From: Larry Kaufman WIZARD NET> Date: 1 jun 1998 Subject: Gold is better than silver, Part V Gold is better than silver, Part V by Larry Kaufman Continuing our comparison of the climbing gold vs. climbing silver at four piece handicap, another rather tough defense by white is the twin gold defense. One line (taken from a 1995 Shogi Sekai article) of the climbing silver runs as follows: 1...S-6b 2 P-2f G-3b 3 P-2e S-2b 4 P-7f P-5d 5 P-2d Px2d 6 Rx2d S-5c 7 R-2h P*2c 8 S-3h (Black can also switch to attacking on his left by P-9f-9e but that plan is outside the scope of this article) K-5b 9 S-2g P-4d 10 S-3f K-4c 11 P-1f P-3d 12 P-1e G-5b (White plans to use this gold to defend his left side. If instead 12...N-3c black just doubles on the edge with 13 L-1g and 14 R-1h.) 13 S-2e (Black could consider switching to his left by P-9f-9e-9d, aiming at P*9b, but then the three silver moves are pretty much wasted). G(5b)-4b (if 13...N-3c 14 P-1d!) 14 P-1d (Since this is not so convincing the article suggested making a crab castle first, awaiting developments, but this is an indication that the joseki is wrong.) Px1d 15 P*1b G(4b)-3c (The extra defense of 2c spoils many of the breakthru ideas) 16 Sx1d P-2d! (note than this would be silly with a gold on 1d) 17 P*2c Sx2c 18 Sx2c G(3c)x2c 19 P-1a+ N-3c. Although black has promoted a pawn at the price of only a pawn, it is in a poor position. After 20 +P-1b P*1d Black has no easy way to break in, while after 20 L-1b+ P*1f white gets counterplay. So now play thru the same moves to move 13, substituting G-3h-2g-3f for the silver moves. Then continue 13 S-4h S-6d 14 P-1d Px1d 15 G-2e G(5b)-4b 16 P*1b G(4b)-3c 17 Gx1d P*1c 18 P-1a+ (18 G-1e followed by N-1g-2e is also excellent) Sx1a (18...Px1d 19 Lx1d with 20 L-1b+ next) 19 Gx1c Nx1c 20 P*1d P*1b 21 Px1c+ Px1c 22 N*2e S-2b 23 Nx3c+ Kx3c 24 G*1b with Lx1c+ next. Note that this line is almost identical to the line I gave against the Nada, except at the end they vary because if black played this way in the Nada, white could defend by N*2a since his king is on 3b rather than a gold. Now let's look at what I call the "knight defense". Starting at move 7 above, white answers 7 R-2h by S-4d, not bothering with ...P*2c. Then 8 P-1f (this gets priority here over climbing silver or gold, because it inhibits any aggressive ideas white might have on the second file) P-5e (blocking the bishop) 9 P-1e P-3d 10 S-3h G-5b 11 S-2g N-3c (White's idea is to prevent S-3f, since P-3e would just chase it back to 2g, while S-2f has no follow-up). Now a book by the late Itaya 8 Dan advocates 12 S-1f P-3e 13 P-1d Px1d 14 P*1e. The aim of the pawn sacrifice is ultimately to exchange silvers on 1c and break in on the edge. While this may be the best black can do, it is yet another indication that the climbing silver is not so easy. So let's substitute 10 G-3h G-5b 11 G-2g N-3c 12 G-3f. Now 12...P-3e would merely provoke 13 G-4f which wins the key center pawn and reopens the bishop's diagonal. Black threatens not only 13 G-4f but also 13 P-1d Px1d 14 Lx1d (or 14 P*1b) with a lance sacrifice to promote the rook. If 12...P*2c black can choose between 13 G-4f or playing 13 P-1d Px1d 14 P*1b, with P-1a= next. Clearly this knight defense is well met by the climbing gold. At this point, you are probably convinced that the climbing gold is much simpler to play than the climbing silver and more effective against the various tricky defenses. Indeed, the plan of bringing the gold to 2e and dangling a pawn on 1b seems to work against just about anything white can play. But white does have a way to spoil this plan, by playing G-2b instead of silver. In other words, white plans to meet gold with gold. We will look at this defense in the next installment.