From: Reijer Grimbergen FU IS SAGA-U AC JP> Date: 20 jun 2003 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 998, June 18th 2003) This week in Shukan Shogi the first game of the Kisei match between Sato and Maruyama. It is the second time these players meet in a title match. In 2000, they played the Meijin match, which Maruyama won in the decisive 7th game. This Kisei match is also expected to be a tight one. The first game is an indication of this, as Sato managed to keep a minuscule lead throughout the game. A typical Sato game: surprise the opponent with a new move in the opening, inviting a mistake and finishing strongly. Here is the game with comments: [Black "Sato Yasumitsu, Kisei"] [White "Maruyama Tadahisa, Challenger"] [Event "74th Kisei-sen, Game 1"] [Date "June 7th 2003"] 1.P2g-2f 00:01:00 00:00:00 The furigoma already puts Sato under a little bit of pressure. Maruyama is very easy to prepare against, as he plays all the important games with the Kakugawari when he is black and with the R8e-Yokofudori with white. Especially beating him with white in the Kakugawari is considered almost impossible. Considering the possibility of a loss in the second game, Sato already needs this first game with black very badly in the short Kisei match. 2.P3c-3d 00:01:00 00:00:00 3.P7g-7f 00:01:00 00:00:00 4.P8c-8d 00:01:00 00:00:00 5.P2f-2e 00:01:00 00:00:00 6.P8d-8e 00:01:00 00:00:00 7.G6i-7h 00:01:00 00:00:00 8.G4a-3b 00:01:00 00:00:00 9.P2e-2d 00:01:00 00:00:00 10.P2cx2d 00:01:00 00:00:00 11.R2hx2d 00:01:00 00:00:00 12.P8e-8f 00:01:00 00:00:00 13.P8gx8f 00:01:00 00:00:00 14.R8bx8f 00:01:00 00:00:00 15.R2dx3d 00:01:00 00:00:00 16.B2b-3c 00:01:00 00:00:00 17.R3d-3f 00:01:00 00:00:00 18.K5a-4a 00:01:00 00:00:00 19.P*8g 00:02:00 00:00:00 20.R8f-8e 00:02:00 00:02:00 21.R3f-2f 00:02:00 00:02:00 22.S3a-2b 00:02:00 00:02:00 23.K5i-5h 00:03:00 00:02:00 24.S7a-6b 00:03:00 00:23:00 25.P3g-3f 00:08:00 00:23:00 26.G6a-5a 00:08:00 00:28:00 27.S3i-3h 00:11:00 00:28:00 28.P7c-7d 00:11:00 00:32:00 29.P3f-3e 00:23:00 00:32:00 30.R8ex3e 00:23:00 00:37:00 31.B8hx3c+ 00:23:00 00:37:00 32.N2ax3c 00:23:00 00:38:00 33.B*4f 00:23:00 00:38:00 34.P*2e 00:23:00 00:46:00 35.R2f-1f 00:26:00 00:46:00 36.R3e-3d 00:26:00 00:46:00 37.P*3e 00:29:00 00:46:00 38.R3d-4d 00:29:00 00:47:00 39.B4fx9a+ 00:29:00 00:47:00 40.N8a-7c 00:29:00 00:47:00 41.N8i-7g!? 00:54:00 00:47:00 A new move. In the past, two alternatives have been played: 41.R3f and 41.P7e. Sato has experience with 41.R3f, as this is what he played in January last year in the first game of the Osho match against Habu. The idea of 41.N7g is to defend against a bishop drop on 5e, but it also gives white the opportunity to attack the head of this knight. Good or bad is impossible to judge. Even Sato himself admitted that he played this move more to surprise Maruyama than because he thought it was a sound way to play this position. 42.R4d-2d 00:54:00 01:57:00 Maruyama takes 70 minutes for his reply and that is already a big plus for Sato in a match where each player only has 4 hours for the game. Maruyama had a hard time deciding between 42.R2d and 42.N4e. The latter move also looks playable after 42.N4e S6h P*3g S2g B*2h P4f Bx1i+ Px4e. Further analysis is needed to find out which move is better. 43.S7i-6h 01:11:00 01:57:00 44.N3c-4e 01:11:00 02:13:00 45.R1f-4f 02:13:00 02:13:00 46.P2e-2f 02:13:00 02:34:00 47.L*2h 02:20:00 02:34:00 48.B*6d 02:20:00 02:44:00 49.L2hx2f 02:24:00 02:44:00 50.P*2e 02:24:00 02:44:00 51.R4fx4e 02:24:00 02:44:00 52.P2ex2f 02:24:00 02:44:00 53.N*3f 02:25:00 02:44:00 54.R2d-5d 02:25:00 03:38:00 The alternative was 54.R1d. For example, 54.R1d N8e N6e N7c+ Bx7c +Bx7c Sx7c Rx6e B*5d R6f S6d N*2d and black threatens to go for the white rook with P1f. Still, this position is very much unclear. 55.N7g-8e 02:28:00 03:38:00 56.N7c-6e?! 02:28:00 03:50:00 This might not have been the best move. Better is perhaps 56.L*4d and after 57.Rx4d Px4d Nx7c+ Bx7c +Bx7c Sx7c it seems that black can strongly play L*5f R6d Lx5c+, but then B*4e is again difficult. 57.+B9ax6d 02:29:00 03:50:00 58.P6cx6d 02:29:00 03:50:00 59.B*8a 02:30:00 03:50:00 60.B*3c 02:30:00 03:50:00 61.B8ax5d+ 02:46:00 03:50:00 62.P5cx5d 02:46:00 03:50:00 63.R*8c 02:47:00 03:50:00 64.B3cx9i+ 02:47:00 03:50:00 65.N8e-7c+ 02:59:00 03:50:00 66.S6b-5c 02:59:00 03:50:00 67.R8c-8a+?! 03:13:00 03:50:00 Sato criticized his own move here and suggested 67.+N6c as better. Still, the black advantage does not change much, although Sato needs to find some difficult moves to keep Maruyama under control. 68.L*6a 03:13:00 03:51:00 69.R4ex6e! 03:21:00 03:51:00 The only way to keep the advantage. 70.P6dx6e 03:21:00 03:51:00 71.N*6c 03:21:00 03:51:00 72.+B9i-3c 03:21:00 03:51:00 73.P3e-3d 03:21:00 03:51:00 74.+B3c-4b 03:21:00 03:51:00 75.N6cx5a+ 03:21:00 03:51:00 76.+B4bx5a 03:21:00 03:51:00 77.+N7c-7b 03:21:00 03:51:00 78.B*9d 03:21:00 03:52:00 79.N2i-3g 03:24:00 03:52:00 Again Sato condemned his own move, claiming he had made things difficult here. Still, he did not give an alternative that would have been better. 80.P2f-2g+ 03:24:00 03:53:00 81.S3hx2g 03:25:00 03:53:00 82.P4c-4d 03:25:00 03:53:00 83.N3g-2e 03:29:00 03:53:00 84.N*5e 03:29:00 03:54:00 85.+N7bx6a 03:40:00 03:54:00 86.B9dx6a 03:40:00 03:54:00 87.N3f-2d 03:41:00 03:54:00 88.G3b-4b 03:41:00 03:57:00 89.P3d-3c+ 03:49:00 03:57:00 90.R*9i? 03:49:00 03:59:00 Maruyama has run out of time and shoots an air ball here. However, the obvious 90.Bx2e fails to 91.+Px4b Kx4b L*3f! and after P*3e black has the time to give his attack decisive strength. 91.S6h-7i 03:50:00 03:59:00 This simple defense puts the rook out of play. 92.P6e-6f 03:50:00 03:59:00 93.L*4c 03:53:00 03:59:00 94.G4bx4c 03:53:00 03:59:00 95.G*6c 03:53:00 03:59:00 96.P6fx6g+ 03:53:00 03:59:00 97.K5h-4h 03:53:00 03:59:00 98.L*3a 03:53:00 03:59:00 99.P*3b 03:56:00 03:59:00 Here Sato was a little afraid that Maruyama might have something as this is no mating threat. If he would have had the time, he might have completely read out 99.+Px4c and concluded that he would win after 100.N*5f Px5f Nx4g+ Kx4g L*4e P*4f Lx4f Kx4f +Bx2d P*3e +Bx3e K3g +Bx2e P*3d. 100.N5ex4g+ 03:56:00 03:59:00 Sato does not need to worry. The white attack just comes up short. 101.K4hx4g 03:56:00 03:59:00 102.N*3e 03:56:00 03:59:00 103.K4g-3f 03:56:00 03:59:00 104.S2bx3c 03:56:00 03:59:00 105.N2ex3c+ 03:57:00 03:59:00 106.G4cx3c 03:57:00 03:59:00 107.G6cx5c 03:57:00 03:59:00 108.G3cx2d 03:57:00 03:59:00 109.P3bx3a+ 03:57:00 03:59:00 110.K4ax3a 03:57:00 03:59:00 111.+R8ax6a 03:57:00 03:59:00 112.G2d-2e 03:57:00 03:59:00 113.K3fx2e 03:57:00 03:59:00 114.+B5ax6a 03:57:00 03:59:00 115.N*4c 03:57:00 03:59:00 Resigns 03:57:00 03:59:00 Answering check with check ends this game. Every move with the white king leads to mate, while 115.+Bx4c Gx4c leaves white without attack and without defense. A difficult game in which it is not completely clear where Maruyama made a mistake. The pressure is now on him to equalize in the second game with black in the Kakugawari opening. In other shogi news: ================ * In the C1 Junisen class, the first round was played. Perennial promotion candidate Yashiki started his 14th season in C1 well with a win against Ogura. However, rivals Kitajima, Nakata Hiroki, Nozuki and the only teenage professional Watanabe also won their first game. Still, this year’s C1 looks a little less tough than usual, so Yashiki might finally make it this time. * The Oza tournament is nearing his conclusion as two more quarterfinals were played in the challenger tournament. Maruyama beat Fujii and Abe beat Morishita to reach the semifinals. They will play each other, while Watanabe will play the winner of the game between Moriuchi and Sugimoto. * This year’s Ryu-O tournament is also starting to take shape. Sato beat Tanigawa to win the first qualification group. Both players will advance to the challenger finals, so this game was more about money and prestige (in that order?). Sato cashed the 3,600,000 Yen check for the winner of group 1, but now has the fight the jinx that no winner of the top group ever became Ryu-O challenger. In group 3 Sugimoto beat Kubo, but here again both players will play in the challenger finals. In group 5, Yamasaki beat Kato Hifumi to win the group. He will also play in the challenger finals while Kato has to try and win another game to promote to a higher group. 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