From: Reijer Grimbergen ETL GO JP> Date: 13 may 1999 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no.788, May 12th 1999) Tanigawa strikes back! After two crushing defeats in game 1 and 2 of the Meijin match, Tanigawa finally showed his real power. In his favourite Kakugawari opening he showed flawless attacking shogi to get back in the match. However, Meijin Sato still leads 2-1, so Tanigawa has his work cut out for him. Here is game 3 with comments: Black: Tanigawa Koji, Challenger White: Sato Yasumitsu, Meijin 57th Meijin-sen, Game 3, May 6th and 7th 1999 1.P7g-7f 0/0 0/0 2.P8c-8d 0/0 9/9 3.P2g-2f 5/5 0/9 4.G4a-3b 0/5 20/29 Sato takes up the challenge. In game 1 he chose 4.P3d, resulting in a Yokofudori opening. Despite being very successful with a win in only 66 moves, he decides to try his luck against the Kakugawari this time. Last year, he lost all three games played with this opening in the Meijin match against Tanigawa. What did he prepare at home? 5.G6i-7h 3/8 0/29 6.P8d-8e 0/8 1/30 7.B8h-7g 2/10 0/30 8.P3c-3d 0/10 0/30 9.S7i-8h 0/10 0/30 10.B2bx7g+ 0/10 0/30 11.S8hx7g 0/10 0/30 12.S3a-4b 0/10 0/30 13.S3i-3h 5/15 0/30 14.S7a-7b 0/15 0/30 15.P9g-9f 6/21 0/30 16.P9c-9d 0/21 12/42 17.P3g-3f 8/29 0/42 18.S4b-3c 0/29 12/54 19.P4g-4f 26/55 0/54 20.K5a-4b 0/55 12/66 21.S3h-4g 24/79 0/66 22.P6c-6d 0/79 14/80 Sato opts for the defensive Koshikakegin (Reclining Silver) instead of the aggressive Bogin (after 22.S8c). His comments after the game seem to indicate that he is convinced that defence is the best way to proceed here. 23.G4i-5h 6/85 0/80 24.S7b-6c 0/85 2/82 25.K5i-6h 3/88 0/82 26.S6c-5d 0/88 6/88 27.P1g-1f 7/95 0/88 28.P1c-1d 0/95 2/90 29.N2i-3g 17/112 0/90 30.P6d-6e 0/112 29/119 31.K6h-7i 16/128 0/119 32.G6a-5b 0/128 5/124 33.S4g-5f 14/142 0/124 34.K4b-3a 0/142 16/140 35.G5h-4g 14/156 0/140 It is actually Tanigawa's opening preparation that shows in this game. He plays a piece formation that was first played by Maruyama, 8-dan. Almost the exact moves were also played in the third game of this year's Kio match between Habu and Sato. There is one vital difference: the king in that game was on 8h and not on 7i. Tanigawa has studied the position and concluded that black does not need this extra move and plans to use this move for attack. 36.P7c-7d 0/156 134/274 Sato takes a long time to decide what to do against Tanigawa's new idea. In the end he judges that it is sound and abandons his defensive plans in favour of a more positive approach. 37.L1i-1g 78/234 0/274 Threatens to play R1h and an edge attack. 38.S3c-4d!? 0/234 21/295 It is hard to judge this move. It might be good, but from here on Sato seems to be struggling a little. Tanigawa has won the opening battle. 39.N3g-4e 54/288 0/295 Aims at B*7a. 40.G5b-6c 0/288 52/347 Frees 5b for the rook after B*7a. 41.P2f-2e 26/314 0/347 42.N2a-3c 0/314 4/351 43.P2e-2d 16/330 0/351 44.P2cx2d 0/330 0/351 45.R2hx2d 0/330 0/351 46.B*3i!? 0/330 2/353 Another move that is hard to judge. Sato himself was not very confident about it, because it seems that this bishop will be lost soon. Sato felt that he had no choice, indicating that he is indeed stretching his position. 47.P*2h!? 31/361 0/353 A surprise. 47.P*2c Bx1g+ B*2b is much more Tanigawa's style and does not seem bad, but instead he chooses defence and goes for the white bishop. The game now depends on whether the bishop on 3i is bad or the pawn on 2h. 48.P*2c 0/361 5/358 49.R2d-2g 0/361 0/358 50.N8a-7c 0/361 1/359 51.K7i-8h?! 1/362 0/359 Sato feared the surprising 51.B*1i! followed by R3g, winning the bishop. Tanigawa's quiet play is not bad, though. 52.K3a-4b 0/362 10/369 53.B*3g 12/374 0/369 Tanigawa prefers to drop his bishop here, where it is more active. 54.R8b-8a? 0/374 41/410 This looks like a very nice defence scheme, taking away black's possibilities. Unfortunately, it turns out that the rook here is too vulnerable. Better would have been 54.K3a. Returning to 3a is a difficult move to play, since it is only a waiting move. However, after 55.Nx3c+ Sx3c P4e P2d! (N*6d N*5e G6b Nx4c= Sx4c Bx6d is not good) which threatens N*2e (for example after N*4f), and the position is unclear. 55.N4ex3c+ 2/376 0/410 56.S4dx3c 0/376 0/410 57.P4f-4e 1/377 0/410 58.G6c-6b 0/377 0/410 This defends against N*4f by clearing a square for the silver on 5d and also defends against a future silver drop on 7b or 6d. It seems that white can hold his position together... 59.G4g-4h 13/390 0/410 The other meaning of B*3g. The threat is G4i Bx5g+ Bx7c+ and black wins. 60.N*8f!? 0/390 59/469 A change of plan. Sato wanted to play 60.Bx4h+ Gx4h G*4f. Even though in the post mortem it did not really became clear why he did not play that variation, he seemed to be unsatisfied with the variations he saw. Instead he tries something radical. The knight sacrifice is a standard attack against black's castle formation, but with no pieces in hand it seems an overplay. "In the middle game and with no pieces in hand I have never seen it before" (Katsumata, 5-dan). 61.G7h-6h! 16/406 0/469 The correct reply. Sato might have been counting on 61.Px8f Bx4h+ Bx4h Px8f N*7i G*6i! and there is no defence against Gx7i Kx7i P8g+. Of course a Meijin does not only count on a simple trap like that. Black's king is suddenly much more in danger than before. The following edge attack looks quite powerful. 62.B3ix4h+ 0/406 0/469 63.B3gx4h 0/406 0/469 64.P9d-9e 0/406 0/469 65.P9fx9e 1/407 0/469 66.P6e-6f 0/407 0/469 67.P6gx6f 6/413 0/469 68.G*4f 0/413 1/470 69.R2g-2f! 14/427 0/470 Sato expected 69.S4g Gx4g Rx4g S*3h R3g S4i+ which wins the bishop and gives white good play. Tanigawa's move is much better, despite moving the rook to a very bad spot. On 2f it blocks the bishop on 4h and the rook is also very vulnerable to future lance drop on 2d. It will soon become clear why.... 70.G4fx5f 0/427 4/474 71.P5gx5f 0/427 0/474 72.S5dx4e 0/427 2/476 73.G*6c! 34/461 0/476 Brilliant move which was overlooked by Sato. It would be interesting to know if Tanigawa used the time to find the move or to calculate the variations to the end. 74.P*6g 0/461 40/516 75.G6h-6i 0/461 0/516 76.K4b-5a 0/461 2/518 Desperate defence. 76.R6a fails because of B*8c. 77.N*6d! 15/476 0/518 In attack, Tanigawa knows no equal. This is another good move that decides the game. "Here I thought I had won" (Tanigawa). 78.G6bx6c 0/476 5/523 79.B*7b 0/476 0/523 80.G6cx6d 0/476 1/524 81.B7bx8a+ 0/476 0/524 82.L9ax9e 0/476 2/526 83.P8gx8f 3/479 0/526 84.L9ex9i+ 0/479 1/527 85.+B8ax4e 0/479 0/527 Clears up the right side of the board for the king to run to. Sato has no good attack. 86.P8ex8f 0/479 1/528 87.S7gx8f 0/479 0/528 88.+L9ix8i 0/479 1/529 89.K8h-7h 5/484 0/529 90.N*7e 0/484 8/537 A last trap. 91.S8fx7e 0/484 0/537 Tanigawa does not fall for it. 91.Px7e S*7f would have been dangerous. 92.P7dx7e 0/484 0/537 93.N*6c 6/490 0/537 94.K5a-4b 0/490 0/537 95.S*4a 0/490 0/537 96.G3b-2b 0/490 2/539 97.R*6a 1/491 0/539 98.P2c-2d 0/491 0/539 99.N*3e 1/492 0/539 Resigns 0/492 0/539 Time: 08:12:00 08:59:00 Hisshi. Without the escape to 2c, there is no defence against S5b+ Kx5b R5a+. An impressive win by Tanigawa, who recently has been looking very strong in his wins and rather helpless in his losses. He will need another big game in game four to keep the match interesting. In other shogi news: ==================== Not much else this week, as the consecutive holidays called Golden Week cut last week down to only two days. Only in the Oza challenger tournament two games were played. Maruyama beat Nishikawa to reach the final eight, but more interesting was the game between Kisei Goda and Abe. It was one of those games that shows that one should never resign before there is a mate. Goda completely messed up the game and considered resigning a couple of times. However, his strong castle made him decide to try and hang in there for a little longer. Surprisingly, Abe lost his way and had to resign in despair. A lucky win for Goda, who got one back from last year when he blundered in the challenger final against Tanigawa. That's 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