From: Reijer Grimbergen ETL GO JP> Date: 26 apr 2000 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 837, April 27th 2000) The second game of the Meijin-sen was played a little too late to make it to this issue of Shukan Shogi. Instead, the second game of the Zen Nihon Pro Tournament between Tanigawa and Okazaki is the main item in this week's magazine. Okazaki's formal kimono arrived in time to start the second game in the style that is common in title match events. For a while it seemed to inspire him as good opening play gave him the early lead. However, this did not lasted long as he did not see that a normal Tanigawa development move was actually a devious trap. Okazaki got a bad position, got one chance to make it difficult but chose the wrong continuation and lost quickly. Here is the game with comments: Black: Tanigawa Koji, Kisei White: Okazaki Hiroshi, 5-dan 18th Zen Nihon Pro Tournament, Game 2, April 18th 2000 1.P7g-7f 0/0 0/0 2.P3c-3d 0/0 3/3 3.P2g-2f 1/1 0/3 4.P4c-4d 0/1 0/3 5.P2f-2e 2/3 0/3 6.B2b-3c 0/3 0/3 7.S3i-4h 0/3 0/3 8.S3a-3b 0/3 0/3 9.P5g-5f 0/3 0/3 10.S3b-4c 0/3 0/3 11.K5i-6h 0/3 0/3 12.S7a-7b 0/3 0/3 13.K6h-7h 3/6 0/3 14.P6c-6d 0/6 2/5 15.S7i-6h 0/6 0/5 16.S7b-6c 0/6 0/5 17.G4i-5h 2/8 0/5 18.K5a-6b 0/8 9/14 19.P3g-3f 17/25 0/14 20.K6b-7a 0/25 2/16 21.S4h-3g 6/31 0/16 22.P7c-7d 0/31 11/27 23.S6h-7g 13/44 0/27 24.R8b-2b 0/44 7/34 Like in Game 1, Okazaki tries to confuse Tanigawa with an unusual opening. The Yodofuribisha (pretending to play Ibisha and then switching to Furibisha) is not often seen in title matches. In Game 1, Okazaki was not very successful, but this time it is a different story. Tanigawa has not played the opening very accurately and the balance of the silvers on 3g and 7g is not good. The opening is a strategic win for white. 25.P6g-6f 1/45 0/34 26.G4a-5b 0/45 2/36 27.B8h-7i 0/45 0/36 28.S6c-7b 0/45 22/58 29.G5h-6g 9/54 0/58 30.N8a-7c?! 0/54 4/62 A little too quick. Okazaki completely overlooked Tanigawa's counterplay at the head of the knight. 31.S3g-4f 16/70 0/62 32.B3c-4b 0/70 11/73 33.K7h-8h 3/73 0/73 Looks like a normal castling move, preparing for G7h. Okazaki only saw the hidden meaning when it was already too late. 34.P4d-4e 0/73 3/76 35.S4f-5g 2/75 0/76 36.S4c-5d 0/75 4/80 37.P7f-7e! 12/87 0/80 This completely took Okazaki by surprise. He can not play 38.Px7e because of S8f followed by R7h. Suddenly white is in trouble. Okazaki should have defended the head of the knight with an earlier G6c. 38.S5d-6c 0/87 18/98 39.P7ex7d 5/92 0/98 40.S6cx7d 0/92 0/98 41.R2h-7h 0/92 0/98 42.P8c-8d 0/92 14/112 43.S7g-7f 1/93 0/112 44.G5b-6c 0/93 4/116 45.P*7e 9/102 0/116 This is a big pawn. Black's advantage is not yet decisive, but this attacking base is a nail in the knee. 46.S7d-8c 0/102 0/116 47.R7h-2h 0/102 0/116 48.B4b-3c 0/102 15/131 49.N8i-7g 4/106 0/131 50.P8d-8e! 0/106 6/137 Good fighting move. If white gets the chance to attack the pawn on 7e with S8d followed by P*7d, black will be in trouble. 51.N7gx8e 16/122 0/137 The only move, but this knight is in danger of being lost to a pawn drop on 8d. 52.N7c-6e 0/122 12/149 53.S5g-6h 0/122 0/149 54.P4e-4f 0/122 0/149 55.K8h-9h 3/125 0/149 56.P4fx4g+ 0/125 6/155 57.P6fx6e 0/125 0/155 58.R2b-4b 0/125 0/155 59.N*5e? 11/136 0/155 60.B3cx5e? 0/136 11/166 Two mistakes in succession. Okazaki had a chance to make things very complicated with 60.G5d P*4c R6b P2d Px2d S7g P*8d and white wins back the knight. Instead white opts for an all-out attack that is mistimed and gives Tanigawa the chance to display his brilliant endgame skills. Tanigawa could have forced Okazaki into the same variation as in the game if he would have played 59.P*4c instead of 59.N*5e. Then after 60.Rx4c N*5e white has to take the knight with the bishop: Bx5e. This leads to the same variation as in the game with an extra pawn in hand for white. Tanigawa thought he could do the same thing without giving up the pawn. Apparently, Okazaki agreed with him. 61.P5fx5e 0/136 0/166 62.+P4g-3h 0/136 2/168 63.R2h-2g 7/143 0/168 64.R4b-4i+ 0/143 2/170 65.G6i-7h 0/143 0/170 66.N*8d 0/143 0/170 67.P6ex6d 9/152 0/170 68.G6cx6d 0/152 0/170 69.B*7c! 0/152 0/170 Going straight for the king. If Tanigawa saw all that is to come, this is a brilliant endgame. 70.+R4i-6i 0/152 1/171 71.B7cx6d+ 7/159 0/171 72.+R6ix7h 0/159 4/175 73.G*8h 0/159 0/175 74.+R7h-6i 0/159 0/175 75.P7e-7d 0/159 0/175 76.N8dx7f 0/159 0/175 77.G6gx7f 0/159 0/175 78.P*7h 0/159 0/175 79.P7d-7c+ 2/161 0/175 80.P7hx7i+ 0/161 0/175 Suddenly it seems that Tanigawa has made a mistake. He has no mate, while black now is threatening mate (S*8i Gx8i +R7h Gx7h B*8i). 81.+B6dx5c 0/161 0/175 82.K7a-8a 0/161 1/176 83.S6hx7i! 1/162 0/176 This is the only defence. 84.+Rx7i is no longer threatening mate, so black can win with 85.+Px8c Sx8c N*7c. 84.B*4e! 0/162 0/176 Good last try. This bishop both attacks (it again threatens mate with S*8i) and also defends. 85.R2g-7g! 1/163 0/176 The final blow. White's attack is over. 86.P*7h 0/163 1/177 Virtual resignation as this is not threatening mate. However, a move like 86.G*6h fails to P9f so there is nothing white can do. 87.+P7cx8c 3/166 0/177 88.S7bx8c 0/166 0/177 89.N*7c 0/166 0/177 90.K8a-9b 0/166 0/177 91.N7cx6a+ 0/166 0/177 92.P7hx7i+ 0/166 0/177 93.G*8b 0/166 0/177 Resigns 0/166 0/177 Time: 02:46:00 02:57:00 With some fireworks in the endgame, Tanigawa also wins the second game of the Zen Nihon Pro Tournament and now only needs one game out of three to win his seventh title. Okazaki seems to play his best shogi with his back against the wall and he will need that to keep this match going. In other shogi news: ==================== * The other big game last week was the semi-final of the Kisei challenger tournament between Meijin Sato and Moriuchi. It was a surprisingly one-sided game where Moriuchi seemed to be better prepared in a difficult Yagura position. Sato tried everything to turn the tables, but Moriuchi showed some great form in playing a perfect game. He will need all of that and perhaps a little luck to take the final hurdle to challenge Kisei Tanigawa. Habu is waiting in the final and their mutual score of 22-11 strongly favours the four crown holder. However, in the Kisei tournament they played only once and that game was won by Moriuchi. A good omen? * In the Oza challenger tournament Fujii showed that there is still a difference between being a great talent and being a top player. He stopped young Kimura, who tried the unusual Wrong Diagonal Bishop against the Ryu-O. Fujii was not impressed and built a strong anaguma position. He ended the game with some great play that took the professionals in the press room completely by surprise. Fujii seems to be in good form, and his next game against Goda, also in great form, might be very interesting. * While the current Kisei tournament is still underway, the qualification for the next one has already started. There was a lot of attention for the professional debut of 15-year old Watanabe, who had to play Sato Shinya. Sato is considered a very talented player, but Watanabe is considered to be the new Habu. Watanabe showed why, as he beat Sato to give himself a nice birthday present, as he turned 16 on the 23rd, just a couple of days after his game against Sato. More next 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)298-61-3316 Fax: +81-(0)298-61-5918