From: Reijer Grimbergen ETL GO JP> Date: 15 apr 1999 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 784, April 14th 1999) The disappointing start of the Meijin match is the main story in Shukan Shogi this week. Recently, Tanigawa's results had been much better than those of Meijin Sato, so an exciting and hard-fought match was expected. This might still happen, but in the first game Sato crushed Tanigawa with white in only 66 moves. I went to see the game myself on Friday and I was just in time to see the very end of it (I arrived at 49.P*8d). Still, I was more lucky than a group of professionals who arrived a little after five in the afternoon and only saw the final move of the game. Glad I did not have to worry about the last train back :-). Here is the game with comments, it can also be found at http://www.etl.go.jp/etl/suiron/~grimberg/SHOGI/57meijin1.html Black: Tanigawa Koji, Challenger White: Sato Yasumitsu, Meijin 57th Meijin-sen, Game 1, April 8th and 9th 1999 1.P7g-7f 0/0 0/0 The furigoma showed four tokins, giving Tanigawa black. This might be an advantage, since in last year's match six of the seven games ended in a win for black. 2.P3c-3d 0/0 7/7 3.P2g-2f 4/4 0/7 4.P8c-8d 0/4 1/8 5.P2f-2e 1/5 0/8 6.P8d-8e 0/5 0/8 7.G6i-7h 0/5 0/8 8.G4a-3b 0/5 1/9 9.P2e-2d 2/7 0/9 10.P2cx2d 0/7 0/9 11.R2hx2d 0/7 0/9 12.P8e-8f 0/7 2/11 13.P8gx8f 0/7 0/11 14.R8bx8f 0/7 0/11 15.R2dx3d 3/10 0/11 16.N2a-3c 0/10 3/14 This is a very positional way of playing the Yokofudori. It did not have a good reputation among professionals, since it is considered hard to get compensation for the lost pawn. However, this might change with Meijin Sato playing it. He played it twice before in official games and even though he lost both games, he got satisfactory middle game positions in both cases. The confidence in his own strength is shown by playing it again here, even though he has a 100% losing record with this variation. 17.P1g-1f 47/57 0/14 18.K5a-6b 0/57 67/81 19.K5i-5h 32/89 0/81 20.K6b-7b 0/89 22/103 21.R3d-3f 64/153 0/103 22.S3a-4b 0/153 8/111 23.P1f-1e?! 7/160 0/111 Tanigawa of course has prepared this variation as well. The problem of the white position is the development of the bishop. Usually the moves P1d-B1c are played at some point. Tanigawa pushes the edge pawn early to avoid this development. However, this costs two moves that can not be used for developing the other pieces. This might be of more importance... 24.R8f-8d 0/160 38/149 25.G4i-3h 15/175 0/149 26.R8d-2d 0/175 6/155 27.P*2f 14/189 0/155 This is very positive thinking. Tanigawa wants to put pressure on the white position by N1g-N2e. 28.P5c-5d 0/189 12/167 29.P7f-7e 11/200 0/167 30.P5d-5e! 0/200 63/230 Long thought, but the time is spent wisely. This is a great pawn sacrifice. White is already a pawn behind, so another pawn does not make that much of a difference. White needs to get compensation from piece development and that is exactly what this pawn sacrifice is doing. Having the possibility of moving the rook sideways and to develop the silver on 4b quickly is vital. 31.S3i-4h? 62/262 0/230 Despite the previous comment, Tanigawa should have taken the pawn. After 31.Bx5e R8d S8h S5c S4h S6d B6f S6e B7g P*5f white seems to be better. The two moves spent on the first file have no significance and white has a good looking attack. However, Sato did not feel too confident about this variation and Tanigawa agreed after the game that he should have played this. 32.S4b-5c 0/262 17/247 33.N2i-1g 32/294 0/247 34.P*3e! 0/294 68/315 Great move by Sato. This makes the black attack much less frightening. After 35.Rx3e Rx2f P*2g R2d the move N2e is no longer possible. The move played is best, but the black rook can not find a good square. 35.R3f-8f 8/302 0/315 36.S5c-6d 0/302 2/317 This silver is the first of two that will move up quickly towards the rook. White now has the advantage. "My pieces are not working at all" (Tanigawa). 37.N1g-2e 22/324 0/317 38.S7a-8b 0/324 13/330 39.N2ex3c+ 29/353 0/330 The alternative is 39.P*8d, but after Nx2e Px2e Rx2e both P*2f R2d and N*8c R2i+ G3i +Rx1i Nx9a+ Sx9a P8c+ K6b +Px7c Nx7c R8a+ N6e are better for white. 40.B2bx3c 0/353 0/330 41.R8f-7f 0/353 0/330 42.S8b-8c 0/353 19/349 43.P3g-3f? 43/396 0/349 A desperate attempt that quickens the end. After 43.P*8e (not allowing S8d), it would not have been that easy. Sato planned to play 44.P7d, but after Px7d P*7e R8f Sx7d P8d the attacking base 8d is very big and it is hard for white to make progress. For example, P*8e R4f N*3d R4e Nx2f G3i N3h+ Gx3h R2i+ G3i +Rx1i Rx3e gives both players chances. Analysis showed that even after 43.P*8e white can still keep his advantage with 44.P*8d!. Then after 45.P3f Rx2f P*2g R2e G3g Px8e P2f R2d Px3e R5d both players agreed that white still has the better position. 44.R2dx2f 0/396 28/377 45.P*2g 0/396 0/377 46.R2fx3f 0/396 2/379 47.R7fx3f 12/408 0/379 48.P3ex3f 0/408 0/379 49.P*8d 2/410 0/379 50.S8cx8d 0/410 3/382 51.N*7f 1/411 0/382 52.S8dx7e 0/411 1/383 53.N7fx6d 0/411 0/383 54.S7ex6d 0/411 0/383 55.R*2a 5/416 0/383 56.N*4e 0/416 10/393 57.S*5d 7/423 0/393 There is no defence. For example S*4f is met simply with promotion on 3g and another knight drop on 4e. Also, 57.R4a+ G4b is pointless. 58.P3f-3g+ 0/423 5/398 59.S4hx3g 8/431 0/398 60.N4ex3g+ 0/431 1/399 61.S5dx6c+ 1/432 0/399 62.K7bx6c 0/432 0/399 63.R2ax6a+ 0/432 0/399 64.P*6b 0/432 0/399 65.G3hx3g 0/432 0/399 66.N*4e 0/432 18/417 Resigns 3/435 0/417 Time: 07:15:00 06:57:00 Tanigawa takes three minutes to decide that there is nothing left to play for. With 66 moves this is the second shortest Meijin game in history. The shortest is a 63 move game between Tsukada and Kimura, played more than 50 years ago. How big will winning with white be in the rest of this match? In other Shogi news: -------------------- 1) Habu successfully defended his NHK title by beating Horiguchi (4-dan) in the final (the game was sent to Shogi-L earlier). Since the NHK tournament is a quick play shogi tournament it is hard to win it twice in a row since accidents will happen. It is the first time since the tournament is broadcasted on television (since 1962) that the titleholder wins two in a row. This year Habu was one of the oldest players to get far into the tournament. All quarterfinalists were in their 20s, except for Sugimoto who had just turned 30. The vast experience of "old man" Habu (28) was enough to outplay first time finalist Horiguchi (23). It was Habu's 5th NHK title, which gives him shared third place with Nakahara, behind Oyama (8 titles) and Kato Hifumi (6 titles). 2) In the white group of the Oi challenger league Yashiki suffered a painful defeat against Takahashi. Yashiki thought he was winning and Takahashi thought he was losing when Takahashi suddenly saw a beautiful way out of trouble. Because of this result both players now 2-1 scores and still good chances to win the group. That is all for this week, Reijer -- Reijer Grimbergen Complex Games 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