From: Reijer Grimbergen ETL GO JP> Date: 28 jan 2000 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 824, January 26th 2000) For several job related reasons I have to be brief this week. Here is game two of the Osho match with comments: Black: Habu Yoshiharu, Osho White: Sato Yasumitsu, Challenger 49th Osho-sen, Game 2, January 17th and 18th 2000 1.P2g-2f 1/1 0/0 2.P8c-8d 0/1 3/3 3.P2f-2e 4/5 0/3 4.P8d-8e 0/5 2/5 5.G6i-7h 3/8 0/5 6.G4a-3b 0/8 0/5 7.P2e-2d 7/15 0/5 8.P2cx2d 0/15 0/5 9.R2hx2d 0/15 0/5 10.P*2c 0/15 0/5 11.R2d-2f 0/15 0/5 It is a bit strange to see a game without the R8e Yokofudori these days. Habu probably looked at the statistics and decides to play an opening that promises better winning chances for black: the good old Aigakari. 12.S7a-7b 0/15 3/8 13.S3i-3h 14/29 0/8 14.P6c-6d 0/29 9/17 15.P7g-7f 6/35 0/17 16.P8e-8f 0/35 3/20 17.P8gx8f 2/37 0/20 18.R8bx8f 0/37 0/20 19.P*8g 1/38 0/20 20.R8f-8b 0/38 8/28 21.P3g-3f 22/60 0/28 22.P3c-3d 0/60 4/32 23.K5i-5h 1/61 0/32 24.B2bx8h+ 0/61 46/78 25.S7ix8h 1/62 0/78 26.S3a-2b 0/62 0/78 27.P3f-3e 15/77 0/78 28.P3dx3e 0/77 0/78 29.P*3d 1/78 0/78 30.R8b-8d!? 0/78 135/213 The first long pause of the game. Sato did not like 30.S6c S3g S5d S4f and decides to play a more positive plan, aiming for the black pawn on 3d after P6e next. 31.N8i-7g? 175/253 0/213 Now it is Habu's turn to take a lot of time for his move. This knight move makes white's intended plan impossible, because after P6e Nx6e the black knight also attacks the focal point 5c. However, the head of the knight becomes too weak, so this is not a good move. Habu thought long and hard about 31.S3g P6e G3h Rx3d B*8b L9b B9a+ B*8c. This is what he should have played. 32.K5a-4b 0/253 18/231 33.S3h-3g 11/264 0/231 34.P7c-7d! 0/264 68/299 Aiming for the weak spot 7f. 32.K4b was a necessary preparation move to avoid B*9e. 35.B*6f 45/309 0/299 36.P7d-7e 0/309 9/308 37.S3g-4f 53/362 0/308 This is good play. The combination B*6f~S4f is setting up a counter attack with P*2d Px2d P*2c if black gets two pawns in hand. 38.P3e-3f 0/362 58/366 39.G4i-3h 15/377 0/366 Of course, 39.Rx3f fails to B*2g. 40.B*4d 0/377 14/380 41.B6fx4d 10/387 0/380 42.P4cx4d 0/387 0/380 43.B*6f 0/387 0/380 44.R8d-7d 0/387 26/406 45.R2fx3f 35/422 0/406 46.P7ex7f 0/422 2/408 47.N7g-8e 0/422 0/408 48.S7b-6c 0/422 8/416 49.N2i-3g 2/424 0/416 50.P*8d 0/424 5/421 51.P*7e 1/425 0/421 52.R7d-7b 0/425 0/421 53.B6fx4d 0/425 0/421 54.P8dx8e 0/425 2/423 55.N3g-4e 0/425 0/423 56.N*4a 0/425 0/423 57.B4dx2b+ 2/427 0/423 58.G3bx2b 0/427 0/423 59.S*3c 0/427 0/423 There are no more moves to improve the position and Habu is a knight down. He has to attack to keep some chance of winning. Objectively, his attack is too weak to succeed and everyone in the press room agreed that Sato had the better position. Defending is more difficult than attacking, though,,, 60.N2ax3c 0/427 18/441 Very tempting is to run away with 60.K5a. However, after 61.Sx2b= P*3e Sx3e Rx2b P3c+ N2ax3c Nx3c+ Nx3c S4d black has gained the upper hand. Sato's judgement is perfect here. 61.P3dx3c+ 0/427 0/441 62.N4ax3c 0/427 0/441 63.N*3d 0/427 0/441 64.K4b-5b 0/427 0/441 65.N3dx2b+ 1/428 0/441 66.N3cx4e 0/428 1/442 67.R3f-3b+ 8/436 0/442 68.P*4b 0/436 0/442 69.S4fx4e 0/436 0/442 70.R7bx7e 0/436 6/448 71.S4e-4d 1/437 0/448 72.P*3g 0/437 4/452 73.G3hx3g 6/443 0/452 74.K5b-6b 0/443 0/452 75.G*6f! 13/456 0/452 Not the move one wants to play if the attack needs all the power it can get. However, after the simple 75.P*7d Sx7d N*6f K7c Nx7d N*4e S*6f Rx7d P*7e R9d +Nx1a Nx3g+ +Rx3g B*1e white is better. Not having a pawn to drop on 2f is very painful. 76.R7e-7b 0/456 12/464 77.P*7c 5/461 0/464 78.K6bx7c 0/461 1/465 79.+N2bx1a 0/461 0/465 80.N*4e 0/461 1/466 81.L*7e 11/472 0/466 82.K7c-8b 0/472 1/467 83.L7ex7b+ 2/474 0/467 84.G6ax7b? 0/474 0/467 So far, Sato has played a perfect game and his position is very good. With 13 minutes left, it becomes difficult to calculate the defence correctly. Here 84.Sx7b was the right move. After 85.N*7d K7c G4f B*2f white keeps his big advantage. Sato did not like the check of the knight on 7d and chose Gx7b. 85.P*7c 0/474 0/467 86.N8ax7c 0/474 8/475 87.+R3b-3a 0/474 0/475 88.N7c-6e 0/474 0/475 89.R*8a 0/474 0/475 90.K8b-7c 0/474 0/475 91.G6fx6e 0/474 0/475 92.P6dx6e? 0/474 0/475 This recapture without thinking about other moves costs Sato his advantage. He had a good winning chance here with 92.B*3i N*4h Px6e G3h B*7e N*6i L*5d G6h Nx5g+ Nx5g Lx5g+ Gx5g N*4e K4i P*3g Kx3i Px3h+ Kx3h Bx5g+. There is no mate against the white king, while the black king can not be defended. 93.N*7e 0/474 0/475 94.B*3i? 0/474 4/479 The irony of this move is that it was winning on the previous move, but it is losing now. Despite taking all of his remaining time, Sato either did not see that 93.N*7e was a mating threat or he did not see a way to escape from it. If he would have played 94.Nx5g+ Kx5g B*8d Rx8d+ Kx8d Nx6c+ R*5i things would not have been clear yet. 95.N7ex6c+ 1/475 0/479 96.K7cx6c 0/475 0/479 97.+R3a-6a 2/477 0/479 98.G*6b 0/477 0/479 99.N*7e 0/477 0/479 100.K6c-7d 0/477 0/479 101.+R6ax7b 0/477 0/479 102.G6bx7b 0/477 0/479 103.S*8c 0/477 0/479 104.K7d-6d 0/477 0/479 105.R8a-6a+ 0/477 0/479 Resigns 0/477 0/479 Time: 07:57:00 07:59:00 Mate after both 106.B*6c Nx6c+ Gx6c B*5e Kx7e G*7d Gx7d Sx7d+ Kx7d +R7b K8d B7c+ K9d +R8c and 106.N*6b +Rx6b Gx6b N*5f Kx7d G*7d. After the game no smiles from either player. Habu because his playing level is not at the high standard that he sets himself and Sato because he takes the responsibility of his meijin title very seriously and now has played two games in a row where Sato was not able to carry a good position over the finish line. Game 3 will show how this has affected his confidence. In other shogi news: ==================== * A class: Painful loss for Moriuchi against Habu. Moriuchi (5-2) falls one step behind Maruyama (6-1) in the challenger race. Habu is now certain of a spot in the A class for next year (but who would have doubted this?). * B1 Junisen: Inoue(6-2)-Senzaki(6-2) 1-0, Kiriyama(6-2)-Kamiya(4-4) 0-1, Aono(5-3)-Mori(4-4) 1-0. Inoue leads with 7-2 and needs only one more win out of two games to secure his return to the A class. Aono, Kiriyama and Senzaki will fight for the other promotion spot. * B2 Junisen: The four leaders Fujii, Waki, Miura and Fukaura all won. Waki still has his chances in his own hands, which would mean upsetting two of the three brilliant young players he shares the lead with. * C2 Junisen: Sugimoto(7-0)-Kawakami(4-3) 0-1, Iizuka(6-1)-Oshima(4-3) 0-1, Horiguchi(6-1)-Matsuura(2-5) 1-0, Nozuki(6-1)-Sekine(0-8) 1-0. With two rounds to play, Sugimoto, Horiguchi and Nozuki have promotion in their own hands with 7-1. They are followed by 7 players with 6-2. * Kisei league B: Izumi-Moriuchi 0-1. If Moriuchi beats Yonenaga next, he qualifies for the quarterfinals. More next week (I hope), 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