0/473 0/470 105.G7hx7g 0/473 0/470 106.N*8e 0/473 0/470 Resigns 0/473 0/470 Time: 07:53:00 07:50:00 The game is over after the forced sequence 107.G7h S*7g Gx7g Nx7g+ Kx7g P*7f K8h Bx6g+. Habu is famous for his endgame attacks, but in this game he showed that his defensive skills are also among the best. There was a lot more important news last week, with full rounds in three Junisen classes: In B1 Maruyama beat Nakamura to get to ten straight victories. With two rounds left, this is enough to secure promotion to the A-class. It is the sixth consecutive year that a player promotes to the A class after just one year in B1. Habu (1993), Morishita (1994), Moriuchi (1995), Sato (1996) and Inoue (1997) also did not waste any time in B1. The second player to promote will be either Murayama or Minami, who both won. Nakamura still has a theoretical chance to join Maruyama, but his loss to Maruyama and his bad position in the class make this highly unlikely. In B2 things are far from decided. Leader Goda won a big game against Tsukada, who has two losses and still had chances in his own hand. Goda now has a 7-1 record, but Ono and Kamia kept up with his pace. Normally two of these three players should promote, with only Hatakeyama with a 6-2 score. Hatakeyama is lower in the class than any of the three leaders. In C2 Sato Shiyuji also did not make a mistake in the 9th round. He had a tough game against Naganuma. However, in the end Sato managed to come from behind and secure promotion to C1. It is still unclear by who will join him, since only Katsumata has 7-1 and he is in the bottom half of the class and therefore can not afford to lose any of his two remaining games. He is followed by a pack of nine players with two losses. Leader of that group is Okazaki, who last year missed promotion in the final round. He is in danger of reliving that nightmare after a loss against Kitajima. With big guns like Fukaura and Namekata on his tail, there is no room for error. Shimizu also won the second game of the Ladies Meijin to get within one win of her fourth consecutive Meijin title. In some games Nakai gives the impression of respecting Shimizu to much and changing her style of game, often with bad results. The first two games of this title match are an example of this and Nakai will need a miracle to get back in this one. Next week the third game of the Osho match. 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