From: Reijer Grimbergen ETL GO JP> Date: 18 oct 2000 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 862, October 18th 2000) As reported earlier, Habu won the decisive game in the Oza match against Fujii, winning the match 3-2. This week's Shukan Shogi features this game and it turned out to be another proof that Habu is playing a different kind of shogi than all the others. He won the game by playing a slow attack far away from the king that neither Fujii or any of the other professionals considered. Habu showed that he was right and got another Oza title as a reward. Here is the game with comments: Black: Fujii Takeshi, Challenger White: Habu Yoshiharu, Oza 48th Oza-sen, Game 5, October 13th 2000 1.P7g-7f 1/1 0/0 The furigoma gave Fujii black. Even though this might be considered a slight advantage, Habu may not have been too unhappy about this. In the two previous matches he played, Habu also had white in the decisive game and he won both. 2.P3c-3d 0/1 2/2 3.P1g-1f 5/6 0/2 4.P8c-8d 0/6 3/5 5.P6g-6f 1/7 0/5 6.S7a-6b 0/7 1/6 7.S7i-7h 22/29 0/6 8.P5c-5d 0/29 6/12 9.R2h-6h 0/29 0/12 10.K5a-4b 0/29 2/14 11.S3i-3h 1/30 0/14 12.K4b-3b 0/30 1/15 13.B8h-7g 1/31 0/15 14.P1c-1d 0/31 6/21 15.P4g-4f 39/70 0/21 16.G6a-5b 0/70 8/29 17.S7h-6g 9/79 0/29 18.S6b-5c 0/79 30/59 19.K5i-4h 12/91 0/59 20.P7c-7d 0/91 12/71 21.K4h-3i 18/109 0/71 22.P8d-8e 0/109 14/85 23.G6i-5h 3/112 0/85 24.S5c-6d 0/112 6/91 Like in game 5, Habu chooses the Quick Attack. He did not have much success then as he did not get a good position after the opening. Still, he won the game and that may have been the reason to play it again. 25.R6h-7h 4/116 0/91 26.P7d-7e 0/116 21/112 27.K3i-2h 12/128 0/112 28.P7ex7f 0/128 48/160 29.S6gx7f 0/128 0/160 30.R8b-7b 0/128 0/160 31.G5h-6g 4/132 0/160 It is unusual to see such a well-analysed opening in a title match game. Fujii plays the move that is considered best. The well-known counter attack 32.P6e is considered dangerous here after 33.Bx7g+ Rx7g S5e S6g Rx7g+ Nx7g P*7f Sx7f R*7i R*7a Rx7g+ B*6g G5b-4b P*7h +R8h Rx8a+ +Rx9i +R9a S4f and having the king on 2h here is actually a disadvantage as it is on the line of the dragon. 32.S6d-5e 0/132 20/180 Tempting is 32.Rx7f Gx7f S*6g, but after P6e black has no problems. 33.R7h-4h 10/142 0/180 34.P9c-9d 0/142 9/189 35.P4f-4e 9/151 0/189 36.B2b-3c 0/151 10/199 37.P9g-9f 27/178 0/199 38.S3a-4b 0/178 3/202 39.B7g-8h 8/186 0/202 40.S5e-6d 0/186 4/206 41.P6f-6e 11/197 0/206 42.B3cx8h+ 0/197 5/211 43.R4hx8h 0/197 0/211 44.S6d-7e 0/197 0/211 45.P*7g 0/197 0/211 46.S7ex7f 0/197 12/223 47.P7gx7f 0/197 0/223 48.B*3c 0/197 7/230 49.B*7g 3/200 0/230 50.R7b-8b 0/200 0/230 51.B7gx3c+ 3/203 0/230 52.S4bx3c 0/203 4/234 53.N8i-7g 18/221 0/234 54.B*5c 0/221 19/253 55.P3g-3f?! 11/232 0/253 It seemed that black has gotten a slight advantage from the opening, but this is a small mistake. It was hard to see that Habu's next move is strong, though. After the game Fujii suggested 55.G5f as better. For example, 55.G5f R7b G6f B3e G6g. This is very hard to play for a professional as it gives up three moves. However, it would not have given Habu a chance to attack. 56.P9d-9e! 0/232 1/254 A total surprise for Fujii and all professionals in the press room. A pawn push at the other side of the board (P1e) was suggested, but an edge attack on the 9th file seems way too far from the black king. Habu shows why he has no equal. The edge attack is quite hard to defend against and it definitely broke Fujii's rhythm. 57.P9fx9e 11/243 0/254 58.P*9f 0/243 0/254 59.B*4f 13/256 0/254 60.R8b-9b 0/256 4/258 61.R8h-4h 3/259 0/258 62.P9f-9g+ 0/259 0/258 63.G6g-5f? 4/263 0/258 This might be the losing move, but again Fujii can be excused for overlooking Habu's next move, as this move was exactly the reason why he played G5f in the first place. Better was 63.P6d Bx6d Bx6d Px6d Lx9g P8f Px8f P*9f Lx9f B*6i and the position is unclear. 64.P8e-8f! 0/263 5/263 Habu plays it anyway. Surely, there is no way this pawn promotion can be in time. However, "a tokin is faster than you think"... 65.N7g-8e 13/276 0/263 66.P8fx8g+ 0/276 1/264 67.N8e-7c+ 3/279 0/264 68.N8ax7c 0/279 4/268 69.B4fx7c+ 0/279 0/268 70.P1d-1e 0/279 0/268 71.P1fx1e 0/279 0/268 72.P*1g 0/279 3/271 73.L1ix1g 1/280 0/271 74.N*2e 0/280 0/271 75.S*2f 0/280 0/271 76.N2ex1g+ 0/280 0/271 77.S2fx1g 0/280 0/271 78.+P8g-7g 0/280 0/271 79.P2g-2f 0/280 0/271 80.+P7g-6g 0/280 2/273 81.+B7c-4f 5/285 0/273 82.G4a-4b! 0/285 2/275 Cool play. 82.Rx9e seems good enough for a white advantage, but this gold move is much better. Creating an escape route on 4a defends well against N*2e, which is the only way black can attack. Perfect timing of the switch between attack and defence is one of the trademarks of Habu's style of play. 83.P*8c 4/289 0/275 84.R9bx9e 0/289 0/275 Only now Habu takes this pawn. 85.N*2e 0/289 0/275 86.S3c-2d 0/289 3/278 87.S3h-2g 0/289 0/278 88.R9e-8e 0/289 2/280 89.+B4fx9a 1/290 0/280 90.R8e-8i+ 0/290 0/280 91.G4i-3h 0/290 0/280 92.S*4i 0/290 2/282 93.+B9a-3g 1/291 0/282 94.+P6g-5h 0/291 0/282 95.R4h-4g 0/291 0/282 96.S4ix3h= 0/291 3/285 97.+B3gx3h 0/291 0/285 98.G*4h 0/291 3/288 99.R4gx4h 0/291 0/288 100.+P5hx4h 0/291 0/288 101.+B3hx4h 0/291 0/288 102.R*7h 0/291 0/288 103.G*3h 0/291 0/288 104.B5c-8f! 0/291 5/293 A nice decisive move. 104.Sx2e followed by Bx1g+ also seems good enough to win, but Habu uses this bishop to attack from the other side. The power of the three major pieces is awesome and despite a desperate last stand Fujii has no chance to win. 105.+B4h-3g 3/294 0/293 106.B8f-5i+ 0/294 1/294 107.L*4h 0/294 0/294 108.R7h-7i+ 0/294 0/294 109.N*4d 0/294 0/294 110.P4cx4d 0/294 0/294 111.P4ex4d 0/294 0/294 112.+B5i-4i 0/294 0/294 113.P4d-4c+ 0/294 0/294 114.G5bx4c 0/294 0/294 115.L4hx4c+ 0/294 0/294 116.G4bx4c 0/294 0/294 117.+B3g-7c 0/294 0/294 118.+B4ix3h 0/294 1/295 119.S2gx3h 0/294 0/295 120.+R7i-3i 0/294 0/295 121.K2h-3g 0/294 0/295 122.+R8i-4i 0/294 0/295 123.S*4g 0/294 0/295 124.+R4ix4g 0/294 0/295 125.K3gx4g 0/294 0/295 126.G*4h 0/294 0/295 Resigns 0/294 0/295 Time: 04:54:00 04:55:00 If 127.K4f next, then S*3e Px3e Sx3e and mate after K3g +Rx3h or K4e G4d. So, Habu does it again as he wins the decisive game in the third title match in a row. It is also Habu's 9th consecutive Oza title, which extends his previous record. Second is Nakahara with 6 consecutive Oza titles, but Nakahara also won the Oza four times in a row twice, so Habu still isn't near the record number of Oza titles. For Fujii this match will be a disappointment, but he does not have time to reflect long, as he will meet Habu again in the Ryu-O match that starts almost immediately. In other shogi news: ==================== * In the A class Junisen two games were played: Sato-Moriuchi and Tanigawa-Senzaki. Moriuchi surprised everyone with playing a new move very early in a well-known opening variation of the Mukaibisha (Opposing rook). He gave up a pawn for a rook promotion, but after the violent opening, things quieted down and the game resulted in a long positional middle game where Moriuchi got the advantage. However, Sato desperately attacked and managed to set a nasty trap at the same time. Moriuchi fell for it, and instead of winning material (as he expected) his king position suddenly was in ruins. From then on, Sato had no trouble winning the game. Moriuchi thus suffers his first loss and both players now have a 3-1 score. They would be joined by the winner of the game between Tanigawa and Senzaki. Surprisingly, it was only their 6th encounter, with Tanigawa leading 3-2. Senzaki played Sankenbisha and the game developed into a tight double Anaguma position. As could be expected, in the end it was Tanigawa who took the risk by attacking with the knight of his anaguma castle. Even though he was not sure himself if this was good, he was rewarded for his positive play as Senzaki only realized that something had gone wrong until it was far too late. "I have never won a double Anaguma game playing with the Furibisha side", a disappointed Senzaki said after the game. * Kiriyama's dream of challenging for a major title after so many years is over. After beating Sato to reach the quarter finals, he could not do the same against Meijin Maruyama. Maruyama decided the R8e Yokofudori after 103 moves in his favour and will now meet Goda in the semi-final. * In the Osho league Goda showed his great form as he scored his 7th consecutive win by beating Nakahara in only 75 moves. Nakahara refused to drop back a pawn on the rook file that was exchanged, but that turned out to be a positional blunder. Goda attacked strongly and because the king was close to the open rook file, Nakahara could not stop the attack. For both players this was their first game in the Osho league this year. * Shimizu is very close to another Ladies Osho title after beating challenger Usui in the second game as well. Like in game 1, Shimizu had to work hard to win the game. She seemed to have the early advantage, but Usui found a strong attack that made the position very complicated. However, Shimizu kept her cool and in the end decided the game with a mate of more than 20 moves. Usui now has to win all three remaining games to take the title from Shimizu. More next week, Reijer -- Reijer Grimbergen Complex Games Lab Electrotechnical Laboratory 1-1-4 Umezono, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken, 305-8568 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