From: Reijer Grimbergen yz yamagata-u ac jp> Date: 15 jul 2005 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 1101, June 22nd 2005, part 2) Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Get $1,000 to spend on groceries=85 any way you please. Click here! http://click.topica.com/= caadHlsa2i6YsbnuqMaa/GrocerySpree ------------------------------------------------------------------- In the same Shukan Shogi as last week's Meijin game, there was also the=20 first game of the Kisei title match between Sato and Habu. Sato dropped=20 a very good game because of a small but vital oversight. Here is the=20 game with comments: [Black "Habu Yoshiharu, Challenger"] [White "Sato Yasumitsu, Kisei"] [Event "76th Kisei-sen, Game 1"] [Date "June 11th 2005"] 1.P7g-7f 00:00:00 00:00:00 2.P3c-3d 00:00:00 00:01:00 3.P2g-2f 00:00:00 00:01:00 4.G4a-3b 00:00:00 00:01:00 5.G6i-7h 00:01:00 00:01:00 6.P8c-8d 00:01:00 00:01:00 7.P2f-2e 00:02:00 00:01:00 8.B2bx8h+ 00:02:00 00:01:00 Sato plays the Kakugawari with tempo loss in this opening game. A=20 strange opening, because white voluntarily gives black an extra move to=20 build an attack. The difference of having the pawn on 8d instead of 8e=20 is the compensation that white is supposed to have, but in actual play=20 the white winning percentage is pretty bad. Despite this, the opening=20 continues to be very popular among professionals. The reason for this is= =20 that even though the black winning percentage is good, there is no clear= =20 winning strategy for black and the chances of ending up in an unknown=20 position are pretty high. For players who want a straight fight instead=20 of an opening preparation battle, this opening is a good choice. 9.S7ix8h 00:02:00 00:01:00 10.S3a-2b 00:02:00 00:01:00 11.S3i-3h 00:05:00 00:01:00 12.S2b-3c 00:05:00 00:01:00 13.P4g-4f 00:07:00 00:01:00 14.S7a-7b 00:07:00 00:02:00 15.S3h-4g 00:07:00 00:02:00 16.P6c-6d 00:07:00 00:02:00 17.K5i-6h 00:08:00 00:02:00 18.S7b-6c 00:08:00 00:02:00 19.S8h-7g 00:10:00 00:02:00 20.P9c-9d 00:10:00 00:02:00 21.P9g-9f 00:11:00 00:02:00 22.K5a-4b 00:11:00 00:03:00 23.P1g-1f 00:12:00 00:03:00 24.P1c-1d 00:12:00 00:04:00 25.G4i-5h 00:16:00 00:04:00 26.P7c-7d 00:16:00 00:07:00 27.P3g-3f 00:17:00 00:07:00 28.G6a-5b 00:17:00 00:09:00 29.S4g-5f 00:22:00 00:09:00 30.S6c-5d 00:22:00 00:09:00 31.K6h-7i 00:22:00 00:09:00 32.K4b-3a 00:22:00 00:26:00 33.N2i-3g 00:26:00 00:26:00 34.P4c-4d 00:26:00 00:27:00 35.P6g-6f 00:44:00 00:27:00 36.G5b-4c 00:44:00 00:40:00 37.R2h-4h 01:14:00 00:40:00 38.N8a-7c 01:14:00 00:43:00 39.K7i-8h 01:17:00 00:43:00 40.K3a-2b 01:17:00 00:52:00 41.P4f-4e 01:27:00 00:52:00 42.N7c-8e 01:27:00 00:59:00 Anyone but Sato would be criticized for this. The combination of the=20 defensive 36.G5b-4c and the attacking 42.N8e is considered bad playing=20 style. However, Sato likes this kind of mixed strategy and he is having=20 a lot of success with it. Maybe it puts his opponents off balance as well..= . 43.S7g-8f 01:41:00 00:59:00 44.P6d-6e 01:41:00 01:55:00 45.P4ex4d 02:07:00 01:55:00 46.S3cx4d 02:07:00 01:55:00 47.B*7c 02:07:00 01:55:00 48.R8b-8a 02:07:00 01:55:00 49.P*4e 02:07:00 01:55:00 50.S4d-3c 02:07:00 01:55:00 51.P6fx6e 02:07:00 01:55:00 52.P9d-9e 02:07:00 02:07:00 53.P9fx9e 02:07:00 02:07:00 54.P7d-7e 02:07:00 02:13:00 55.S8fx7e 02:09:00 02:13:00 56.R8a-7a 02:09:00 02:15:00 57.B7cx8d+ 02:12:00 02:15:00 58.R7a-8a 02:12:00 02:15:00 59.+B8d-7c 02:13:00 02:15:00 60.R8a-7a 02:13:00 02:16:00 61.+B7c-6d 02:29:00 02:16:00 62.P3d-3e 02:29:00 02:45:00 63.P3fx3e 02:50:00 02:45:00 64.P*3f 02:50:00 02:46:00 65.P4e-4d 02:50:00 02:46:00 66.P3fx3g+!? 02:50:00 03:05:00 Now the game suddenly becomes very violent. This is a very interesting=20 position. Even though white has roughened up the black castle a little,=20 the main fighting is being done at the other side of the board. In=20 general this is not a good sign for the white position, but here things=20 are a little more complicated. White had the choice between 66.Px3g+ and= =20 66.S3cx4d here. For example, 66.S3cx4d Rx4d Gx4d +Bx5c R4a P*4b Rx4b=20 +Bx4b Gx4b R*8b and because white can defend with P*5b or P*4a this is=20 unclear. It may be unclear which is better 66.Px3g+ or 66.S3cx4d, the=20 point is that white has a choice here. Despite his unbalanced looking=20 position, Sato managed to get into a position where he can decide how=20 this game will continue. Quite a strategic achievement from the=20 Kakugawari with tempo loss. Unfortunately, 66.Px3g+ is based on an=20 important oversight. 67.P4dx4c+ 02:53:00 03:05:00 68.+P3gx4h 02:53:00 03:05:00 69.+P4cx3b 02:53:00 03:05:00 70.K2bx3b 02:53:00 03:05:00 71.+B6dx5c 02:55:00 03:05:00 72.R7a-5a 02:55:00 03:15:00 73.G*5b 03:14:00 03:15:00 No choice. After 73.G*3a Rx3a +Bx5d G*4c black has no way to continue=20 the attack and will lose quickly with the weak king position. However,=20 having to drop the gold on 5b is a big loss for black. Most players in=20 the press room therefore gave the nod to Sato here. 74.R5ax5b 03:14:00 03:24:00 Here Sato saw the problem, earlier than anyone else. When playing Px3g+,= =20 he thought that he could play 74.P*7g here. Then 75.Nx7g Rx5b +Bx5b N*9f= =20 or 75.+Bx5b K2b wins. The problem is that after the simple 75.Gx5a Px7h+= =20 Kx7h +Px5h there is no way to defend the black king, but R*8b is mate=20 because white has no pawns in hand. A pawn is worth a thousand golds...=20 74.Rx5b is a change of plan. The situation is still very complicated,=20 but Habu makes no mistake. 75.+B5cx5b 03:14:00 03:24:00 76.P*7g 03:14:00 03:24:00 77.+B5bx8e 03:15:00 03:24:00 78.P7gx7h+ 03:15:00 03:24:00 79.K8h-9g 03:15:00 03:24:00 The black king escapes up the board. However, this is not the end of the= =20 game. The black king is still far from safe, so the position is still=20 very much unclear. 80.N*9c 03:15:00 03:42:00 81.R*8b 03:16:00 03:42:00 82.G*4b 03:16:00 03:42:00 83.+B8e-7d 03:16:00 03:42:00 84.G*8e 03:16:00 03:44:00 85.+B7dx8e 03:27:00 03:44:00 86.N9cx8e 03:27:00 03:44:00 87.K9g-8f 03:27:00 03:44:00 88.+P4hx5h 03:27:00 03:51:00 89.G*5c 03:32:00 03:51:00 90.G*4c?! 03:32:00 03:59:00 Sato regretted this move and after the game said that he wished he had=20 played 90.+Px8i instead. If then 91.Gx5d B*7g Kx8e B*5b G*6c and the=20 position is still difficult to judge. Many variations were looked at in=20 the post-mortem analysis, but no conclusion could be reached. 91.G5cx5d 03:35:00 03:59:00 92.G4cx5d 03:35:00 03:59:00 93.P*4c 03:35:00 03:59:00 94.B*6h 03:35:00 03:59:00 95.K8fx8e 03:38:00 03:59:00 96.B*5b 03:38:00 03:59:00 97.N*7d 03:42:00 03:59:00 98.B5bx4c 03:42:00 03:59:00 99.P*4d 03:42:00 03:59:00 100.G5dx4d 03:42:00 03:59:00 101.P*4e 03:42:00 03:59:00 102.G4d-5d 03:42:00 03:59:00 103.N*4d 03:45:00 03:59:00 104.K3b-2b 03:45:00 03:59:00 105.P3e-3d 03:55:00 03:59:00 106.P*8d 03:55:00 03:59:00 107.S7ex8d 03:55:00 03:59:00 108.R*8h 03:55:00 03:59:00 109.G*8f 03:56:00 03:59:00 110.P*5b 03:56:00 03:59:00 111.P3dx3c+ 03:56:00 03:59:00 112.K2bx3c 03:56:00 03:59:00 113.S*6c 03:56:00 03:59:00 114.B6hx5g+? 03:56:00 03:59:00 After this, the white position collapses. The last chance was 114.Gx6e.=20 This threatens Bx8f+ Px8f Rx8f+, so black has to play 115.Sx6e Bx6e and=20 then P*3e to avoid the white escape up the board. However, then G*6d is=20 again a mating threat and the position is still unclear. 115.N4dx5b+ 03:56:00 03:59:00 116.G4bx5b 03:56:00 03:59:00 117.S6cx5d+ 03:56:00 03:59:00 118.B4cx2e 03:56:00 03:59:00 119.P*2f 03:56:00 03:59:00 Resigns 03:56:00 03:59:00 If black can take the bishop on 2e, there is an easy mate after +S4d K2b= =20 Rx5b+. The bishop can not move, so white needs mating threats but there=20 aren't any good ones, so Sato resigned. A very high level, exciting game= =20 that Sato seemed to control from the start. Habu showed again that it is= =20 almost impossible to beat him in a complicated endgame. The pressure is=20 now on Sato, who needs to win game 2 with black to avoid a nearly fatal=20 2-0 deficit. --=20 Reijer Grimbergen Department of Informatics, Yamagata University Jonan 4-3-16, Yonezawa, 992-8510 Japan Tel: +81-(0)238-26-3740 FAX: +81-(0)238-26-3299 http://gamelab.yz.yamagata-u.ac.jp/ Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Need a Laptop? 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