From: Richard Sams parkcity ne jp> Date: 7 nov 2005 Subject: Re: Segawa-Takano game score Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- So Much Television, Such Little Time! In Love with Lost(TM) or=20 Devoted to Desperate Housewives(TM)? Take our premier week=20 survey, complete our offers, and get a FREE* DVD set of either=20 show! http://click.topica.com/= caaeatAa2i6YsbnuqMaa/Viewer Survey ------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello shogi fans, Here is the score of the Segawa-Takano game, with comments and analysis=20 taken from the Web site. Richard Sams Black: Takano Hideyuki 5-dan White: Segawa Shoji Amateur Game 5 (3 hours each) November 6, 2005 Prior to the game, in the special match room at the Shogi Renmei=92s=20 headquarters in Tokyo, more journalists and reporters were gathered=20 than ever before for a shogi match. When Takano 5-dan threw the five=20 pawns for =93furigoma,=94 his hand was shaking. The furigoma resulted in= =20 five =93fu,=94 so Segawa had to play White again. He has played White in= =20 every game of this professional qualification test. =A0Black=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0White 1. P-7f=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A02. P-3d 3. P-2f=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A04. P-8d 5. P-2e=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A06. P-8e 7. G-7h=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A08. G-3b 9. P-2d=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A010. Px2d 11. Rx2d=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A012. P-8f 13. Px8f=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A014. Rx8f 15. Rx3d Takano 5-dan captures the pawn after 1 minute=92s thought. Most of the=20 pundits had expected Segawa to play this line if he was White again. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A016. B-3c 17. R-3f=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A018. S-2b 19. P*8g=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A020. R-8e 21. R-2f=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A022. K-4a 23. K-5h=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A024. S-6b So far Segawa has played all his moves instantaneously. Here he took=20 more than one minute for the first time. 25. S-3h=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A026. P-7d 27. P-3f=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A028. N-7c 29. N-3g=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A030. G-5a 31. G-4h This position has occurred 56 times in official professional shogi=20 games, with 24 wins for Black and 32 wins for White, so practice seems=20 to give White the edge. White usually plays 32. P*8f here, leading to=20 sharp struggle. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A032. P*8f Played after 15 minutes=92 thought. 33. Px8f=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A034. Rx8f 35. P-3e=A0 As expected. Takano has taken 11 minutes, Segawa 20 minutes. White now=20 has a choice between bringing his rook back with 36. R-8e or dropping a=20 pawn with 36. P*2e. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A036. R-8e Played immediately. 37. Bx3c+=A0=A0=A0=A0=A038. Nx3c 39. S-8h According to Morishita 9-dan, this position has been known a long time,=20 but occurs only occasionally in pro shogi games these days. White=92s=20 main alternatives now are 40. P*2e, 40. P*3f, and 40. B*4d. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A040. B*4d This move is relatively rare here. It was played by Kimura 7-dan=20 against Moriuchi Meijin in the playoff match to decide the Kisei=20 challenger in 2004. It has only occurred in 3 professional games, in=20 all of which Black replied with 41. B*7g. All three games were won by=20 Black. 41. B*7g As expected. In this position as White against Watanabe Ryuo in last=20 year=92s Osho challengers=92 preliminary game, Kimura 7=96dan played 42. Bx= 3e=20 here. Kimura is currently challenging Watanabe for the Ryuo Title. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A042. Rx3e!? Segawa took 9 minutes over this bold move, which has never been played=20 before in a professional game. It met with exclamations of surprise in=20 the professionals=92 analysis room. After 43. Bx4d 44. Px4d the hole=20 created on 4c is worrying for White. Takano has now used 23 minutes,=20 Segawa 35 minutes. 43. Bx4d=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A044. Px4d 45. P*3d As predicted by the watching professionals. Black plans to drop his=20 bishop on 4c. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A046. Rx3d 47. B*4c Segawa now thought for 21 minutes, after which the lunch break was=20 taken. Neither player ordered anything for lunch! =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A048. P*2e 49. Bx3d+ Takano takes the rook immediately. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A050. Px2f 51. P*2c Played after 25 minutes=92 thought. Black attacks a key point in White=92s= =20 position. Takano was looking quite confident. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A052. S-3a If 52. Sx2c 53. R*2a, so White must retreat the silver. 53. N-2e=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A054. P-2g+ 55. Sx2g One professional commented: =93At first I thought it was winning for=20 Black, but now I=92m not so sure.=94 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A056 R*3i 57. R*3h Takano continues to play fast =96 he apparently expected Segawa=92s rook= =20 drop. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A058. Rx1i After 14 minutes=92 thought. Many of the watching pros thought the game=20 would not last long into the afternoon. It is already the endgame. 59. Nx3c*=A0=A0=A0=A0=A060. Gx3c 61. +Bx3c Now after 62. L*3b, Black can defend with 63. P*3i with the better=20 attackingprospects. But it seems that White can defend by dropping a=20 pawn instead =85 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A062. P*3b Here Takano fell deep into thought. After 63. +B-2b 64. Sx2b Px2b+=20 Black has a strong attack. But White can answer 63. +B-2b with 64. L*3c 63. +Bx4d=A0=A0=A0=A064. L*4b Played after 21 minutes=92 thought. Many of the watching pros favored 64.= =20 L*3c, but some of the younger ones were analyzing Segawa=92s move. 65. P-2b+=A0=A0=A0=A0=A066. Lx4d 67. +Px3a=A0=A0=A0=A0=A068. Kx3a 69. P*3i 69. S*2c can be answered by 70. B*5d! But instead of the move played,=20 it might have been better to continue the attack with 69. P*3c or=20 defend with 69. N*3i. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A070. B*5d This move surprised the professionals in the analysis room. Tanaka=20 7-dan thought 70. P*4f was better. 71. S*2c=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A072. P*4f 73. Px4f=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A074. +R-2i Professionals Morishita 9-dan and Senzaki 8-dan thought 74. P*2b was=20 good for White here. 75. G*5e=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A076. B*2e Segawa took 12 minutes over this. He had just 5 minutes left. 77. K-6h=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A078. +Rx2g One of the watching pros exclaimed =93That=92s the winning move!=94 Had=20 Segawa calculated it to the end? 79. Gx5d=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A080. +Rx3h Removing the rook and the mate threat on 3b. 81. Px3h=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A082. R*6i 83. K-7g=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A084. Px5d Coolly taking the gold, but 84. N*6e was probably simpler. 85. R*3e 85. R*2b was also suggested, but this rook drop also threatens mate on=20 3b=85. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A086. S*3d! Segawa has just one minute left. 87. B*2b=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A088. K-4a 89. Sx3d=3D=A0=A0=A0=A0=A090. Bx3d 91. Bx4d+ 92. N*6e 93. K-6f Now the pros in the analysis room thought Segawa would finish with 94.=20 G*6d, threatening =85 S*7e mate, but =85 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A094. S*3c This surprised everyone! 95. Rx3d 96. Sx3d 97. L*3g 98. S-5c! Wins in all variations. If 99. Bx5c 100. G*5e mate. Applause in the=20 analysis room. Has Segawa finally decided it? 99. +Bx2b=A0=A0=A0=A0 Still defending against mate on 5e. Takano now had just one minute left. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0100. R*2f 101. +Bx3b Resigned to his fate. Black has no mate. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0102. Kx3b 103. Lx3d=A0=A0=A0=A0104. P*3c Black Resigns An explosion of applause from the watching professionals. With 3 wins=20 and 2 losses, Shoji Segawa has qualified as a shogi professional! Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Need a new Cell Phone? A BlackBerry 7250 could be yours free! 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