From: Reijer Grimbergen yz yamagata-u ac jp> Date: 03 mar 2005 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 1082, February 9th 2005) Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Get a FREE* 5 Megapixel Digital Camera - yours to keep! http://click.topica.com/= caadeMoa2i6YsbnuqMaa/5 Megapixel Digital Camera Promotion ------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is the first game of the Kio match between Tanigawa and Habu. A=20 painful loss for Tanigawa, who seemed to have Habu on the ropes. Here is= =20 the game with comments: [Black "Tanigawa Koji, Kio"] [White "Habu Yoshiharu, Challenger"] [Event "30th Kio-sen, Game 1"] [Date "February 4th 2005"] 1.P2g-2f 00:00:00 00:00:00 2.P3c-3d 00:00:00 00:02:00 3.P7g-7f 00:00:00 00:02:00 4.P4c-4d 00:00:00 00:03:00 5.P2f-2e 00:05:00 00:03:00 6.B2b-3c 00:05:00 00:04:00 7.S3i-4h 00:05:00 00:04:00 8.P9c-9d 00:05:00 00:07:00 9.G4i-5h 00:11:00 00:07:00 10.R8b-4b 00:11:00 00:12:00 11.K5i-6h 00:12:00 00:12:00 12.S7a-7b 00:12:00 00:16:00 13.K6h-7h 00:13:00 00:16:00 14.P6c-6d 00:13:00 00:16:00 15.P5g-5f 00:14:00 00:16:00 16.S3a-3b 00:14:00 00:17:00 17.S4h-5g 00:53:00 00:17:00 18.G4a-5b 00:53:00 00:22:00 19.P3g-3f 01:00:00 00:22:00 20.K5a-6b 01:00:00 00:39:00 21.B8h-5e 01:01:00 00:39:00 22.S7b-6c 01:01:00 00:40:00 23.P3f-3e 01:09:00 00:40:00 24.P3dx3e 01:09:00 00:47:00 25.S5g-4f 01:09:00 00:47:00 26.P4d-4e 01:09:00 00:49:00 27.B5ex3c+ 01:09:00 00:49:00 28.N2ax3c 01:09:00 00:50:00 29.S4fx3e 01:09:00 00:50:00 30.P*3d 01:09:00 00:50:00 31.P2e-2d 01:15:00 00:50:00 32.P2cx2d 01:15:00 00:55:00 33.S3ex3d 01:20:00 00:55:00 Up until this move, the position was identical to the game that Tanigawa= =20 and Habu played in the 4th game of last year's Oi match. There Tanigawa=20 played 33.Sx2d and even though he got the better position, he lost the=20 game. The fact that Habu voluntarily plays the same variation indicates=20 that he has found something for white. We will not know if that was=20 really the case, because Tanigawa changes moves first. 34.P4e-4f 01:20:00 01:05:00 35.P4gx4f 01:20:00 01:05:00 36.R4bx4f 01:20:00 01:05:00 37.R2hx2d 01:20:00 01:05:00 38.R4f-4i+ 01:20:00 01:05:00 39.R2d-2b+ 01:20:00 01:05:00 40.P*2a 01:20:00 01:31:00 41.+R2bx3b 02:20:00 01:31:00 The pawn drop on 2a invites black to take the silver, but Tanigawa had=20 prepared the quiet 41.+R2h instead. Only here he realized that black=20 would be in trouble then after 42.B*3h. Fortunately for him, 41.+Rx3b is= =20 not bad even though the game now becomes very violent. 42.B*1d 02:20:00 01:33:00 43.S3dx3c+ 02:21:00 01:33:00 44.B1dx5h+ 02:21:00 03:01:00 45.G6ix5h 02:22:00 03:01:00 46.+R4ix5h 02:22:00 03:01:00 47.K7h-7g 02:22:00 03:01:00 48.G*5g 02:22:00 03:05:00 49.P9g-9f 02:26:00 03:05:00 50.+R5h-6i 02:26:00 03:15:00 51.S*8h 02:29:00 03:15:00 52.G5gx6g?! 02:29:00 03:16:00 With both kings in danger, the position is very hard to judge, but it=20 seems that white can win here with 52.P9e. For example, 53.B*3f +Rx6g=20 K8f Px9f P*9d S7d looks very dangerous because white opens the bishop=20 diagonal, but N7g +Rx7f (Kx7f G*7e) or +Rx5b Gx5b G*7b K5a N*6c Sx6c=20 Bx6c+ R*8d win for white. Further study will have to show if 52.P9e is=20 really winning and if so, where black has a better move than played in=20 this game. 53.K7g-8f 02:29:00 03:16:00 54.+R6ix2i 02:29:00 03:16:00 55.N*4d 02:48:00 03:16:00 56.N*7d 02:48:00 03:22:00 57.K8f-9g 02:48:00 03:22:00 58.P9d-9e 02:48:00 03:22:00 59.B*4e 03:03:00 03:22:00 60.P5c-5d 03:03:00 03:29:00 61.K9g-9h 03:07:00 03:29:00 62.P9ex9f 03:07:00 03:31:00 63.N4dx5b+ 03:12:00 03:31:00 Because the main line seemed to be winning for Tanigawa, most believed=20 after the game that there must be a win for black somewhere. The most=20 likely candidate seems to be this position. By giving up the knight,=20 there is now a mating threat against the black king, so if black can=20 continue his attack without handing over the knight he will win.=20 However, after the game, a clear win for black could not be found. For=20 example, 63.B*3d K7b Nx5b+ Gx5b and the same problem of the mating=20 threat P9g+ Nx9g N*8f Px8f Nx8f K8g G*9f is very difficult to solve.=20 Another candidate was 63.P*9c, but even though there are a number of=20 variations leading to a win for black, white still has many options and=20 a conclusion that black wins would be premature. 64.S6cx5b 03:12:00 03:31:00 65.B*3e 03:21:00 03:31:00 66.P*4d 03:21:00 03:33:00 67.B3ex4d 03:21:00 03:33:00 And black wins after 67.K7b Bx5d N*6c (K8b +Rx5b Gx5b B*7a etc.) Bx6c+=20 Kx6c +Rx5b Gx5b N*7e K7b S*6c K8b (Gx6c Nx6c+ Kx6c G*6b) B*7a and mate=20 or 67.N*5c S4c+ with the mating threat Bx5c+ K7b Bx5d etc. This game was= =20 played in Osaka, and most of the professionals in the press room=20 supported Tanigawa, who lives in nearby Kobe. A win for Tanigawa had=20 them in a good mood, but the next move came as shock... 68.K6b-6c!! 03:21:00 03:33:00 Overlooked by everyone including Tanigawa. It was not clear when Habu=20 saw this move, but he made very clear that he had seen it early and=20 thought that this variation could not be winning for black because of=20 it. Keeping the bishop diagonal open and moving to the attacking pieces=20 instead of running away is almost never the best move, but here it is. 69.G*5c 03:50:00 03:33:00 Tanigawa, who was convinced he was winning, took 29 minutes to make sure= =20 that he had been fooled by Habu magic. It must have been a painful half=20 an hour... The alternative 69.G*6b Gx6b Bx6b+ Kx6b is also winning for=20 white. 70.K6c-7b 03:50:00 03:33:00 71.B4ex5d 03:51:00 03:33:00 72.K7b-8b 03:51:00 03:33:00 73.+R3bx5b 03:51:00 03:33:00 74.G6ax5b 03:51:00 03:33:00 75.S*7a 03:51:00 03:33:00 76.K8b-9c 03:51:00 03:33:00 77.G5cx5b 03:51:00 03:33:00 78.+R2ix7i 03:51:00 03:40:00 79.S8hx7i 03:52:00 03:40:00 80.R*9g 03:52:00 03:40:00 81.N8ix9g 03:53:00 03:40:00 82.P9fx9g+ 03:53:00 03:40:00 83.K9hx9g 03:53:00 03:40:00 84.N*8e 03:53:00 03:40:00 85.K9g-8h 03:53:00 03:40:00 86.S*9g 03:53:00 03:40:00 Resigns 03:53:00 03:40:00 Mate after 87.K8i N*7g Bx7g Nx7g=3D or 87.Lx9g Nx9g+ Kx9g L*9f Kx9f (K8h= =20 G*9h) K8d. A tough loss for Tanigawa and at the same time a big win for=20 Habu. The rest of the match will show how Tanigawa will recover from=20 this psychological blow. --=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: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Claim your Free* Christian T-shirt. Click here! http://click.topica.com/= caadeMsa2i6YsbnuqMaf/PermissionData ------------------------------------------------------------------- --^---------------------------------------------------------------- This email was sent to: = shogi-l shogi net EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a2i6Ys.= bnuqMa.= c2hvZ2kt Or send an email to: shogi-unsubscribe topica com For Topica's complete suite of email marketing solutions visit: http://www.topica.com/?p=3DTEXFOOTER --^----------------------------------------------------------------