From: Reijer Grimbergen yz yamagata-u ac jp> Date: 17 may 2005 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 1091, April 13th 2005) Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Get a Free T-Mobile Sidekick II plus $500 towards service!=20 Click here. http://click.topica.com/= caaduFNa2i6YsbnuqMaa/ProductTestPanel ------------------------------------------------------------------- After the computer shogi tournament, things quiet down a little, so it=20 is time to work through a backlog of professional games again. Here is=20 the first game of the Asahi Open Tournament between Habu and Yamasaki=20 with comments: [Black "Habu Yoshiharu, Asahi"] [White "Yamasaki Takayuki, Challenger"] [Event "23rd Asahi Open, Game 1"] [Date "April 7th 2005"] 1.P7g-7f 00:00:00 00:00:00 2.P3c-3d 00:00:00 00:00:00 3.P2g-2f 00:01:00 00:00:00 4.P5c-5d 00:01:00 00:02:00 5.S3i-4h 00:01:00 00:02:00 6.B2b-3c 00:01:00 00:05:00 7.K5i-6h 00:05:00 00:05:00 8.R8b-2b 00:05:00 00:14:00 Yamasaki likes this kind of position and predicted before the match that= =20 the opening would be Gokigen Nakabisha or Mukaibisha. He might have=20 regretted his openness, because it turns out that Habu has prepared=20 something. 9.B8hx3c+ 00:10:00 00:14:00 10.N2ax3c 00:10:00 00:14:00 11.B*5f!? 00:10:00 00:14:00 Eleven moves into the game and already a move that has never been played= =20 before. Like the primitive Wrong Diagonal Bishop opening, black has the=20 double threat of promotion and taking a pawn. However, in contrast to=20 the Wrong Diagonal Bishop, in this position having the bishop in hand is= =20 considered an advantage for white that is more than enough compensation=20 for the pawn. It takes someone of Habu's caliber to judge that the head=20 of the white knight is a weakness that will cause white great=20 difficulties. This being said, after the game Yamasaki said that he also= =20 was a little worried about B*5f. 12.S7a-7b 00:10:00 00:35:00 13.B5fx3d 00:10:00 00:35:00 14.S3a-3b 00:10:00 00:42:00 15.S7i-8h 00:12:00 00:42:00 16.P2c-2d 00:12:00 00:46:00 17.S8h-7g 00:14:00 00:46:00 18.K5a-6b 00:14:00 00:47:00 19.P3g-3f 00:20:00 00:47:00 20.G4a-4b 00:20:00 01:22:00 21.P4g-4f 00:25:00 01:22:00 22.B*6d 00:25:00 01:26:00 23.S4h-3g 00:31:00 01:26:00 24.G4b-5c 00:31:00 01:35:00 25.P6g-6f 00:36:00 01:35:00 26.G5c-4d 00:36:00 01:35:00 Yamasaki has an interesting playing style, with a strange preference for= =20 moves that look unnatural or plain bad shape, but upon closer inspection= =20 turn out to be very strong. In this game we get a couple of examples of=20 these moves, starting with 26.G4d. Putting the gold in front of the pawn= =20 is bad shape, but supporting the head of the knight is more important. 27.B3d-7h 00:36:00 01:35:00 28.P7c-7d 00:36:00 01:36:00 29.G4i-5h 00:36:00 01:36:00 30.K6b-7a 00:36:00 01:36:00 31.K6h-7i 00:37:00 01:36:00 32.P9c-9d 00:37:00 01:38:00 33.P9g-9f 00:56:00 01:38:00 34.P8c-8d 00:56:00 01:41:00 35.G5h-4g 01:04:00 01:41:00 36.P2d-2e 01:04:00 01:59:00 37.P2fx2e 01:09:00 01:59:00 38.R2bx2e 01:09:00 01:59:00 39.S3g-2f 01:10:00 01:59:00 40.R2e-2a 01:10:00 02:01:00 41.P*2c 01:10:00 02:01:00 42.S3bx2c 01:10:00 02:03:00 43.S2f-3e 01:10:00 02:03:00 44.P*2e 01:10:00 02:04:00 45.S3ex4d 01:27:00 02:04:00 46.P4cx4d 01:27:00 02:04:00 47.N2i-3g 01:27:00 02:04:00 48.S2c-3b 01:27:00 02:10:00 49.B7h-3d! 01:30:00 02:10:00 A move that is very easy to overlook, as it seems to have no clear=20 meaning. However, it invites the next move, which has a problem that is=20 deeply hidden. 50.R2a-2d 01:30:00 02:18:00 51.P6f-6e 01:32:00 02:18:00 52.B6d-7c 01:32:00 02:20:00 53.B3dx6a+ 01:34:00 02:20:00 54.K7ax6a 01:34:00 02:20:00 55.P6e-6d 01:36:00 02:20:00 56.B7cx6d 01:36:00 02:23:00 57.R2h-6h 01:37:00 02:23:00 58.S*5c 01:37:00 02:24:00 White wants to play 58.S*6b instead, but this fails to 59.G*3e R2a Gx4d=20 followed by N4e and the black attack is unstoppable. 59.G*6e 01:42:00 02:24:00 60.N8a-7c! 01:42:00 02:25:00 A second typical Yamasaki move. Suddenly it seems that white has slowed=20 down the black attack and created one of his own from nowhere. Lesser=20 players than Habu would have wavered here. 61.G6ex6d 01:47:00 02:25:00 62.P6cx6d 01:47:00 02:25:00 63.N3g-4e! 01:58:00 02:25:00 The black attack is still in time, but only just... 64.N3cx4e 01:58:00 02:27:00 65.P4fx4e 01:58:00 02:27:00 66.N7c-6e 01:58:00 02:36:00 67.S7g-6f 02:01:00 02:36:00 68.N*5e 02:01:00 02:36:00 69.P4ex4d 02:20:00 02:36:00 70.R2dx4d? 02:20:00 02:41:00 An important mistake that quickens the end. Yamasaki thought that after=20 71.B*3e he could play 72.Rx4g+, but realized too late that he had=20 overlooked a vital black move. If he would have seen it early enough, he= =20 would have played 70.Nx4g+ here. Then 71.B*3e R2c P*2d G*5h and after=20 both Gx5h +Nx5h Rx5h G*6g or Rx5h +Nx5h Gx5h R3c white has the upper=20 hand. Fortunately for black, he can still win after Px2c+ Gx6h Gx6h G*5h= =20 Gx5h +Nx5h because there is a long and rather difficult mate after G*5b=20 next. However, this mate was only found after analyzing the position for= =20 considerable time in the post-mortem, so it is far from clear that Habu=20 would have found this. 71.B*3e 02:32:00 02:41:00 72.B*6b 02:32:00 02:58:00 Here Yamasaki realized that after 72.Rx4g+, black has Bx5c+ G*5b P*6c!=20 and now Gx6c fails to G*5b, Gx5c to G*6b and Sx6c to N*7c K5a S*6b Gx6b=20 G*6a!. With deep regret he played B*6b, losing all will to fight. The=20 rest of the game he plays all his moves without much thought. 73.B3ex4d 02:33:00 02:58:00 74.S5cx4d 02:33:00 02:58:00 75.G4g-5f 02:35:00 02:58:00 76.B*4i 02:35:00 02:58:00 77.R6h-4h 02:36:00 02:58:00 78.B4i-6g+ 02:36:00 02:58:00 79.R*4b 02:38:00 02:58:00 80.G*4a 02:38:00 02:58:00 81.R4hx4d 02:38:00 02:58:00 82.B6bx4d 02:38:00 02:58:00 83.R4bx4d+ 02:38:00 02:58:00 84.+B6gx8i 02:38:00 02:58:00 85.K7ix8i 02:38:00 02:58:00 86.N*7g 02:38:00 02:58:00 87.K8i-9h 02:38:00 02:58:00 88.N7gx6i+ 02:38:00 02:58:00 89.S*6b 02:38:00 02:58:00 90.K6ax6b 02:38:00 02:58:00 91.B*5c 02:38:00 02:58:00 92.K6b-7c 02:38:00 02:58:00 93.B5cx6d+ 02:38:00 02:58:00 94.K7cx6d 02:38:00 02:58:00 95.B*8b 02:38:00 02:58:00 Resigns 02:38:00 02:58:00 Mate after 96.K6c G*5c or 96.S*7c Gx6e K6c +Rx5d K7b Bx7c+ Kx7c Gx7d K8b= =20 G*8c etc. When looking at the whole game, a very convincing win by Habu.= =20 Still, Yamasaki showed that he is a real fighter. That promises an=20 interesting second game, which Yamasaki must win 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: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Erase wrinkles without Botox! 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