From: Reijer Grimbergen yz yamagata-u ac jp> Date: 23 may 2005 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 1095, May 11th 2005) Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Erase wrinkles without painful injections with Nexiderm SP. Nexiderm SP is clinically proven to reduce wrinkles by 68% Click=20 here to get your 30-day free supply. http://click.topica.com/= caadvf5a2i6YsbnuqMaa/Nexiderm ------------------------------------------------------------------- The third game of the Asahi Open between Habu and Yamasaki provided the=20 answer to the question if Yamasaki would recover from the shock of=20 throwing away the second game. Unfortunately, the answer was no. Habu=20 won the third game without much of a problem and defended his Asahi Open= =20 title. Here is the game with comments: [Black "Habu Yoshiharu, Asahi"] [White "Yamasaki Takayuki, Challenger"] [Event "23rd Asahi Open, Game 3"] [Date "May 4th 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.G4a-3b 00:01:00 00:02:00 5.P2f-2e 00:02:00 00:02:00 6.B2bx8h+ 00:02:00 00:03:00 7.S7ix8h 00:02:00 00:03:00 After the disaster in the second game, the question was how Yamasaki=20 would recover. One advantage is that the third game was played in Osaka,= =20 where he is based. Plenty of mental support, but he is not playing=20 anybody. The opening is no surprise: the Kakugawari with tempo loss is=20 one of Yamasaki's specialties. 8.S3a-2b 00:02:00 00:03:00 9.S3i-3h 00:02:00 00:03:00 10.S2b-3c 00:02:00 00:04:00 11.P1g-1f 00:03:00 00:04:00 12.P1c-1d 00:03:00 00:12:00 13.S8h-7g 00:03:00 00:12:00 14.P7c-7d 00:03:00 00:14:00 15.K5i-6h 00:04:00 00:14:00 16.S7a-6b 00:04:00 00:19:00 17.G6i-7h 00:05:00 00:19:00 18.P6c-6d 00:05:00 00:21:00 19.S3h-2g 00:13:00 00:21:00 20.S6b-6c 00:13:00 00:22:00 21.S2g-2f 00:13:00 00:22:00 22.S3c-4d 00:13:00 00:23:00 23.K6h-7i 00:13:00 00:23:00 24.N8a-7c 00:13:00 00:32:00 25.P3g-3f 00:26:00 00:32:00 26.R8b-4b 00:26:00 00:41:00 Yamasaki is trying to drag Habu into an open fight by changing tactics.=20 This fourth file rook strategy has some similarities with the second=20 game of the Meijin match, but the position is different enough for this=20 to be of little help for Habu. However, Yamasaki might have overdone his= =20 attempts to try and confuse Habu a little. 27.G4i-5h 00:33:00 00:41:00 28.P6d-6e 00:33:00 00:44:00 29.S2f-3g 00:41:00 00:44:00 30.S4d-3c 00:41:00 00:45:00 31.P6g-6f 00:41:00 00:45:00 32.P6ex6f 00:41:00 00:45:00 33.S7gx6f 00:41:00 00:45:00 34.G6a-7b? 00:41:00 00:47:00 Here Yamasaki realized that his opening strategy had been a failure.=20 White wants to play 34.K6b here, but this fails to 35.B*8b. 34.G7b is=20 played to defend against this, but turns out to be bad in combination=20 with the next move. Better would have been directly 34.R6b. If then the=20 same line as in the game 35.S4f K4b S6f-5e, the white gold is still on=20 6a and can move to the right to support the king. 35.S3g-4f 00:54:00 00:47:00 36.R4b-6b 00:54:00 00:50:00 37.S6f-5e! 01:00:00 00:50:00 Typical positive play by Habu. He is not happy with just getting a=20 slightly better position after 37.G5h-6g, but seizes the moment to try=20 and inflict more damage upon the white position now that the pieces are=20 in disarray. This is not something that can be done lightly. Deep=20 calculation is needed to make sure that this is not an overplay. 38.S3c-4d 01:00:00 01:43:00 39.P2e-2d 01:31:00 01:43:00 40.P2cx2d 01:31:00 01:43:00 41.R2hx2d 01:31:00 01:43:00 42.P*2c 01:31:00 01:43:00 43.R2d-2h 01:31:00 01:43:00 44.K5a-4b 01:31:00 01:49:00 45.S5ex4d 01:43:00 01:49:00 46.P4cx4d 01:43:00 01:49:00 47.S4f-5e 01:43:00 01:49:00 48.S*5d 01:43:00 01:55:00 49.S5ex4d 02:13:00 01:55:00 50.B*2b? 02:13:00 01:58:00 Here is where Habu's deep calculations made the difference. Yamasaki=20 thought in this position that Habu had made a mistake. The silver on 4d=20 seems hard to defend. For example, the obvious 51.B*8h fails to 52.S5b=20 and then P*6f is impossible. If Yamasaki would have calculated as=20 deeply, he would have played 50.B*6d ad after 51.B*3g P*4c S*5e Px4d=20 Sx6d Sx6d P*2d Px2d B*4f G6c Bx2d K5b white has two silvers for the=20 bishop and good fighting chances. 51.P*2d! 02:21:00 01:58:00 Habu has seen deeper than Yamasaki. By taking the side pawn on 3d, he=20 not only defends the silver, black also strengthens the attack.=20 Realizing that he is being outplayed here must have been the final blow=20 to Yamasaki's confidence. The quick collapse of the white position shows= =20 a lack of fighting spirit. 52.P2cx2d 02:21:00 02:09:00 53.R2hx2d 02:21:00 02:09:00 54.P*2c 02:21:00 02:21:00 55.R2dx3d 02:21:00 02:21:00 56.S5d-4c 02:21:00 02:26:00 57.S4dx4c+ 02:22:00 02:26:00 58.G3bx4c 02:22:00 02:27:00 59.S*3a 02:29:00 02:27:00 60.K4b-5a 02:29:00 02:27:00 61.S*4b 02:29:00 02:27:00 62.G4cx4b 02:29:00 02:29:00 63.S3ax2b=3D 02:29:00 02:29:00 64.S*3c 02:29:00 02:34:00 65.S2bx3c+ 02:32:00 02:34:00 66.G4bx3c 02:32:00 02:34:00 67.R3d-3e 02:32:00 02:34:00 68.S*3d 02:32:00 02:34:00 69.R3e-5e 02:36:00 02:34:00 70.S6c-6d 02:36:00 02:34:00 71.R5e-5f 02:36:00 02:34:00 72.S*5e 02:36:00 02:34:00 73.P*6c! 02:37:00 02:34:00 Winning. 74.Rx6c fails to 75.B*8a and after 74.Gx6c B*8a there is no=20 defense against S*7b next. 74.R6b-1b 02:37:00 02:34:00 75.P3f-3e 02:42:00 02:34:00 76.S3dx3e 02:42:00 02:34:00 77.P*3d 02:42:00 02:34:00 78.G3c-3b 02:42:00 02:35:00 Blocking the sideways working of the rook is very painful, but white had= =20 no choice. 78.Gx3d Rx5e Sx5e B*4c or 78.G4c P*2d Px2d (Sx2d R2f) S*2c wins.= 79.B*8a 02:45:00 02:35:00 80.G7b-7a 02:45:00 02:36:00 81.B*6b 02:48:00 02:36:00 82.G7ax6b 02:48:00 02:37:00 83.P6cx6b+ 02:48:00 02:37:00 84.K5a-4b 02:48:00 02:37:00 85.P*2b! 02:48:00 02:37:00 The decisive move. 86.K4b-3a 02:48:00 02:40:00 87.P2bx2a+ 02:48:00 02:40:00 88.K3ax2a 02:48:00 02:40:00 89.S*3c 02:48:00 02:40:00 90.S5ex5f 02:48:00 02:40:00 91.N*1c 02:48:00 02:40:00 Resigns 02:48:00 02:40:00 Mate after 92.Rx1c Sx3b+ Kx3b G*3c or 92.K3a G*2a K4a B6c+. Not much in=20 this game for Yamasaki, who apologized to his fans after the game. Habu=20 defends his Asahi Open title for the first time, but rather than winning= =20 the match, the general feeling was that Yamasaki had lost it. If he=20 could have taken his chances in the second game, the story might have=20 been very different. --=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: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Get a Free T-Mobile Sidekick II plus $500 towards service!=20 Click here. http://click.topica.com/= caaduFNa2i6YsbnuqMaf/ProductTestPanel ------------------------------------------------------------------- --^---------------------------------------------------------------- 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 --^----------------------------------------------------------------