From: Reijer Grimbergen yz yamagata-u ac jp> Date: 05 sep 2006 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 1159, August 9th 2006) Here is the third game of the Oi match between Habu and Sato. Sato showed that he is capable of outplaying Habu, so this Oi match is still far from over. Here is the game with comments: [Black "Sato Yasumitsu, Challenger"] [White "Habu Yoshiharu, Oi"] [Event "47th Oi-sen, Game 3"] [Date "August 3rd and 4th 2006"] 1.P7g-7f 00:01:00 00:00:00 2.P8c-8d 00:01:00 00:01:00 3.S7i-6h 00:02:00 00:01:00 4.P3c-3d 00:02:00 00:02:00 5.P6g-6f 00:02:00 00:02:00 6.S7a-6b 00:02:00 00:05:00 7.P5g-5f 00:02:00 00:05:00 8.P5c-5d 00:02:00 00:08:00 9.S3i-4h 00:02:00 00:08:00 10.S3a-4b 00:02:00 00:27:00 11.G4i-5h 00:02:00 00:27:00 12.G4a-3b 00:02:00 00:29:00 13.G6i-7h 00:02:00 00:29:00 14.K5a-4a 00:02:00 00:41:00 15.K5i-6i 00:02:00 00:41:00 16.P7c-7d 00:02:00 00:42:00 17.G5h-6g 00:02:00 00:42:00 18.G6a-5b 00:02:00 00:45:00 19.S6h-7g 00:03:00 00:45:00 20.S4b-3c 00:03:00 00:51:00 21.B8h-7i 00:03:00 00:51:00 22.B2b-3a 00:03:00 00:52:00 23.P3g-3f 00:03:00 00:52:00 24.P4c-4d 00:03:00 00:53:00 25.S4h-3g 00:09:00 00:53:00 The yagura opening. Habu and Sato have been playing Kakugawari with tempo loss and Furibisha against each other lately, so somehow the yagura feels fresh. 25.S3g is the most popular way of playing for black. 26.B3a-6d 00:09:00 00:58:00 27.B7i-6h 00:09:00 00:58:00 28.G5b-4c 00:09:00 01:05:00 29.K6i-7i 00:09:00 01:05:00 30.K4a-3a 00:09:00 01:11:00 31.K7i-8h 00:09:00 01:11:00 32.K3a-2b 00:09:00 01:12:00 33.S3g-4f 00:11:00 01:12:00 34.S6b-5c 00:11:00 01:31:00 35.N2i-3g 00:15:00 01:31:00 36.P9c-9d 00:15:00 01:39:00 37.P2g-2f 00:19:00 01:39:00 38.S3c-2d 00:19:00 01:40:00 39.P1g-1f 00:20:00 01:40:00 40.P1c-1d 00:20:00 01:42:00 41.L1i-1h 00:25:00 01:42:00 42.B6d-7c 00:25:00 02:46:00 43.R2h-3h 00:30:00 02:46:00 44.P9d-9e 00:30:00 02:49:00 45.P6f-6e 00:41:00 02:49:00 46.N2a-3c 00:41:00 02:57:00 Here 46.P8e is played more often, but two months earlier in the Kio preliminary game between Shima and Senzaki, 46.N3c was also played. Senzaki won that game convincingly with white. 47.P5f-5e 01:34:00 02:57:00 48.P5dx5e 01:34:00 03:03:00 49.P2f-2e! 01:43:00 03:03:00 This is an important improvement of the way Shima played it. In the Shima-Senzaki game, it followed 49.P1e Px1e P2e Nx2e Nx2e Sx2e P3e N*5d. This is similar to what follows next, but because of P1e Px1e, the white silver can retreat into a very strong silver crown castle by S1d and later S2c. Sato wants to attack the silver on 2e. 50.N3cx2e 01:43:00 03:06:00 51.N3gx2e 01:43:00 03:06:00 52.S2dx2e 01:43:00 03:07:00 53.P3f-3e 01:44:00 03:07:00 54.N*5d 01:44:00 03:43:00 55.S4f-3g 02:07:00 03:43:00 56.P3dx3e 02:07:00 03:47:00 57.B6hx3e 02:40:00 03:47:00 58.N8a-9c 02:40:00 03:50:00 59.S3g-2f 02:44:00 03:50:00 60.S2e-3d 02:44:00 04:26:00 61.P*2d! 03:13:00 04:26:00 The sealed move and even Habu seemed surprised when the envelope was opened. The simple 61.B6h seemed the only move. After the game Habu admitted that he completely overlooked this possibility. It seems like black is just giving away a pawn, but the point is that after 62.Px2d P6d, white wants to take with the bishop, but then Bx2d threatens promotion on 5a. Therefore, white has to take the pawn on 6d with the silver, blocking the bishop's diagonal. However, there is no way Habu can get out of this variation. 62.P2cx2d 03:13:00 04:28:00 63.P6e-6d 03:15:00 04:28:00 64.S5cx6d 03:15:00 04:33:00 65.B3ex2d 03:17:00 04:33:00 66.P*2c 03:17:00 04:33:00 67.B2d-6h 03:18:00 04:33:00 68.N9c-8e 03:18:00 04:33:00 69.P1f-1e 03:19:00 04:33:00 70.P1dx1e 03:19:00 04:50:00 71.P*1d 03:57:00 04:50:00 72.N8ex7g+ 03:57:00 05:12:00 73.G6gx7g 04:10:00 05:12:00 74.P5e-5f 04:10:00 05:12:00 75.N*3e! 05:13:00 05:12:00 Looks bad, blocking the path of both rook and bishop, but Sato has calculated this correctly. Habu again seemed surprised and took 91 minutes for his reply, not counting the hour lunch break that was sandwiched between. Again, he has no way to out. 76.G4c-4b 05:13:00 06:43:00 77.L1hx1e 06:08:00 06:43:00 78.P*1b 06:08:00 06:45:00 79.N*2e 06:08:00 06:45:00 80.S*5g 06:08:00 07:09:00 More or less desperate counter attack. 80.P*3c fails to Nx2c+ Sx2c P1c+ and the white position collapses. 81.B6h-5i! 06:32:00 07:09:00 It is important to play the bishop here, so that S6e can be answered by B3g. 82.N5d-6f 06:32:00 07:11:00 83.P1d-1c+ 07:03:00 07:11:00 84.P1bx1c 07:03:00 07:11:00 85.P*2d 07:03:00 07:11:00 86.N6fx7h+ 07:03:00 07:30:00 87.G7gx7h 07:03:00 07:30:00 88.P2cx2d 07:03:00 07:30:00 89.L1ex1c+ 07:03:00 07:30:00 90.L1ax1c 07:03:00 07:30:00 91.P*2c 07:03:00 07:30:00 92.K2b-3a 07:03:00 07:30:00 93.N2ex1c+ 07:04:00 07:30:00 94.S6d-6e 07:04:00 07:30:00 95.B5i-7g! 07:22:00 07:30:00 Again a good move by Sato. This seems to invite the white attack with 96.L*6f, but with the lance on 6f, black can afford to give white a knight in hand. If the square 6f is open for a knight drop, this would be too dangerous. It seems that black will now cruise to victory, but Sato wasn't really sure about his position here. 96.L*6f 07:22:00 07:31:00 97.P2c-2b+ 07:26:00 07:31:00 98.G3bx2b 07:26:00 07:35:00 99.+N1cx2b 07:26:00 07:35:00 100.K3ax2b 07:26:00 07:35:00 101.N*4f 07:26:00 07:35:00 102.S5gx4f= 07:26:00 07:39:00 103.P4gx4f 07:26:00 07:39:00 104.G*3b 07:26:00 07:39:00 105.L*2c 07:45:00 07:39:00 106.K2b-3c 07:45:00 07:44:00 After the game, Sato pointed out that he was worried about 106.K3a. Habu was very surprised, but looking more closely, had to admit that things are not so easy. For example, 106.R1h K4a R1a+ P*3a L2b+ P5g+ and Sato said he didn't really know how to continue. However, further analysis showed that black can play Lx3a+ Gx3a S*2b and the black attack is faster. 107.R3h-1h 07:47:00 07:44:00 108.P4d-4e 07:47:00 07:44:00 109.B7gx6f 07:49:00 07:44:00 110.S6ex6f 07:49:00 07:51:00 111.G*5d 07:49:00 07:51:00 112.S3d-4c 07:49:00 07:53:00 113.N3ex4c+ 07:52:00 07:53:00 114.G4bx4c 07:52:00 07:53:00 115.L*3g 07:53:00 07:53:00 116.P*3d 07:53:00 07:53:00 117.L3gx3d 07:53:00 07:53:00 118.K3cx3d 07:53:00 07:53:00 119.R1h-3h 07:56:00 07:53:00 120.K3dx2c?! 07:56:00 07:54:00 Only after this move, Sato felt sure he would win the game. He was still worried about the position after 120.P*3f. Then if 121.Rx3f Kx2c Gx4c Gx4c S*4d like in the game, white can play N*6d! which is a mating threat, while white is not threatening mate. Again, further analysis showed that black can still win after G*3c K1b S*2c K1d R3h! which defends against the white mating threat while threatening mate. Still, Habu could have put some pressure on Sato had he played 120.P*3f instead of 120.Kx2c. 121.G5dx4c 07:56:00 07:54:00 122.G3bx4c 07:56:00 07:54:00 123.S*4d 07:56:00 07:54:00 Resigns 07:56:00 07:59:00 A very good win by Sato, who seemed to be in control throughout this game and looking at more and analyzing deeper than his opponent. He is back in this match and the way he did it will give him great confidence. He will need that, because he will have the white pieces in the next game. -- 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/ --^---------------------------------------------------------------- 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=TEXFOOTER --^----------------------------------------------------------------