From: Reijer Grimbergen yz yamagata-u ac jp> Date: 18 may 2005 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 1092, April 20th 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Three games have been played already in the Meijin match between=20 Moriuchi and Habu. So far, this looks like a match that might be=20 remembered for a long time. Both Moriuchi and Habu seem to be in top=20 form and this is rather unusual, as matches between them have often been= =20 one-sided affairs. Here is the first game with comments: [Black "Habu Yoshiharu, Challenger"] [White "Moriuchi Toshiyuki, Meijin"] [Event "63rd Meijin-sen, Game 1"] [Date "April 12th and 13th 2005"] 1.P7g-7f 00:00:00 00:00:00 2.P3c-3d 00:00:00 00:02:00 3.P2g-2f 00:01:00 00:02:00 4.G4a-3b 00:01:00 00:02:00 5.G6i-7h 00:06:00 00:02:00 6.S3a-4b 00:06:00 00:19:00 The Kakugawari with tempo loss. This is a very modern way of playing=20 with the white pieces and both Habu and Moriuchi play virtually=20 anything. Still, it is very unusual for Moriuchi to play this opening=20 with white, so Habu might have been a little surprised. 7.B8hx2b+ 00:17:00 00:19:00 8.G3bx2b 00:17:00 00:19:00 9.S7i-6h 00:22:00 00:19:00 10.S7a-6b 00:22:00 00:20:00 11.S3i-3h 00:29:00 00:20:00 12.P6c-6d 00:29:00 00:21:00 13.P1g-1f 00:35:00 00:21:00 14.P1c-1d 00:35:00 00:22:00 15.P4g-4f 00:47:00 00:22:00 16.S6b-6c 00:47:00 00:28:00 17.S3h-4g 00:50:00 00:28:00 18.K5a-4a 00:50:00 00:57:00 19.K5i-6i 01:23:00 00:57:00 20.K4a-3a 01:23:00 01:19:00 21.K6i-7i 01:25:00 01:19:00 22.S6c-5d 01:25:00 01:21:00 23.S4g-5f 01:58:00 01:21:00 24.P9c-9d 01:58:00 01:22:00 25.P9g-9f 01:59:00 01:22:00 26.G2b-3b 01:59:00 01:33:00 27.S5f-4e 02:49:00 01:33:00 Positive play. The idea behind this quick attack is that the tempo loss=20 by white is more likely to be important in a quick fight. 28.S5dx4e 02:49:00 02:57:00 29.P4fx4e 02:49:00 02:57:00 30.G6a-5b 02:49:00 02:57:00 31.R2h-4h 03:03:00 02:57:00 32.S4b-3c 03:03:00 03:00:00 33.S6h-7g 03:27:00 03:00:00 34.P3d-3e 03:27:00 03:46:00 The sealed move. Playing only 33 moves on the first day of a two day=20 title match is quite a slow pace. However, with both players having both= =20 a bishop and a silver in hand, careful play is required. 34.P3e stops=20 the black knight on 2i from developing because 35.N1g is answered by=20 36.P3f Px3f B*3g. A useful move, but white has not much else. For=20 example, the natural 34.P7d fails to 35.S*7a and then 36.R7b B*6a or=20 36.R9b B*6a and white has no defense against the bishop promotion on 8c=20 (with the pawn still on 7c, white could play S*7d here and go for the=20 bishop next with G5a). 35.S7g-6f?! 04:21:00 03:46:00 Developing this silver is an interesting looking plan, but it might have= =20 been based on a miscalculation, because Moriuchi gets the upper hand now. 36.R8b-6b 04:21:00 04:22:00 37.S6f-5e 04:27:00 04:22:00 38.P7c-7d 04:27:00 04:49:00 39.S5e-4f 05:55:00 04:49:00 40.P6d-6e 05:55:00 05:18:00 41.N2i-1g 06:07:00 05:18:00 42.P7d-7e 06:07:00 06:29:00 43.P7fx7e 06:49:00 06:29:00 44.P3e-3f 06:49:00 06:41:00 45.P3gx3f 06:49:00 06:41:00 46.B*6d 06:49:00 06:41:00 47.N1g-2e 07:02:00 06:41:00 48.S*3g 07:02:00 06:45:00 49.S4fx3g 07:03:00 06:45:00 50.B6dx3g+ 07:03:00 06:45:00 It seems that white has an overwhelming position. The promoted bishop is= =20 strong and with the black silver moving over, the black king position=20 looks very weak. Black cannot afford to exchange rooks here. 51.S*7g! 07:04:00 06:45:00 "This couldn't be helped" (Habu). This might be true, but this was a=20 very hard move to play. After taking all this effort to move the silver=20 from 7g to the other side of the board and exchanging it, just dropping=20 it back on 7g is more than most professionals could bear. One of his=20 strengths is that Habu doesn't care. The best fighting move is the best=20 fighting move, whichever moves were played before. After 51.S*7g, the=20 black position suddenly looks much more solid and the white advantage=20 seems much smaller than before. 52.+B3gx1i 07:04:00 06:58:00 Taking the rook is not so appealing anymore, so Moriuchi goes for the=20 lance instead. 53.N2ex3c+ 07:07:00 06:58:00 54.N2ax3c 07:07:00 07:07:00 55.P3f-3e? 07:24:00 07:07:00 Looks like a natural attack to the head of the white knight (and king),=20 but black can't afford the extra move here. Better was 55.S*3d and then=20 56.L*4f is not possible anymore because of 57.Sx3c+ Gx3c B*5e. 56.P6e-6f 07:24:00 07:30:00 57.P6gx6f 07:38:00 07:30:00 58.L*4f 07:38:00 07:30:00 This is now very strong. White seems to be winning easily here, but Habu= =20 is not ready to give up yet. 59.P3e-3d 07:49:00 07:30:00 60.L4fx4h+ 07:49:00 07:31:00 61.P3dx3c+ 07:49:00 07:31:00 62.G3bx3c 07:49:00 07:31:00 63.G4ix4h 07:49:00 07:31:00 64.R*3i 07:49:00 07:35:00 65.S*4i 07:57:00 07:35:00 66.P*7f 07:57:00 07:44:00 67.S7g-6h 07:59:00 07:44:00 68.N*5d 07:59:00 08:02:00 69.L*6g! 08:12:00 08:02:00 Only defends 6f. Such a defense-only move is very hard to play in this=20 stage of the game, but Habu has judged very well that it is the only way= =20 to stay in the game. The hidden meaning is that 70.+B5e is not so=20 attractive anymore. Because of this, Moriuchi can't find the right=20 timing to bring the promoted bishop on 1i into play. 70.P2c-2d 08:12:00 08:27:00 71.K7i-8h 08:13:00 08:27:00 72.N5dx6f 08:13:00 08:31:00 73.L6gx6f 08:13:00 08:31:00 74.R6bx6f 08:13:00 08:33:00 75.P*3g! 08:13:00 08:33:00 And now it is too late. This pawn blocks both bishop and rook. 76.L*7g 08:13:00 08:35:00 77.G7h-6g! 08:15:00 08:35:00 Tough on Moriuchi that this move works. 78.S*7i seems winning, but after= =20 79.K9g Rx4i+ Gx4i Rx6g+ Sx6g S*8h K8f the black king can escape.=20 Interesting is that if the game would have been a normal Bishop Exchange= =20 Opening, the white pawn would have been on 8d and G*8e would be mate.=20 The white tempo loss leaves the pawn on 8c and makes this position=20 impossible to win for white. 78.R6f-6e 08:15:00 08:53:00 Moriuchi has seen the same things, but from now on there is no way to=20 win for him anymore. 79.B*7d 08:23:00 08:53:00 80.S*7i 08:23:00 08:54:00 81.K8h-9g 08:24:00 08:54:00 82.R6e-6b 08:24:00 08:55:00 83.P*6d 08:26:00 08:55:00 84.+B1i-2i 08:26:00 08:57:00 85.N*5f 08:30:00 08:57:00 86.P8c-8d 08:30:00 08:57:00 87.S*6c 08:34:00 08:57:00 88.G5bx6c 08:34:00 08:57:00 89.P6dx6c+ 08:34:00 08:57:00 90.R6b-8b 08:34:00 08:57:00 91.+P6cx5c 08:35:00 08:57:00 92.S*8e 08:35:00 08:59:00 93.S6hx7i 08:39:00 08:59:00 94.S8ex7d 08:39:00 08:59:00 95.S*4b 08:39:00 08:59:00 96.R8bx4b 08:39:00 08:59:00 97.+P5cx4b 08:39:00 08:59:00 98.K3ax4b 08:39:00 08:59:00 99.R*7b 08:42:00 08:59:00 100.P*5b 08:42:00 08:59:00 101.R7bx7d+ 08:42:00 08:59:00 102.L7gx7i+ 08:42:00 08:59:00 103.G*2b 08:42:00 08:59:00 104.P4c-4d 08:42:00 08:59:00 105.P4ex4d 08:43:00 08:59:00 106.+B2i-1h 08:43:00 08:59:00 107.N*5d 08:44:00 08:59:00 Resigns 08:44:00 08:59:00 Mate if the king moves and no defense after 107.+Bx5d +Rx5d. Even with=20 an extra knight, there is no mate against the black king. An interesting= =20 and difficult game. In the post-mortem analysis many deep variations=20 were examined, but it remained unclear how Moriuchi could have converted= =20 his superior position into a win. Even at the top level shogi still=20 holds many secrets. Moriuchi might have lost the first game, but he is=20 clearly in better shape than during the Osho match. Also, he has the=20 black pieces in the second game, which promises to be very interesting. --=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: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Sign up today for a No Annual Fee Discover=AE Platinum Card and get=85 0% Intro APR on Purchases & Balance Transfers for 8 Months, Up to=20 2% Cashback Bonus=AE reward on your purchases & 100% fraud=20 protection. http://click.topica.com/= caadtrVa2i6YsbnuqMaf/DiscoverCard ------------------------------------------------------------------- --^---------------------------------------------------------------- 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 --^----------------------------------------------------------------