From: Reijer Grimbergen NETSCAPE NET> Date: 27 mar 2001 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 884, March 28th 2001) I am afraid my last "This week in Shukan Shogi" (at least for a while) has to be a quick one as I don't have much time between preparation for moving. In Shukan Shogi this week the 4th game of the Kio match between Habu and Kubo. Habu got a very lucky win to decide the match 3-1 in his favour. Here is the game with comments: Black: Habu Yoshiharu, Kio White: Kubo Toshiaki, Challenger 26th Kio-sen, Game 4, March 19th 2001 1.P7g-7f 00:00:00 00:00:00 2.P3c-3d 00:00:00 00:03:00 3.P2g-2f 00:01:00 00:03:00 4.P4c-4d 00:01:00 00:04:00 5.S3i-4h 00:02:00 00:04:00 6.R8b-4b 00:02:00 00:05:00 7.K5i-6h 00:03:00 00:05:00 8.S7a-7b 00:03:00 00:06:00 9.K6h-7h 00:05:00 00:06:00 10.S3a-3b 00:05:00 00:07:00 11.P5g-5f 00:10:00 00:07:00 12.P9c-9d 00:10:00 00:09:00 13.P9g-9f 00:13:00 00:09:00 14.G4a-5b 00:13:00 00:11:00 15.G4i-5h 00:17:00 00:11:00 16.K5a-6b 00:17:00 00:13:00 17.S4h-5g 00:20:00 00:13:00 18.P6c-6d 00:20:00 00:19:00 19.P2f-2e 00:24:00 00:19:00 20.B2b-3c 00:24:00 00:19:00 21.B8h-7g 00:24:00 00:19:00 22.K6b-7a 00:24:00 00:29:00 23.K7h-8h 00:25:00 00:29:00 24.P4d-4e 00:25:00 00:46:00 25.P6g-6f 00:56:00 00:46:00 26.P3d-3e 00:56:00 00:51:00 27.G5h-6g 01:09:00 00:51:00 28.K7a-8b 01:09:00 00:56:00 29.S7i-7h 01:14:00 00:56:00 30.R4b-4d 01:14:00 01:15:00 31.P6f-6e? 01:37:00 01:15:00 Positive play, but not good. Black's position is not strong enough for this early attack. 31.P5e is the normal way to continue here. This leads to a quiet game with chances for both sides. 32.P6dx6e 01:37:00 01:22:00 33.B7gx4d 01:38:00 01:22:00 34.B3cx4d 01:38:00 01:22:00 35.S7h-7g 01:38:00 01:22:00 36.P5c-5d 01:38:00 01:47:00 37.G6i-7h 01:49:00 01:47:00 38.P3e-3f 01:49:00 01:58:00 39.P3gx3f 02:00:00 01:58:00 40.B*6d 02:00:00 01:58:00 41.R2h-1h 02:00:00 01:58:00 42.P*3g 02:00:00 01:59:00 43.P*6f? 02:21:00 01:59:00 The first of a series of mistakes that change black's position from difficult to lost. Here 43.R*3i P3h+ R1hx3h Bx1i+ N3g L*1h would still have been better for white, but black would have had fighting chances. 44.P6ex6f 02:21:00 02:07:00 45.S5gx6f 02:21:00 02:07:00 46.P3g-3h+ 02:21:00 02:08:00 47.P*6e 02:22:00 02:08:00 48.B6d-2h+ 02:22:00 02:09:00 49.R1hx2h 02:31:00 02:09:00 50.+P3hx2h 02:31:00 02:09:00 51.P7f-7e? 02:31:00 02:09:00 Better is the knight escape 51.N3g. 52.+P2hx2i 02:31:00 02:40:00 53.P7e-7d 02:31:00 02:40:00 54.P7cx7d 02:31:00 02:40:00 55.R*3a? 02:43:00 02:40:00 Here black should have played 55.B*6d N7c B3a+ instead. 56.R*3d! 02:43:00 02:51:00 Here Habu realised that he had been following the wrong plan. This rook defends everything and the double threat of winning the rook by B5c or B2b forces black to take drastic action. 57.B*4a 03:09:00 02:51:00 58.G5b-4b 03:09:00 02:53:00 59.B4a-6c+ 03:09:00 02:53:00 60.S7bx6c 03:09:00 02:58:00 61.R3ax6a+ 03:12:00 02:58:00 62.B*7b 03:12:00 03:05:00 63.P6e-6d 03:13:00 03:05:00 64.S6c-5b 03:13:00 03:05:00 65.+R6ax7b 03:13:00 03:05:00 66.K8bx7b 03:13:00 03:05:00 67.S6f-6e 03:13:00 03:05:00 68.P*6b 03:13:00 03:07:00 69.S6ex7d 03:27:00 03:07:00 70.P*7c 03:27:00 03:09:00 71.P6d-6c+ 03:27:00 03:09:00 72.P6bx6c 03:27:00 03:14:00 73.S7dx7c+ 03:27:00 03:14:00 74.N8ax7c 03:27:00 03:16:00 75.P*7d 03:27:00 03:16:00 76.S*6b 03:27:00 03:20:00 77.P7dx7c+ 03:27:00 03:20:00 78.S6bx7c 03:27:00 03:20:00 79.G*3e 03:31:00 03:20:00 80.R3dx3e 03:31:00 03:21:00 81.P3fx3e 03:31:00 03:21:00 82.R*3h 03:31:00 03:23:00 83.N*6e 03:35:00 03:23:00 84.S7c-8b 03:35:00 03:28:00 Kubo has defended naturally and Habu's attack has finally run out of steam. Kubo is winning, but the next move is truly amazing. 85.P2e-2d! 03:37:00 03:28:00 This move can only be called a Habu special. It seems to be a completely random move far away from the king. In shogi it is impossible to pass, so black has to play something and P2d just seems a move to obey this rule. Still, this move is probably the reason for what follows. 86.P*7f 03:37:00 03:33:00 Of course, a professional ignores a move like 85.P2d. However, one wonders what Habu would have played after 86.Px2d. 87.G6gx7f 03:38:00 03:33:00 88.N*6d 03:38:00 03:35:00 89.P5f-5e 03:41:00 03:35:00 90.B4dx5e 03:41:00 03:43:00 91.P*7c 03:48:00 03:43:00 92.K7b-8a?? 03:48:00 03:47:00 It is very unfortunate for Kubo that several mistakes by Habu are wiped out by one blunder. After 92.K6a R*7d Nx7f Rx7f G*8e P7b+ K5a white clearly wins. For example, B*1f Rx7h+ Kx7h Gx7f and white's king can not be mated while black's king can not be defended. On his homepage, Kanzaki (6-dan) suggested that the reason for Kubo's blunder might have been the pawn on 2d, which looks like it will play a role in attack if white's king tries to escape to that side of the board. If this is the case, 85.P2d must be a textbook example of endgame psychology in shogi. 93.G7f-6f 03:50:00 03:47:00 94.B5ex6f 03:50:00 03:55:00 95.S7gx6f 03:51:00 03:55:00 96.N6d-7f 03:51:00 03:56:00 97.K8h-7g 03:52:00 03:56:00 98.G*8e 03:52:00 03:56:00 99.P8g-8f 03:53:00 03:56:00 100.G*8h 03:53:00 03:57:00 Here Kubo thought he had won. The next move must have hit him hard. 101.G7h-7i!! 03:56:00 03:57:00 Brilliant. Suddenly it becomes clear that white is not winning anymore. Black's king miraculously finds a way to escape up the board. 102.G8hx7i 03:56:00 03:57:00 103.P8fx8e 03:56:00 03:57:00 104.R3h-7h+ 03:56:00 03:57:00 105.K7g-8f 03:56:00 03:57:00 106.+R7hx8i 03:56:00 03:57:00 107.B*8g 03:56:00 03:57:00 108.N*7d? 03:56:00 03:59:00 After this it becomes easy. 108.P*7a would have been white's best chance, but after 109.R*7d S6a P*6b N8h+ B7f +N7h B*8g black still wins. 109.K8f-7e 03:56:00 03:59:00 110.P*7a 03:56:00 03:59:00 111.R*6b 03:58:00 03:59:00 112.G*6a 03:58:00 03:59:00 113.R6bx8b+ 03:58:00 03:59:00 114.K8ax8b 03:58:00 03:59:00 115.B*3g 03:58:00 03:59:00 The decisive move. 116.R*4f 03:58:00 03:59:00 Or 116.R*6d Kx7f and black wins. 117.K7ex7d 03:58:00 03:59:00 118.+R8ix8g 03:58:00 03:59:00 119.N*7e 03:58:00 03:59:00 120.B*9b 03:58:00 03:59:00 121.B3gx4f 03:58:00 03:59:00 122.P4ex4f 03:58:00 03:59:00 123.P7c-7b+ 03:58:00 03:59:00 124.G6ax7b 03:58:00 03:59:00 125.G*7c 03:58:00 03:59:00 126.K8b-9c 03:58:00 03:59:00 127.S*8d 03:58:00 03:59:00 Resigns 03:58:00 03:59:00 128.Px8d is a check, but then 129.R*8c leads to mate. After the game both players looked like they had lost. Kubo will be kicking himself for missing such a good opportunity to take the match to the final game. Habu will be very relieved he won, thus gaining his 11th consecutive Kio title. In other shogi news: ==================== * Moriuchi started the first game of the best-of-five Zen Nihon Pro tournament match with a win over Tanigawa. It was a good win for Moriuchi, who got the early advantage and converted this to a win without letting Tanigawa back in. * Habu won the NHK tournament for the 6th time with a win in the final over Kubo. Habu likes the special atmosphere of the NHK television final as he has never lost one. * A different story in the other TV tournament as Habu lost the final against Meijin Maruyama. Habu has won this tournament only twice and this was the fourth time that he lost in the final. For Maruyama a small price at the end of a bad season. * The battle of the Daisuke's in the quarterfinal of the Kisei tournament between Suzuki Daisuke and Nakagawa Daisuke was won by Suzuki, who now only needs two more wins to challenger Habu. That's all I have time for this week. I will inform the list later of my new E-mail address (the one in the header is only temporal) and I hope that I will be able to restart my "This week..." postings in the future, but that is still unclear. Thanks to all who have been reading my mails regularly in the past years (all two of you (^-^) ). 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/~grimberg/ Tel: +81-(0)298-61-3316 Fax: +81-(0)298-61-5918 __________________________________________________________________ Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Webmail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com/