From: Reijer Grimbergen FU IS SAGA-U AC JP> Date: 22 aug 2003 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 1006 and 1007, August 13th and 20th 2003) In this week's Shukan Shogi report, the third game of the Oi match between Tanigawa and Habu. Tanigawa is on fire, taking the third game in a row in superb attacking style. Here is the game with comments: [Black "Habu Yoshiharu, Challenger"] [White "Tanigawa Koji, Oi"] [Event "44th Oi-sen, Game 3"] [Date "August 6th and 7th 2003"] 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.P5c-5d 00:01:00 00:05:00 5.S3i-4h 00:12:00 00:05:00 6.P5d-5e 00:12:00 00:40:00 7.K5i-6h 00:19:00 00:40:00 8.S7a-6b?! 00:19:00 01:02:00 An interesting choice. This move has a bad reputation since all of the four games that were played with this move in the past were won by black and quite comfortably (Namekata-Tamura 2003, 93 moves; Katsumata-Waki 2002, 81 moves; Kanezawa-Tamaru 2000, 63 moves; Ikeda-Kimura 1985, 61 moves). It is unclear whether Tanigawa was aware of this, as after the game he said he actually intended to play the Gokigen-bisha, but changed after Habu played the S4h-K6h sequence. 9.G4i-5h 00:43:00 01:02:00 10.S6b-5c 00:43:00 01:07:00 11.S7i-7h 00:54:00 01:07:00 We are already in new territory. Habu postpones the pawn push P2e, leaves the center to Tanigawa and is satisfied with building a strong castle. 12.P8c-8d 00:54:00 01:19:00 13.P2f-2e 01:21:00 01:19:00 14.P8d-8e 01:21:00 01:30:00 15.P2e-2d 01:33:00 01:30:00 16.P2cx2d 01:33:00 01:31:00 17.R2hx2d 01:33:00 01:31:00 18.G4a-3b 01:33:00 01:31:00 19.B8h-7g 01:33:00 01:31:00 20.K5a-4a 01:33:00 02:34:00 21.K6h-7i 01:52:00 02:34:00 22.S5c-5d 01:52:00 02:53:00 23.P6g-6f 02:16:00 02:53:00 24.P*2c 02:16:00 03:07:00 25.R2d-2h 02:23:00 03:07:00 26.P6c-6d 02:23:00 03:07:00 27.G5h-6g 02:27:00 03:07:00 28.P7c-7d 02:27:00 03:09:00 29.P3g-3f 02:52:00 03:09:00 30.G6a-5b 02:52:00 03:18:00 31.S4h-3g 03:04:00 03:18:00 32.N8a-7c 03:04:00 03:47:00 33.S3g-4f 03:16:00 03:47:00 Time for Tanigawa to seal his move. Black has won the opening. He has exchanged the pawn in front of his rook and has a strong mino castle. He is also ready to start a strong attack with P3e next. All commentators expected Tanigawa to seal 44.P4d. 34.P6d-6e! 03:16:00 04:26:00 A big surprise. So much so that Naito, who was main referee for this game, opened the envelope with the sealed move and started to announce P4d as the sealed move before he realized that the actual move was a different one. Still, Tanigawa didn't have much choice here. After a closer look, it was found that 34.P4d would fail to 35.Sx5e! Sx5e P5f Sx5f Gx5f and the white position is very hard to defend. 35.P6fx6e 03:44:00 04:26:00 36.S3a-4b 03:44:00 04:34:00 37.P3f-3e 03:55:00 04:34:00 38.P8e-8f 03:55:00 04:55:00 39.P8gx8f 04:36:00 04:55:00 40.P7d-7e 04:36:00 04:57:00 41.P7fx7e 04:37:00 04:57:00 42.N7cx6e 04:37:00 04:57:00 43.B7g-8h 04:37:00 04:57:00 44.P5e-5f 04:37:00 06:12:00 45.B8hx2b+ 05:18:00 06:12:00 46.G3bx2b 05:18:00 06:12:00 47.P5gx5f 05:18:00 06:12:00 48.B*3i 05:18:00 06:13:00 49.R2h-3h 05:23:00 06:13:00 50.B3ix7e+ 05:23:00 06:14:00 51.P*6f 05:23:00 06:14:00 52.P*7g 05:23:00 06:32:00 53.S7h-8g 05:24:00 06:32:00 54.P*8e 05:24:00 07:01:00 55.S8g-7f 05:26:00 07:01:00 56.+B7ex7f 05:26:00 07:03:00 57.G6gx7f 05:26:00 07:03:00 58.P8ex8f 05:26:00 07:03:00 59.B*6d 05:48:00 07:03:00 60.R8b-8a 05:48:00 07:05:00 61.G7fx8f 06:42:00 07:05:00 62.S5d-6c 06:42:00 07:08:00 63.P*8b 06:43:00 07:08:00 64.R8a-7a 06:43:00 07:08:00 65.B6d-7e 06:43:00 07:08:00 66.S*7h 06:43:00 07:16:00 67.G6ix7h 07:00:00 07:16:00 68.P7gx7h+ 07:00:00 07:28:00 69.R3hx7h 07:00:00 07:28:00 70.S6c-6d! 07:00:00 07:28:00 Shogi is a difficult game. Even Habu had no idea after the game where he made a mistake. However, with this nice silver move, white suddenly has the clearly better position. Black can not take this silver with 71.Bx6d because of 72.P*7g!. If the rook moves there is a simple mate in three with G*7h. Also, 73.Nx7g Nx7g+ leaves black without defense. 71.P*7b 07:11:00 07:28:00 72.R7ax7b 07:11:00 07:32:00 73.P6fx6e 07:15:00 07:32:00 74.S6dx7e 07:15:00 07:32:00 75.N*6d 07:15:00 07:32:00 76.P*7g? 07:15:00 07:36:00 This complicates things. Tanigawa could have won here with 76.G*6g. Then 77.Nx7b+ is answered by 78.Sx8f and 77.Nx5b+ Rx5b Rx7e B*6h forks king and gold. In both cases, white wins easily. Now Habu suddenly gets a chance to go for entering king. A long and difficult endgame starts... 77.R7hx7g 07:15:00 07:36:00 78.P*7f 07:15:00 07:40:00 79.G8fx7f 07:22:00 07:40:00 80.S7ex6d 07:22:00 07:41:00 81.S*6a 07:22:00 07:41:00 82.N*8e 07:22:00 07:47:00 83.S6ax5b+ 07:37:00 07:47:00 84.R7bx5b 07:37:00 07:47:00 85.G7fx8e 07:37:00 07:47:00 86.R5bx5f 07:37:00 07:47:00 87.R7g-7a+ 07:37:00 07:47:00 88.P*5a 07:37:00 07:47:00 89.G*5g 07:37:00 07:47:00 90.B*4d 07:37:00 07:48:00 91.+R7a-7h 07:37:00 07:48:00 92.S6dx6e 07:37:00 07:51:00 93.G5gx5f 07:37:00 07:51:00 94.P*8g 07:37:00 07:51:00 95.G5fx6e 07:40:00 07:51:00 96.G*8h 07:40:00 07:53:00 97.K7i-6h 07:41:00 07:53:00 98.G8hx7h 07:41:00 07:53:00 99.K6hx7h 07:41:00 07:53:00 100.B4dx9i+ 07:41:00 07:53:00 101.N*5d 07:48:00 07:53:00 102.G2b-3b 07:48:00 07:53:00 103.B*7d 07:52:00 07:53:00 104.L*5b 07:52:00 07:53:00 105.K7h-6g 07:55:00 07:53:00 106.+B9ix8i 07:55:00 07:53:00 107.K6g-7f 07:55:00 07:53:00 108.S*7c 07:55:00 07:54:00 109.B7d-6c+ 07:57:00 07:54:00 110.N*8d 07:57:00 07:55:00 111.G8ex8d 07:57:00 07:55:00 112.S7cx8d 07:57:00 07:55:00 113.R*7a 07:57:00 07:55:00 114.G*8e 07:57:00 07:59:00 115.+B6cx8e 07:57:00 07:59:00 116.S8dx8e 07:57:00 07:59:00 117.K7fx8e 07:57:00 07:59:00 118.L5bx5d 07:57:00 07:59:00 119.P*5b 07:58:00 07:59:00 120.+B8i-6g 07:58:00 07:59:00 121.P*7f 07:58:00 07:59:00 122.B*6b 07:58:00 07:59:00 123.P5bx5a+ 07:58:00 07:59:00 124.S4bx5a 07:58:00 07:59:00 125.S*5b 07:59:00 07:59:00 126.K4ax5b 07:59:00 07:59:00 127.S*6c 07:59:00 07:59:00 128.K5b-4b 07:59:00 07:59:00 129.S6cx6b= 07:59:00 07:59:00 130.S5ax6b 07:59:00 07:59:00 131.G*5b 07:59:00 07:59:00 132.K4bx5b 07:59:00 07:59:00 133.B*6a 07:59:00 07:59:00 134.K5b-4b 07:59:00 07:59:00 135.G*5b 07:59:00 07:59:00 136.K4b-3c 07:59:00 07:59:00 137.G5bx6b 07:59:00 07:59:00 138.S*9d 07:59:00 07:59:00 139.B6ax9d+ 07:59:00 07:59:00 140.P9cx9d 07:59:00 07:59:00 141.K8e-7d? 07:59:00 07:59:00 After a long and close endgame, it is Habu who makes the decisive mistake. Here he could have made things very difficult if he had chosen 141.Px3d instead. For example, 142.K2b N*3c P*6a Nx2a+ Kx2a S*3c N*4a Sx3b+ Kx3b Rx9a+ and the outcome of the game is very much unclear. 142.+B6gx7f 07:59:00 07:59:00 143.R7ax2a+? 07:59:00 07:59:00 Again 143.Px3d would have been better. 144.+B7fx6e 07:59:00 07:59:00 145.K7dx6e 07:59:00 07:59:00 146.B*5f 07:59:00 07:59:00 147.K6ex5d 07:59:00 07:59:00 148.G*5c 07:59:00 07:59:00 149.K5dx5c 07:59:00 07:59:00 150.G3b-4b 07:59:00 07:59:00 Resigns 07:59:00 07:59:00 Mate after 151.K5d R*5c K6d G*7d or 151.K6c G*7c Kx7c R*7g K6d R7d+ K5e +R6e. A typical exciting Tanigawa game where defense is more or less ignored, even with the white pieces. This positive play gives him a 3-0 lead and almost certainly another Oi title. Habu can add to his legend by becoming the first player to come back from 3-0 down, but judging from the match so far, his magic will not be enough: he needs a miracle. By the way, Habu has only been down 3-0 in a match twice and both times this was against Tanigawa... In other shogi news: ==================== * After Yashiki (Kisei) and Habu (Ryu-O), 19-year old Watanabe became the third player in his teens to challenge for a major title by beating Abe in the final of the Oza tournament. Abe seemed to have the superior opening preparation, but Watanabe found a strong counter and will now play Habu in the Oza match that starts on September 2nd. An interesting new match-up... * Tanigawa is enjoying one of his best spells in a long time as he also managed to get to the semifinals of the Ryu-O challenger tournament. He beat Yamasaki, whose winning streak ended at 22 after a loss against Yagura, but he won his next game, so there was not much wrong with his form. Tanigawa was lucky to win this game as Yamasaki played really well and missed the winning move late in the endgame. * In the A class a number of games of the third round were played. Moriuchi beat Aono in a game that he looked to be winning easily early on, but Aono fought back very well and in the end Moriuchi had to go very deep to win the game. Moriuchi has now won his first three games while Aono has lost his first three. Only a week after Sato and Kubo played their quarterfinal game in the Ryu-O tournament (Sato won), they played another big game in the A class. Kubo returned the favor by winning this time, joining Moriuchi with three wins in his first year in the top class. Sato is now 1-2 and seems to be out of the promotion race. Tanigawa's great run in big games continued as he beat Fujii to join Moriuchi and Kubo. Fujii tried to confuse Tanigawa by starting the game with 1.R6h and even though Tanigawa had planned to play double ranging rook, he picked a classic static rook with climbing silver instead. Fujii might have regretted his decision as specialist in the double ranging rook opening. By wanting more (1.R6h seems to have some extra advantages in case of double ranging rook) he got less. He is now also 1-2 and it does not look like he will challenge for Meijin either. -- 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