From: Reijer Grimbergen FU IS SAGA-U AC JP> Date: 15 jun 2001 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 894 and 895, Because of a business trip to Hakodate last week (I definitely recommend a visit!) no Shukan Shogi report last week. Instead, two reports in one this time. There was only one title match game in these two weeks, as Maruyama and Tanigawa played the 5th game of the Meijin match. Tanigawa showed how awesome he can be from the Kakugawari and beat Maruyama straight from the opening. Here is the game with comments: Black: Tanigawa Koji, Challenger White: Maruyama Tadahisa, Meijin 59th Meijin-sen, Game 5, May 31st and June 1st 2001 1.P7g-7f 00:01:00 00:00:00 2.P8c-8d 00:01:00 00:03:00 3.P2g-2f 00:07:00 00:03:00 4.G4a-3b 00:07:00 00:07:00 5.G6i-7h 00:07:00 00:07:00 6.P8d-8e 00:07:00 00:09:00 7.B8h-7g 00:08:00 00:09:00 8.P3c-3d 00:08:00 00:10:00 9.S7i-8h 00:08:00 00:10:00 10.S3a-4b 00:08:00 00:15:00 11.B7gx2b+ 00:14:00 00:15:00 12.G3bx2b 00:14:00 00:16:00 Habu, who was following this game from the press room, expected a R8e Yokofudori game. Instead, the Kakugawari is going to be the battlefield in this game. Both players are experts in this opening, but it is also generally known that white has a hard time to get a reasonable position. Especially Tanigawa is almost unbeatable in this opening with black, so it will be interesting to see what Maruyama had prepared. 13.S8h-7g 00:14:00 00:16:00 14.S7a-6b 00:14:00 00:20:00 15.S3i-3h 00:17:00 00:20:00 16.P6c-6d 00:17:00 00:22:00 17.P4g-4f 00:21:00 00:22:00 18.S6b-6c 00:21:00 00:48:00 19.S3h-4g 00:31:00 00:48:00 20.P1c-1d 00:31:00 00:49:00 21.P1g-1f 00:32:00 00:49:00 22.S6c-5d 00:32:00 00:56:00 23.S4g-5f 00:52:00 00:56:00 24.G2b-3b 00:52:00 01:02:00 25.K5i-6h 01:01:00 01:02:00 26.S4b-3c 01:01:00 01:11:00 27.K6h-7i 01:13:00 01:11:00 28.K5a-4b 01:13:00 01:15:00 29.G4i-5h 01:25:00 01:15:00 30.K4b-3a 01:25:00 01:24:00 31.P9g-9f 01:39:00 01:24:00 32.P9c-9d 01:39:00 01:24:00 33.P3g-3f 01:51:00 01:24:00 34.G6a-5b 01:51:00 01:26:00 35.N2i-3g 02:02:00 01:26:00 36.P4c-4d 02:02:00 02:24:00 37.P6g-6f 02:12:00 02:24:00 38.G5b-4c 02:12:00 02:58:00 39.K7i-8h 03:03:00 02:58:00 40.K3a-2b 03:03:00 04:05:00 The sealed move. This position has been played in professional games many times before. 41.P2f-2e 03:43:00 04:05:00 The first real decision. Black would like to keep the option of playing N2e, as this gives his attack extra strength. However, after 41.R4h P3e Px3e S2d white has a good counter attack and it is hard for black to get his attack going. 42.P7c-7d 03:43:00 04:23:00 43.R2h-4h 03:49:00 04:23:00 44.G4c-4b 03:49:00 04:32:00 45.P4f-4e 04:08:00 04:32:00 46.P4dx4e 04:08:00 04:37:00 47.N3gx4e 04:10:00 04:37:00 48.S3c-4d 04:10:00 04:39:00 49.B*3g 04:10:00 04:39:00 50.R8b-9b 04:10:00 04:56:00 This looks a little awkward, but white plans to attack on the edge. 51.B3gx6d 04:16:00 04:56:00 52.B*6c?! 04:16:00 05:18:00 This is the move that Maruyama prepared. This bishop aims both at the knight on 4e and also supports the attack on the edge. However, this bishop drop isn't timed very well. Better was 52.P7e Px7e P9e Px9e P*9f P7d (if Lx9f then B*6c followed by P8f is very strong) Rx9e and white has its edge attack and still has the bishop in hand. It seems black has to defend here with P*9h, but then P*4f followed by P8f looks good for white. 53.G5h-6g! 04:39:00 05:18:00 Indirect defense of the knight. If black plays 53.P9e Px9e P*9c Rx9c B8b+ here, then S5dx4e Sx4e Bx4e S*5f Bx3f is possible. Black now can't take the silver on 4d as the gold on 5h is attack by the bishop. By moving this gold out of the way here, the rook can take the silver on 4d in this variation. 54.P9d-9e 04:39:00 05:44:00 55.P9fx9e 04:46:00 05:44:00 56.P*9f 04:46:00 05:45:00 57.P*4f 05:38:00 05:45:00 58.R9bx9e 05:38:00 06:17:00 59.B6d-8b+! 05:38:00 06:17:00 The vital move that Tanigawa had planned earlier. By not defending at the edge with P*9h, black sacrifices a knight but white is left without pawns and can't use the knight anywhere. Perfect judgement by Tanigawa who gets a big advantage. 60.P9f-9g+ 05:38:00 06:17:00 61.N8ix9g 05:38:00 06:17:00 62.P*9f 05:38:00 06:22:00 63.P*9h 05:39:00 06:22:00 64.R9e-9b 05:39:00 06:25:00 65.+B8b-8c 05:45:00 06:25:00 66.P9fx9g+ 05:45:00 06:27:00 White has no choice but to take the knight. If he tries again to exchange the rook for the horse black gets an even bigger advantage: 66.R9c +B8d R9d +B5a. This is an interesting phase of the game, as Tanigawa is not playing his usual aggressive style, but quietly answers all of Maruyama's moves, knowing his opponent will run out of them soon. 67.P9hx9g 05:45:00 06:27:00 68.R9b-6b 05:45:00 06:28:00 69.R4h-2h 05:52:00 06:28:00 70.B6c-5b 05:52:00 06:36:00 71.P2e-2d 06:07:00 06:36:00 72.P2cx2d 06:07:00 06:37:00 73.R2hx2d 06:07:00 06:37:00 74.P*2c 06:07:00 06:41:00 75.R2d-2i 06:07:00 06:41:00 76.S5d-4c 06:07:00 06:44:00 77.P*2d! 06:29:00 06:44:00 This move is hard to play, as black just exchanged pawns here. However, this joining pawn attack is perfectly timed as the silver on 4c is blocking the bishop on 5b. The alternative 77.P6e to bring the promoted bishop into play gives white counter chances after 78.P5d +B8d R6a +B6f N7c. 78.P2cx2d 06:29:00 06:44:00 79.P*2e 06:29:00 06:44:00 80.P2dx2e 06:29:00 06:44:00 81.P*2d 06:29:00 06:44:00 82.P3d-3e 06:29:00 07:15:00 White is trying to open an escape route for his king to make an entering king. 83.P7f-7e! 06:32:00 07:15:00 Another good move by black. If white allows black to make a tokin here, he will lose big material as the position of the rook and bishop is too awkward to save them both. Also, white's entering king plans fail after 84.K1c Px7d P*7b +B8b K2d +Bx8a Px3f P*3h. "If the knight and lance are taken, I can't win" (Maruyama). 84.P8e-8f 06:32:00 07:40:00 Maruyama has no choice but to start a mutual attack, but this attack is not strong enough. 85.S7gx8f 06:37:00 07:40:00 86.B5b-6a 06:37:00 07:59:00 87.+B8c-8d 06:57:00 07:59:00 88.R6b-8b 06:57:00 07:59:00 89.+B8d-5a 07:00:00 07:59:00 90.B6a-9d 07:00:00 08:00:00 91.P7ex7d 07:02:00 08:00:00 92.P*7f 07:02:00 08:20:00 The alternative is 92.P*7g, but after 93.Sx7g N9c (N*7e G7f and white has no follow-up) P7c+ R8a +Bx4b Gx4b Rx2e and white has no defense. 93.P7d-7c+ 07:09:00 08:20:00 94.N8ax7c 07:09:00 08:22:00 95.+B5ax7c 07:10:00 08:22:00 96.R8bx8f 07:10:00 08:28:00 97.P8gx8f 07:11:00 08:28:00 98.N*7e 07:11:00 08:28:00 When Habu looked at this position, he thought that black might be in a little trouble here. He didn't expect that the game would be over after the next move... 99.R*7a! 07:40:00 08:28:00 Resigns 07:40:00 08:57:00 Maruyama took 29 minutes to resign here. The problem is that black can take the lance on 9a next and then there is no way to stop the black king from entering. On the other hand, the combined attack of the rook on the back rank and the pawn on 2d is too strong for white to have a chance to successfully defend against it. Maruyama took half an hour to find some way to play on, but when he couldn't see any way out, he resigned. A perfect performance by Tanigawa. Maruyama didn't make a single real mistake; it were Tanigawa's good moves that decided the game in his favor. Tanigawa is now only one win away from regaining the Meijin title. However, so far in this match all games have been won by black and Maruyama will play with the black pieces in the next game. This match is not over yet. In other shogi news: ==================== * The new Junisen season opened with the first round of the B1 class. This class started immediately with a major upset as Kubo lost his first game against veteran Kiriyama. Kiriyama played some good shogi to win this game, but still Kubo couldn't hide his disappointment. There was a long silence after the game and the post mortem analysis was finished in about 15 minutes. Right from the start Kubo's chances of promoting straight to the A class have become quite small. Abe fared better in his first game in B1, as he beat Nakamura. He needed to come from behind, as Nakamura had the better opening, but some good middle game and endgame play turned the tables. A late endgame mistake by Nakamura then decided the game. All other games went more or less as expected as Shima and Goda won their games against Minami and Fukuzaki. Tanaka's return to the top class already seems unlikely with a loss against Kamiya, and the same can be said about Nakahara, who lost against Inoue. * Yashiki won the White Group of the Oi league by winning his fifth straight game. However, this was not a win without a story as his opponent Kanezawa used 4 hours and 46 minutes for a single move. This sometimes happens in two day title match games, but when you have only 5 hours for the whole game, this can really be called deep thought. For a while it seemed to pay off, as Kanezawa was winning in the endgame, but of course he had to play in byoyomi for a long time and lost his way. Because of this result, it didn't matter anymore that Fukaura finished a fine run in the Oi league with a win over Sato Yasumitsu. With 4 wins and only one loss Fukaura saved a spot in the league for next year. Yashiki will play the winner of the Red Group, Moriuchi, on June 26th. The last two years he lost the play-off against Tanigawa. Will a different opponent mean a different result? * Moriuchi beat Fujii in the challenger tournament of the Oza-sen to reach the semi-finals. It was a lucky win as both players thought there was a simple mate for Moriuchi in an extremely close endgame. Fujii defended against this "mating threat" and that was the move he couldn't spare. After the game it was shown that both players suffered from the same hallucination and that Moriuchi had no mate. If Fujii would have used this move to attack, he would have won. A shogi game can't get much closer than that. Moriuchi will now play Meijin Maruyama, who reached the semi-finals with a win over Takahashi. In the same tournament Tanigawa beat to Tsukada to become the last player to get to the quarter finals. This also wasn't an easy victory, as Tsukada had several chances in the endgame. He didn't take them and Tanigawa will now play Kubo next for a place among the best four. * Ito Hirobumi became the first player to get back to C2 after dropping out of this division to the "free class". He had been on the brink of promoting back for a couple of months, but a losing streak of five games when he needed only one win made it a long struggle. Finally he got the win that give him the required 65% average in more than 30 games and he will join C2 together with Ina next season, who also managed to get out of the free class recently (Ina will play there for the first time). * Shimizu is having a really hard time in the Ladies Osho match against Yauchi, but by winning the third game, she seems to finally take control of the match, moving within one game of defending her title. Again it was a game that could have gone either way, but in the end Shimizu just managed to win this great fight. Yauchi now needs to win both of the remaining games to become the new Ladies Osho. More next week, Reijer -- Reijer Grimbergen Department of Information Science Saga University 1 Honjo-machi, Saga-shi, 840-8502 Japan E-mail: grimbergen fu is saga-u ac jp URL: http://www.fu.is.saga-u.ac.jp/~grimberg/ Tel: +81-(0)952-28-8821 Fax: +81-(0)952-28-8650