From: Reijer Grimbergen ETL GO JP> Date: 9 jul 1998 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 745, July 8th 1998) This week Shukan Shogi opens with Goda's victory in the Kisei title match. Even though Goda was in great form, the match was expected to be much closer than it actually was. The 3-0 will be a disappointment to Yashiki, who will now have to try and redeem himself in the Ryu-O tournament where he reached the challenger final last year. Here is game 3 of the Kisei with some comments: Black: Yashiki, Kisei White: Goda, Challenger 69th Kisei-sen, Game 3, July 3rd 1998 1.P2g-2f 1/1 0/0 2.P8c-8d 0/1 2/2 3.P2f-2e 0/1 0/2 Things are looking grim for Yashiki, 2-0 down against an almost invincible looking Goda. Superstition or not, but for this third game he decides to play the same opening that won him the Kisei match last year against Miura: the Aigakari. 4.P8d-8e 0/1 0/2 5.G6i-7h 0/1 0/2 6.G4a-3b 0/1 0/2 7.P2e-2d 0/1 0/2 8.P2cx2d 0/1 0/2 9.R2hx2d 0/1 0/2 10.P*2c 0/1 0/2 11.R2d-2f 0/1 0/2 12.S7a-6b 0/1 18/20 13.S3i-3h 14/15 0/20 14.P6c-6d 0/15 3/23 15.P7g-7f 8/23 0/23 16.P8e-8f 0/23 11/34 17.P8gx8f 0/23 0/34 18.R8bx8f 0/23 0/34 19.P*8g 2/25 0/34 20.R8f-8b 0/25 0/34 21.K5i-5h 13/38 0/34 22.S6b-6c 0/38 4/38 23.P3g-3f 8/46 0/38 24.P3c-3d 0/46 14/52 25.P3f-3e 1/47 0/52 26.P3dx3e 0/47 0/52 27.S3h-3g 0/47 0/52 28.B2b-4d 0/47 69/121 29.S3g-4f 3/50 0/121 30.S6c-5d 0/50 1/122 31.G4i-3h 6/56 0/122 32.S3a-2b 0/56 21/143 33.P*3d 3/59 0/143 34.P1c-1d 0/59 73/216 A simple looking move that was played after very long thought. However, simple as it may look, this is a move that will decide the development of the middle game. If Yashiki would answer with 35.P1f, then white can play 36.S1c followed by 36.S2d and get into the normal joseki. 35.N2i-3g! 34/93 0/216 Of course Yashiki takes this opportunity to improve his own position and ignores the edge pawn move. 36.P1d-1e 0/93 7/223 The outcome of the game now depends on whether these two white moves on the edge will have any meaning or that Yashiki can prove that they are just a waste of time. 37.B8h-7g 25/118 0/223 38.K5a-4b 0/118 1/224 39.S7i-6h 1/119 0/224 40.G6a-5b 0/119 0/224 41.P9g-9f 17/136 0/224 42.P9c-9d 0/136 3/227 43.B7gx4d 7/143 0/227 Katsumata (4-dan), who comments the game for Shukan Shogi, thinks that 44.P5f would have been better. Still, even after 44.Bx4d, the general feeling was that Yashiki had the slightly better position. 44.P4cx4d 0/143 0/227 45.S4fx3e 4/147 0/227 46.S5d-4c 0/147 0/227 47.N8i-7g 5/152 0/227 48.P1e-1f! 0/152 27/254 Tries to make the edge pawn work. 49.N3g-2e! 50/202 0/254 Yashiki also sees that 49.Px1f P*1h Lx1h B*5d! is very difficult for black to defend against both Bx1h+ and P*3f. 49.N2e starts the decisive fight. 50.P*3c! 0/202 7/261 Not good is 50.Px1g+ Lx1g! Lx1g+ B*1b and black seems to be better. 50.P*3c caused quite a stir in the press room, since dropping this pawn at the knight square is in general only helping black's attack. Goda has calculated deep though... 51.P3dx3c+ 1/203 0/261 52.N2ax3c 0/203 0/261 53.N2ex3c+ 0/203 0/261 54.S2bx3c 0/203 0/261 55.P1gx1f 1/204 0/261 56.P*3d 0/204 6/267 57.P*2d 4/208 0/267 58.P2cx2d 0/208 1/268 59.S3ex2d 0/208 0/268 60.P*2e! 0/208 0/268 This was what Goda was aiming for. After 61.Rx2e N*4f Px4f B*3f B*4g Bx2e Sx3c+ Kx3c Bx2e R*2i white is clearly better. 61.S2dx3c+ 1/209 0/268 62.K4bx3c 0/209 1/269 63.R2f-2i? 3/212 0/269 Up until now, Yashiki has played the game very well. However, this is a big mistake that costs him the game and the Kisei title. After 63.R2h instead, the position still seems to favour black. For example 64.N*2f G3g B*3i R2g S*3h Rx2f Px2f Gx3h or 64.N*2f G3g P*1h N*1g and black has the better chances. 64.N*2f 0/212 1/270 65.G3h-4h 0/212 0/270 66.P*1h 0/212 1/271 67.L1ix1h 3/215 0/271 68.B*5d! 0/215 2/273 Brilliant move. After the simple 68.Nx1h+ Rx2e L*2b R8e black can activate the rook. After B*5d this is not possible and the black rook is doomed to stay in black's own camp. 69.S*4a 5/220 0/273 70.B5dx1h+ 0/220 0/273 71.S4ax3b+ 1/221 0/273 72.S4cx3b 0/221 2/275 73.R2i-8i 0/221 0/275 74.L*3e 0/221 3/278 75.P*3i 4/225 0/278 76.S*2c! 0/225 1/279 Goda does not give Yashiki any chances to break free. The potential threat of P*2d is killed before white start his decisive attack. 77.P8g-8f 5/230 0/279 Desperately tries to make the rook work, but this is just one move too slow. However, black has no alternatives. 78.+B1h-2h 0/230 2/281 79.P8f-8e 9/239 0/281 80.L3ex3i+ 0/239 0/281 81.K5h-6i 2/241 0/281 82.N2f-3h+ 0/241 0/281 83.G4h-5h 0/241 0/281 84.+L3i-4i 0/241 3/284 85.P8e-8d 2/243 0/284 86.+N3h-4h 0/243 1/285 87.G5hx4h 1/244 0/285 88.+L4ix4h 0/244 0/285 89.P8d-8c+ 0/244 0/285 90.S*5h 0/244 0/285 91.K6i-7i 0/244 0/285 92.G*6i 0/244 0/285 93.K7i-8h 0/244 0/285 94.R8bx8c 0/244 0/285 For a moment, it looked like black might get some counter chances, but the vulgar attack S*5h followed by G*6i forces black to block the rook so that white can take the promoted pawn on 8c. Now white's position is completely safe and winning is only a question of time. 95.P*8d 4/248 0/285 96.R8cx8d 0/248 0/285 97.P*8e 0/248 0/285 98.R8d-8b 0/248 0/285 99.N*3f 2/250 0/285 100.+B2h-5e! 0/250 0/285 This kills the last threat black has (N*4e Px4e B*4d). It also brings the horse back into play and threatens Rx8e. Black can not defend by 101.B*6f because +Bx6f Px6f B*4e is too severe. 101.P*2d 3/253 0/285 102.S2c-1d 0/253 0/285 103.B*6f 3/256 0/285 104.+B5ex6f 0/256 0/285 105.P6gx6f 0/256 0/285 106.B*4e 0/256 0/285 107.N3fx4d 0/256 0/285 108.G6ix6h 0/256 0/285 109.G7hx6h 2/258 0/285 110.P*8g 0/258 1/286 111.K8h-9g 3/261 0/286 112.B4ex8i+ 0/261 0/286 113.N4dx3b+ 0/261 0/286 114.K3cx3b 0/261 0/286 115.N*4d 0/261 0/286 116.K3b-4c 0/261 3/289 117.N4dx5b+ 0/261 0/289 118.K4cx5b? 0/261 6/295 It is a little emberassing to the new Kisei that he missed mate here. After 118.+B8h K8f S*9g! Lx9g N*7d K7e +Bx9g this would have been another flawless Goda win. 119.G*4d 0/261 0/295 120.+B8i-8h 0/261 2/297 Resigns 0/261 0/297 Time: 04:21:00 04:57:00 After two failed attempts, Goda succeeds in taking the Kisei title in his third attempt. Yashiki will be disappointed with his play in this match, but one should not take anything away from Goda, who seemed to have taken his shogi to another level in the first months of the 1998 season. With this victory, he brings his season's record to 17-1, a Habu like performance. This title is a reward for his outstanding play. As usual, all commented games can be found at http://www.etl.go.jp/etl/suiron/~grimberg/SHOGI/kifu.html In other shogi news: -------------------- 1) There is an interview with Meijin Sato in Shukan Shogi. Sato is always very cautious with words and the header of the interview kind of sums it all up: "I do not think I am the strongest player". In the interview a lot of talk about Tanigawa's choice of the Yagura opening instead of the Kakugawari in the final game. Sato was also surprised as he expected that he would have to win in the Kakugawari to become Meijin. Sato also says that he expects to be able to handle being a major title holder better than before. After he won the Ryu-O title five years ago, he went into a little slump because of all the obligations that come with being a title holder. The first proof of this is that Sato has wasted not time in challenging for another title. He beat Goda in the challenger game of the Oi title to become challenger of Habu for the second year in a row. Last year went pretty bad (4-1 to Habu), but the Meijin title might give Sato new confidence. 2) Kitajima is the first winner in the challenger knock-out of the Ryu-O. Kitajima (winner of group 6) beat Ono Yaichio (winner of group 5). They are friends who go to the same shogi study group and go out together a lot so they knew each other's play very well. Still, it never got to the real fighting stage, since Ono gave up a pawn in the middle game that became the nail in the coffin. With a pawn he would have had an easy defense on many occassions, but without it he could not stop Kitajima's attack. Kitajima will now play Goda next. More next week, Reijer -- Reijer Grimbergen Complex Game Lab Electrotechnical Laboratory 1-1-4 Umezono, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken, 305 JAPAN E-mail: grimberg etl go jp URL: http://www.etl.go.jp/etl/suiron/~grimberg/ Tel: +81-(0)298-54-3316 Fax: +81-(0)298-54-5918