From: Mark Schreiber <mark_schreiber <at> hotmail <dot> com>
Date: 21 mar 2007
Subject: RE: Watanabe's comments


Thanks for translating Watanabe's comments. I see why he is titleholder.=
=20
Watanabe is leaving nothing to chance. He played several hundred games=20
against Bonanza. He works hard.
Are there any comments by the bonanza programmer?

Richard Sams wrote:
>=20
> Here are Watanabe's comments on today's game against Bonanza,=20
> translated from his blog:
>=20
>=20
>  From Akira Watanabe=92s Blog
> March 22, 2007
>=20
> Special Game Against Bonanza Part 1 =96 Preparations for the Game
>=20
> In May last year I saw Bonanza play in the World Computer Shogi=20
> Championship. On the basis of that, I said that Bonanza=92s strength was=
=20
> the equivalent of a 1-dan Shoreikei member at 30 seconds per move=20
> rapidplay shogi and about 2-3 kyu Shoreikai at non-rapidplay shogi. I=20
> thought that if Bonanza remained at the same strength, I would win=20
> quite easily with 2 hours on the clock, as in today=92s game.
>=20
> Even so, I knew I couldn=92t afford to be too confident. Starting about a=
=20
> week before today=92s event, I played several hundred games against=20
> Bonanza, though in most cases I stopped the game before the end because=
=20
> I felt I could not learn anything more. From these games, I got a very=
=20
> good idea of Bonanza likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses. In=20
> fact I think I now know more about Bonanza than any other shogi=20
> professional!
>=20
> Regarding my strategy, I heard many times that computer shogi expert=20
> Katsumata 6-dan had said =93Bonanza is strongest when playing 4th file=
=20
> rook anaguma.=94 I assumed that Bonanza=92s team would also have heard th=
is=20
> and that their preparations would probably focus on this opening=20
> strategy. This turned out to be right. You see, shogi professionals are=
=20
> also good at analysis behind the scenes!
>=20
> So I knew a lot about Bonanza=92s character and I had prepared a good=20
> anti-4th file rook anaguma strategy. I had the feeling I couldn=92t lose=
=20
> this game, but I still had one concern: maybe the Bonanza program had=20
> been improved (made stronger) for this game. This concern also proved=20
> to be correct.
>=20
> (Part 2 next time)


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