From: Reijer Grimbergen ETL GO JP> Date: 3 mar 2000 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 829, March 1st 2000) Moriuchi strikes back in the second game of the Kio match against Habu. He found a hole in Habu's opening preparation and got an overwhelming position which he converted in only 61 moves. Habu could only watch and suffer, he had absolutely no chance to win this one. Here is the game with comments: Black: Moriuchi Toshiyuki, Challenger White: Habu Yoshiharu, Kio 25th Kio-sen, Game 2, February 20th 2000 1.P7g-7f 0/0 0/0 2.P3c-3d 0/0 2/2 3.P2g-2f 0/0 0/2 4.P8c-8d 0/0 0/2 5.P2f-2e 0/0 0/2 6.P8d-8e 0/0 0/2 7.G6i-7h 0/0 0/2 8.G4a-3b 0/0 0/2 9.P2e-2d 0/0 0/2 10.P2cx2d 0/0 0/2 11.R2hx2d 0/0 0/2 12.P8e-8f 0/0 0/2 13.P8gx8f 0/0 0/2 14.R8bx8f 0/0 0/2 15.R2dx3d 0/0 0/2 16.N2a-3c 0/0 0/2 17.K5i-5h 21/21 0/2 18.K5a-6b 0/21 4/6 19.P*8g 2/23 0/6 20.R8fx7f 0/23 8/14 21.R3d-8d 0/23 0/14 22.P*8b 0/23 1/15 23.P*2c 3/26 0/15 24.G3bx2c 0/26 3/18 25.P*2d 0/26 0/18 26.N3c-4e 0/26 6/24 27.G7h-7g 5/31 0/24 28.B2bx7g+ 0/31 3/27 29.B8hx7g 1/32 0/27 30.R7fx7g+ 0/32 1/28 Moriuchi has prepared a very violent variation for this vital second game. Just over an hour played and the board is already on fire. This is a known position, especially for Habu, who had it with white last year against Tanigawa in the third game of the Oi title match. This game continued with 30.G2b R8e G*7e R8d P7d and white got a good position because of the bad black rook. However, already after the game it was concluded that R8d was a bad move and that black could have gotten a winning position if he would have played R9e followed by R9f and exchange of the rooks. Habu's comment at the time: "Not the type of shogi to move away the gold". Here he picks the sharpest variation. 31.N8ix7g 0/32 0/28 32.B*7e 0/32 0/28 33.B*6f 1/33 0/28 34.B7ex8d 0/33 2/30 35.B6fx8d 1/34 0/30 36.R*8i 0/34 1/31 37.B*8h 27/61 0/31 38.G*7f 0/61 14/45 Looks a bit heavy, but if white plays more slowly, K6h followed by K7h will give black the rook in hand. 39.N7g-6e! 48/109 0/45 Tough decision, since this and 39.Px2c+ both look good. Taking the gold was played in the other known game with this variation between Matsuo (4-dan) and Miyata (3-dan) in the Shinjin-O tournament. There black also got a good position after 40.Gx8g G*9h Gx7g Bx7g Rx7i+ B8h +R7d. However, the gold on 9h is cause for concern and in the end white managed to turn the tables and win the game. Moriuchi's N6e is more direct and analysed to the end. 40.G7fx8g 0/109 12/57 Still no time to pull back the gold. 40.G2b fails to Bx2b+ Sx2b R*3b and black's attack is very quick. 41.B8hx1a+ 23/132 0/57 42.R8ix7i+ 0/132 47/104 43.P2dx2c+ 0/132 0/104 44.P*2b 0/132 18/122 Desperate. 44.S*6h fails to 45.+B5e Nx5g+ Bx5g Sx5g+ Kx5g +Rx4i and white is mated after Nx5c+ Kx5c S*5d K6b Sx6c+ Kx6c N*7e etc. Black also wins after 44.G7g +Bx7g +Rx7g G*6h +R7d G*7e. 45.K5h-4h 14/146 0/122 This ends all white hopes. This early king escape becomes extra effective because of white's last move. Without the possibility of dropping pawns on the second file, white has no way to get to the king. From now on, it is all black in this game. 46.G8g-7g 0/146 9/131 47.+B1a-2a 32/178 0/131 48.S3a-4b 0/178 11/142 The fork 48.+R8h is not good because of G*5h +Rx8d +Bx3a K7b R*3b S6b (K8c +Bx5c followed by L*8f is also bad) Nx5c+ P*5f L*8f and black wins. 49.G*7d 30/208 0/142 Game over. The white king has no escape. 50.S7a-7b 0/208 8/150 51.+P2c-3c 9/217 0/150 52.S4b-5a 0/217 29/179 53.+B2ax4c 0/217 0/179 54.S*5b 0/217 5/184 55.R*3b 3/220 0/184 56.K6b-7a 0/220 1/185 57.N6ex5c= 4/224 0/185 58.G7gx6g 0/224 26/211 59.N5cx6a+ 2/226 0/211 60.S7bx6a 0/226 0/211 61.+B4c-4d 2/228 0/211 Resigns 0/228 0/211 Time: 03:48:00 03:31:00 Habu has the choice between 62.P*5c +Bx4e +Rx7d G*7e and losing all his pieces, 62.N*5c +Bx5c Sx5c N*8c Px8c G*8b mate or resigning. So Moriuchi's opening preparation paid off, resulting in a perfect win straight from a previously known position. Even though Habu made no mistake, he also had no chance. This opening variation will no longer be played by white. The match is now even and down to a best of three games. Even though one still has to favour Habu slightly, in the first two games Moriuchi has shown that he is in good form and that he is well prepared. This one might go to five games. In other shogi news: ==================== * Moriuchi is the last player to qualify for the Kisei challenger knock-out. He beat Yonenaga, who had already qualified, to get the second place in group B and they will join Goda, Kimura, Habu, Sato, Namekata and Nakahara in the quarterfinals. * The Zen Nihon Pro match, a best-of-five match to conclude the knock-out tournament in which all professionals participate, will be between two players with a completely different profile. Tanigawa really likes this tournament and has won it already six times in the previous 17 times it was held. He beat Goda in a difficult R8e Yokofudori in which Tanigawa had the slightly better position all the time. Tanigawa's opponent is a big surprise. Okazaki had no trouble beating former Ryu-O challenger Sanada and will make his first appearance in the final of a professional tournament. Struggling to stay in the C1 Junisen class, he has not had the best of seasons, but this is of course a great confidence boost. Tanigawa is of course the overwhelming favourite, but that also means that Okazaki has nothing to lose. * In the top class of the preliminary rounds of the Ryu-O tournament, the two former Ryu-O titleholders Habu and Sato showed their strength by beating Suzuki Daisuke and Maruyama. Habu had no problem with Suzuki's unusual opening, the wrong diagonal bishop. Sato also played a very strong game in the R8e Yokofudori. Opening preparation decided this game, so for Maruyama this means some extra hours in the study room. Both Habu and Sato advanced to the semifinals of group 1 and are now one win away from qualification for the challenger knock-out. * In the Oi leagues Goda and Morishita started well by beating Nakata Isao and Namekata. No comments in Shukan Shogi on the Morishita-Namekata game, but Goda was very lucky to escape with a win against Nakata. Goda is not in good form lately, which is not a good sign for the A class Junisen where he is fighting relegation. * Nakai has won back the Ladies Meijin title from Shimizu. Six years after holding the top ladies title for the last time, she had a surprisingly easy title match. Beating Shimizu three games in straight games is quite a performance. Being the mother of three children, it is surprising that she has found the time to improve her game. Shimizu is now left with only two of the major women's titles. 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