From: Reijer Grimbergen ETL GO JP> Date: 24 sep 1998 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 756, September 23rd 1998) The Ryu-O tournament over the years has been a title where players make their first appearance or win their first title. Shima, Habu, Morishita, Sato and Sanada all chose this tournament to step into the limelight. This year Fujii, the man who started a revolution in the Shikenbisha with his Fujii system, is crowning his brilliant play this season with a win over Habu in the challenger final of the Ryu-O. He will now face Tanigawa in a match that will start on October 15th in New York. This is how he won the deciding game three against Habu: Black: Fujii, 6-dan White: Habu, 4K 11th Ryu-o challenger match, Game 3, September 14th 1998 1.P7g-7f 2/2 0/0 2.P8c-8d 0/2 2/2 3.P6g-6f 6/8 0/2 4.P3c-3d 0/8 2/4 5.R2h-6h 1/9 0/4 6.S7a-6b 0/9 2/6 7.S3i-3h 1/10 0/6 8.K5a-4b 0/10 2/8 9.P1g-1f 1/11 0/8 10.K4b-3b 0/11 2/10 11.S7i-7h 6/17 0/10 12.P5c-5d 0/17 2/12 13.S7h-6g 11/28 0/12 14.P8d-8e 0/28 3/15 15.B8h-7g 0/28 0/15 16.B2b-3c 0/28 1/16 17.G6i-5h 25/53 0/16 18.K3b-2b 0/53 33/49 19.P4g-4f 2/55 0/49 20.L1a-1b 0/55 23/72 21.S6g-5f 20/75 0/72 22.K2b-1a?! 0/75 5/77 An interesting idea. Habu sacrifices a pawn to make a strong anaguma castle. Although this might not be objectively the best plan, it is an interesting psychological choice. The "Fujii system" is a opening strategy to make it difficult for the Ibisha side to build an anaguma. Now that white can complete his anaguma, Fujii might feel a little uneasy. The normal continuation would have been 22.P5e S4e R8d. 23.S5f-4e 0/75 0/77 24.G4a-3b 0/75 0/77 25.S4ex5d 13/88 0/77 Fujii prefers to take this pawn over the pawn on 3d. The reason is that he wants to make it difficult for white to develop the silver on 6b. 26.S3a-2b 0/88 20/97 27.K5i-4h 10/98 0/97 28.G6a-5a 0/98 30/127 29.K4h-3i 2/100 0/127 30.G5a-4a 0/100 8/135 31.S5d-4e 5/105 0/135 32.R8b-8d 0/105 8/143 33.K3i-2h 20/125 0/143 34.G4a-3a 0/125 2/145 35.G5h-6g 23/148 0/145 36.B3c-4b 0/148 24/169 37.R6h-8h 2/150 0/169 38.S6b-5c 0/150 0/169 39.P5g-5f 5/155 0/169 40.B4b-2d 0/155 20/189 41.R8h-4h 10/165 0/189 42.S5c-4d 0/165 6/195 43.S4ex3d 5/170 0/195 44.S4d-3e 0/170 6/201 45.S3d-2e 1/171 0/201 46.B2d-4b 0/171 0/201 47.R4h-8h 6/177 0/201 48.R8d-4d? 0/177 12/213 This is a mistake and Habu even calls it the losing move. White having lost a pawn is not that important in this position, but that white does not have a pawn in hand is a major problem. Habu wants to get a pawn as soon as possible. Of course 48.Sx4f would be bad after 49.B6h R4d P*4e Rx4e S3f R4d P*4e, but 48.B6d was the right move to win back the pawn. This looks very dangerous after 49.P6e 50.Bx4f 51.R7h, since the black bishop has no squares and 52.P7d P5e does not help. However, after 52.P*3f P*4g Bx3g+ Nx3g N3c black has a very strong attack and good compensation for the bishop. The fact that such a risky variation was Habu's only alternative is an indication that his opening pawn sacrifice did not pay off. From now, black has a clear advantage. 49.B7g-6h 9/186 0/213 50.B4b-6d 0/186 26/239 51.P5f-5e 6/192 0/239 52.N2a-3c 0/192 0/239 53.P4f-4e 27/219 0/239 54.R4dx4e 0/219 0/239 55.S2e-3d 2/221 0/239 56.R4ex5e 0/221 0/239 57.P*5f 4/225 0/239 58.R5e-5d 0/225 0/239 59.S3dx3c+ 1/226 0/239 60.S2bx3c 0/226 0/239 61.B6hx3e 0/226 0/239 62.P*3f 0/226 0/239 63.N*5e! 18/244 0/239 The pawn advantage has become a knight, but black has to be careful. If he would have played the obvious 63.S*5e here, then 64.S*4d! would have given white very good chances. After 65.Sx5d Sx3e white has a very strong attack and after 65.Sx4d Sx4d black has lost a move. 64.P3fx3g+ 0/244 2/241 65.S3hx3g 0/244 0/241 66.S3c-4d 0/244 0/241 67.B3e-7i 1/245 0/241 68.S4dx5e 0/245 0/241 69.P5fx5e 0/245 0/241 70.B6dx5e 0/245 0/241 71.P*5f 3/248 0/241 72.B5ex3g+ 0/248 2/243 73.K2hx3g 0/248 0/243 74.P*3f 0/248 1/244 75.K3g-4g 4/252 0/244 76.P*5g 0/252 9/253 77.S*3e 8/260 0/253 78.S*4d 0/260 16/269 79.S3e-4f 2/262 0/269 80.P8e-8f?! 0/262 0/269 Habu is now already a bishop behind, and his attack is not strong enough. He desperately tries to create something, but this only helps black. The aim is 81.Px8f? N*8g and if black does not answer 80.P8f, then Px8g+ Rx8g S*7h. However, in the latter variation black simply plays Rx8a+ and wins. 81.P1f-1e? 10/272 0/269 This is very dangerous and gives white strong counterchances. After the simple 81.P*4e S3c Bx5g, black wins easily. 82.S*4e 0/272 10/279 83.S4fx5g 8/280 0/279 84.P*5e 0/280 0/279 85.P1e-1d 3/283 0/279 86.P1cx1d 0/283 0/279 87.P*1c 5/288 0/279 88.L1bx1c 0/288 0/279 89.P5fx5e 1/289 0/279 90.S4dx5e 0/289 2/281 91.P*5f 0/289 0/281 92.R5d-4d? 0/289 6/287 The final mistake. 92.N*3e is the only move to stay in the game. After 93.K5h S5ex5f Sx5f Sx5f Bx3e seems to be good for black, but after S*5g things are not that clear. Best seems 93.K3h R4d! Px5e P3g+ Nx3g S3f and white seems to have a strong attack even though the situation is still unclear. This is clearly better than the game. 93.K4g-5h! 0/289 0/287 Cool defense. 94.S4e-4f 0/289 0/287 95.S5gx4f 2/291 0/287 96.S5ex4f 0/291 0/287 97.B7ix4f 0/291 0/287 98.R4dx4f 0/291 0/287 99.B*5e 0/291 0/287 Fujii calculated accurately that this kills white's attack and that he can easily win from there. 100.R4f-4d 0/291 0/287 101.P*4e 0/291 0/287 102.P*5d 0/291 0/287 103.P4ex4d 0/291 0/287 104.P5dx5e 0/291 0/287 105.P4dx4c+ 0/291 0/287 106.G3bx4c 0/291 0/287 107.R*8b 3/294 0/287 108.S*2b 0/294 2/289 109.R8bx8a+ 3/297 0/289 110.N*2a 0/297 0/289 111.P*3b 0/297 0/289 112.G3ax3b 0/297 0/289 113.S*4a 0/297 0/289 Suddenly all black's material advantage is put in attack. White has no more defense. 114.G3b-4b 0/297 0/289 115.S*3b 0/297 0/289 116.P3f-3g+ 0/297 1/290 117.N2ix3g 0/297 0/290 118.P*3a 0/297 0/290 119.S3bx4c+ 1/298 0/290 120.G4bx4c 0/298 0/290 121.S4a-5b= 0/298 0/290 122.G4c-3c 0/298 0/290 123.P*3d 0/298 0/290 124.G3cx3d 0/298 4/294 125.N*4c 0/298 0/294 126.S*4b 0/298 0/294 127.G*4a 0/298 0/294 Fujii: "Only here I thought I was winning". A little too modest? 128.B*5c 0/298 3/297 129.G4ax4b 0/298 0/297 130.B5cx4b 0/298 0/297 131.S5b-4a+ 0/298 0/297 132.B*3f 0/298 0/297 133.S*4g 0/298 0/297 134.B3fx4g+ 0/298 0/297 135.K5hx4g 0/298 0/297 136.P*4f 0/298 0/297 137.K4g-5h 0/298 0/297 138.P8fx8g+ 0/298 0/297 139.R8hx8g 0/298 0/297 140.P*8f 0/298 0/297 141.R8g-8h 0/298 0/297 142.S*7i 0/298 0/297 143.R8h-7h 0/298 0/297 144.P8f-8g+ 0/298 1/298 145.R7hx7i 0/298 0/298 146.B4b-2d 0/298 0/298 147.N4cx3a+ 0/298 0/298 148.P4f-4g+ 0/298 1/299 149.K5hx4g 0/298 0/299 150.B2dx7i+ 0/298 0/299 151.+N3ax2a 0/298 0/299 Resigns 0/298 0/299 Time: 04:58:00 04:59:00 A game dictated by Fujii, who is in great form and can hopefully play a good match against Tanigawa in his first appearance in a title match. Other Shogi news: ================= 1) In the A Junisen class Kato won a big game against Nakahara to go 2-1. Kato is the oldest player in the class (58), but now has a good chance to extend his stay in the top class with one more year. On the other hand, Nakahara now is 1-2 and has to be careful with only Habu and Inoue without a win so far. 2) In C1 round 4 was played. The game between Suzuki and Ogura, both undefeated, was watched with the most attention. However, it turned out to be a one-sided affair with Ogura being crushed after a mistake in the middle game. Co-leader Kansaki also won without too much trouble, but Sato Shuji had to fight hard to win against Hiura. After the three leaders, there are five players with one loss: Yashiki, Nakata Hiroki, Miura, Ogura and Fukaura. All five are very strong players, so the leaders have no time to relax. The strength of the class is illustrated by the fact that former Ryu-O challenger Sanada suffered his fourth consecutive loss. 3) In the Kio a big upset as Kobayashi beat Tanigawa to reach the quarterfinals. It was a very tough endgame fight that could have gone either way, but in the end it was Kobayashi who was the luckiest. The final quarterfinal spot was for Goda, who beat Namekata. This gives the following quarterfinal line-up: Minami-Shima, Fujii-Izuka, Maruyama-Kobayashi and Sato-Goda. 4) There was also some good news for Habu this week. He won the Ginga-sen for the second year in a row. This is a television tournament of the cable channel with only Shogi and Go. Habu beat Meijin Sato in the final. 5) An interesting new record from the ladies this week. The record for youngest new professional was broken. Little Fujita Aya from Tokyo became the youngest professional ever at 11 years and 6 months. She broke Nakai's record, who "only" turned pro when she was 11 years and 10 months old. It was Fujita's second year in the promotion league, which she won with a fine record of 12 wins and only 2 losses. -- 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