From: Reijer Grimbergen ETL GO JP> Date: 1 sep 2000 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 855, August 30th 2000) The Oi match between Habu and Tanigawa promises to be as close as their recent Kisei match, which was only decided in the final game. In that match all games were won by white, but in the Oi match the situation is completely reversed as Tanigawa won game four to make it four straight wins for the player with the black pieces. Here is the game with comments: Black: Tanigawa Koji, Challenger White: Habu Yoshiharu, Oi 41st Oi-sen, Game 4, August 21st and 22nd 2000 1.P7g-7f 1/1 0/0 2.P8c-8d 0/1 3/3 3.P2g-2f 1/2 0/3 4.G4a-3b 0/2 7/10 5.G6i-7h 5/7 0/10 6.P8d-8e 0/7 3/13 7.B8h-7g 2/9 0/13 8.P3c-3d 0/9 0/13 9.S7i-8h 2/11 0/13 10.B2bx7g+ 0/11 7/20 11.S8hx7g 0/11 0/20 The first three games of this match saw Habu playing Shikenbisha, so his choice of opening in this game was a little surprising. However, his strategy in game 2 was a failure, so trying something else was necessary. Still, Tanigawa is almost unbeatable in the Kakugawari, so the interesting question was if Habu had found something new to fight it. 12.S3a-4b 0/11 0/20 13.S3i-3h 2/13 0/20 14.S7a-7b 0/13 1/21 15.P9g-9f 7/20 0/21 16.P9c-9d 0/20 5/26 17.P4g-4f 7/27 0/26 18.P6c-6d 0/27 11/37 19.S3h-4g 3/30 0/37 20.S7b-6c 0/30 2/39 21.K5i-6h 2/32 0/39 22.P1c-1d 0/32 26/65 23.P1g-1f 13/45 0/65 24.G6a-5b 0/45 8/73 25.S4g-5f 19/64 0/73 26.S6c-5d 0/64 6/79 27.G4i-5h 33/97 0/79 28.P6d-6e 0/97 23/102 29.P3g-3f 11/108 0/102 30.K5a-4a 0/108 19/121 31.N2i-3g 3/111 0/121 32.K4a-3a 0/111 11/132 33.K6h-7i 5/116 0/132 34.P4c-4d 0/116 17/149 35.K7i-8h 62/178 0/149 36.K3a-2b 0/178 23/172 37.G5h-4h 15/193 0/172 38.S4b-3c 0/193 40/212 39.R2h-2i 7/200 0/212 40.B*6d 0/200 20/232 It seems that the P6e pawn push followed by this bishop drop is what Habu had in mind. He had judged that it would be difficult for Tanigawa to attack. After 41.G4g P7d followed by N7c, white would get a satisfactory position... 41.N3g-2e! 35/235 0/232 Tanigawa shows that Habu's judgement was wrong. He sacrifices a knight for a strong (perhaps already decisive) attack. 42.S3c-4b 0/235 30/262 Habu had planned 42.S2d, but here he realized that he would be in trouble after 43.P4e Px4e P6f. Unfortunately for him, 42.S4b is not much better. 43.P4f-4e 33/268 0/262 44.P2c-2d 0/268 16/278 45.P4ex4d 18/286 0/278 46.P2dx2e 0/286 11/289 This gives black a very strong attacking base on the head of the king, but if white does not take the knight and plays the quiet move 46.P7d, the black gets a clear advantage after 47.P1e Px1e P*1c G2c B*4a. Without the pawn on 7d, white would be able to win this bishop with G5a. 47.P2fx2e 2/288 0/289 48.S4b-3c 0/288 1/290 49.P2e-2d 14/302 0/290 50.S3cx4d 0/302 22/312 51.B*3g 0/302 0/312 52.B6dx3g+ 0/302 58/370 53.G4hx3g 0/302 0/370 54.G5b-4b 0/302 0/370 55.P1f-1e 27/329 0/370 56.P1dx1e 0/329 12/382 57.P*1c? 31/360 0/382 Natural move, but wrong. Tanigawa could have decided the game very quickly by 57.B*2c, which white can not answer with 58.G3b-4c, as black wins in all variation after 59.P*4c: 1) 60.Sx4c P*4e, 2) 60.G4b-4c B4a+ or 3) 60.G3cx4c P*1b. 58.P*2e 0/360 1/383 59.L1ix1e 2/362 0/383 60.B*4h! 0/362 8/391 This is the start of white's counterattack and slows down black's attack as well. Habu thought that he would lose quickly, but here he suddenly saw a way to fight for his life. 61.B*4f 54/416 0/391 62.P*4e 0/416 15/406 63.R2i-4i 0/416 0/406 64.P4ex4f 0/416 1/407 65.R4ix4h 0/416 0/407 66.B*5i 0/416 0/407 67.R4h-1h 7/423 0/407 68.B5ix3g+ 0/423 8/415 69.P1c-1b+ 0/423 0/415 70.K2b-3c 0/423 0/415 71.L1e-1c+ 0/423 0/415 72.K3c-4c 0/423 13/428 73.P2d-2c+ 1/424 0/428 74.P4f-4g+ 0/424 1/429 75.+P2cx3b 1/425 0/429 76.G4bx3b 0/425 0/429 77.R1h-1g 0/425 0/429 78.G*2g 0/425 4/433 79.B*6a 19/444 0/433 80.N*5b 0/444 0/433 81.R1gx2g?! 0/444 0/433 A decision based on probably the only flaw in Tanigawa's game: he hates it when his opponent can make an entering king. Objectively best would probably have been 81.R1d +Px5g R2d N1c R2a+ +Px5f. After this, white has enough safe territory at the head of the king to enter. However, the problem is that the rook on 8b will is hard to save. In this case, white would probably not have enough points to finish the game with jishogi. Habu: "I thought I could enter, but I did not know if I would have enough points". Tanigawa decides to live or die by his attack. The game now has become very close and it is completely unclear who will win. 82.+B3gx2g 0/444 0/433 83.+P1b-2b 0/444 0/433 84.G3b-4b 0/444 7/440 85.G*3b 0/444 0/440 86.G4bx3b 0/444 14/454 In the press room it was thought that 86.P*4a was better, but Habu saw that after 87.Gx4b Px4b G*7b R9b P*4e +Bx3f Bx5b+ Kx5b Px4d the white king would not be able to escape. 87.+P2bx3b 0/444 0/454 88.K4cx3b 0/444 0/454 89.G*7b 0/444 0/454 90.R8b-9b 0/444 0/454 91.B6ax5b+ 3/447 0/454 92.L1ax1c 0/447 0/454 93.+B5bx3d 12/459 0/454 94.G*4c 0/459 3/457 95.G*2c 0/459 0/457 96.K3b-4b 0/459 4/461 97.+B3d-2d 0/459 0/461 98.G4c-3c 0/459 2/463 99.N*3d 9/468 0/463 100.K4b-5b 0/468 1/464 101.G2cx3c 0/468 0/464 102.S4dx3c 0/468 0/464 103.+B2dx3c 0/468 0/464 104.N2ax3c 0/468 1/465 105.G*8c 0/468 0/465 106.B*1g! 0/468 9/474 Great defence. 107.G8cx9b? 8/476 0/474 Better would have been to close the escape route up the board with 107.P*4d Bx4d+ and only then 109.Gx9b and after +Bx3d S*3b black might still have the edge. 108.K5b-4c 0/476 0/474 109.R*2d 0/476 0/474 110.+B2gx3f? 0/476 2/476 A rare endgame mistake by Habu. If he would have played 110.K4d then after 111.N4b+ G*3d! he would have won. Habu said he had only looked at 112.P*3d, which loses after P*4e Nx4e R2c+. 111.N3d-4b+ 0/476 0/476 112.K4cx4b 0/476 0/476 113.P*4d 0/476 0/476 114.N*3b 0/476 0/476 115.R2d-2c+ 1/477 0/476 116.B1gx4d+ 0/477 0/476 117.G7b-6b 0/477 0/476 118.+P4gx5g 0/477 2/478 119.P*3d 0/477 0/478 120.R*4h? 0/477 0/478 Attack and defence and therefore a natural looking move. However, this is the losing move. Habu could still have made things very difficult with 120.+B6i. If black than plays the same variation as in the game, white can still win with +Bx7h in the end. 121.P*4c 0/477 0/478 122.S5dx4c 0/477 0/478 123.P3dx3c+ 0/477 0/478 124.+B4dx3c 0/477 0/478 125.S*5a 0/477 0/478 Resigns 0/477 1/479 Time: 07:57:00 07:59:00 After 126.K3a +Rx3c white has no mate and no defence. A very exciting game that could have been over very quickly. Habu showed some uncharacteristic mistakes in the endgame that gave Tanigawa the chance to win. Maybe the hard schedule that Habu has had so far in this season is taking its toll. In other shogi news: ==================== * Maybe Habu is just directing his awesome power at the games that are really vital, as his display in the first game of the Ryu-O challenger final did not show any fatigue. His opponent Sato Yasumitsu played the R8e-Yokofudori, which clearly was prepared before the game, as Sato rarely plays this opening with white. However, Habu managed to get around all the traps of the opening and got a good position. Sato then tried to force things, but that backfired. After spending 17 minutes on his 70th move, Sato decided to throw the towel in a position that at first glance looks like a normal middle game position. Sato saw that he would be slowly pushed off the board without getting any counterchances and decided to fight another day. Habu now needs one more win from two games to challenge Ryu-O Fujii. This would be another double title match, as these two players also play in the Oza match at the moment. * Two games in the A class Junisen last week. Sato and Kato had both started well with wins over Aono and Tanaka. As expected, this game was a Yagura, as both players are specialists. Kato usually plays a very orthodox Yagura, but in this game he surprised everyone by playing a quick attack. It did not work out for him, as in the middle game he saw too late that his planned attack was not working very well and instead chose a continuation that was even worse as it lost a silver without compensation. Sato got a huge advantage, but 60-year old Kato tried everything to get back in the game and the game lasted for more than 60 moves after his blunder. In the end it was to no avail, as Sato won, but the stamina of Kato is a great example for all the young players who sometimes seem to take things a little easy. A special moment for Senzaki in the other A Junisen game as he beat Aono to get his first win in the top class. This game was much more interesting than the game between Sato and Kato, as Aono was dictating the position for a long time. Only when he played the wrong knight drop, Senzaki got a chance to turn the tables and win. * In the C1 Junisen round 3 was played. It seems that C1 is going to be very tight this year as after the round only four undefeated players remain. One of them is Namekata, who did not play this round and is only 2-0. The other two are 58-year old Nishimura, who (frankly speaking) is very unlikely to promote, although he scored a good win over Hiura in a replay after their first game had ended in sennichite. The two other leaders are Nakata Hiroki (who beat Kimura) and newly promoted Horiguchi Kazushiza (win against Kodama). No comments on their games in Shukan Shogi, but they are certainly capable of staying in the promotion race. Horiguchi is one of the strongest young players at the moment and Nakata is a former Oi challenger, who has been under-achieving in the Junisen. * Goda was the last person to reach the best 16 in the Kio challenger tournament with a win over Nozuki. Goda has not been in his best form lately, but this was a convincing 74 move win. He will now play Sanada next for a place in the quarterfinals. 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