From: Reijer Grimbergen ETL GO JP> Date: 6 mar 1998 Subject: This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 727, March 4th 1998) Because the second game of the Kio match between Habu and Goda had to be replayed after a sennichte, there are two title match games in Shukan Shogi again this week. Here they are with some comments: Black: Goda, 6-dan White: Habu, Kio 23rd Kio-sen, Game 2, February 24th 1998 1.P7g-7f 1/1 0/0 2.P8c-8d 0/1 2/2 3.S7i-6h 3/4 0/2 4.P3c-3d 0/4 1/3 5.S6h-7g 1/5 0/3 6.S7a-6b 0/5 1/4 7.P2g-2f 1/6 0/4 8.S3a-4b 0/6 2/6 9.S3i-4h 0/6 0/6 10.P5c-5d 0/6 3/9 11.P5g-5f 0/6 0/9 12.G6a-5b 0/6 0/9 13.G4i-5h 13/19 0/9 14.G4a-3b 0/19 3/12 15.P6g-6f 0/19 0/12 16.K5a-4a 0/19 1/13 17.G5h-6g 0/19 0/13 18.P7c-7d 0/19 4/17 19.B8h-7i 7/26 0/17 20.S4b-3c 0/26 1/18 21.K5i-6h 7/33 0/18 The quick Yagura castle, which aims at winning a move by playing the sequence K6h-K7h-B7i-K8h-G7h instead of G7h-K6i-B7i-B6h-K7i-K8h. 22.P6c-6d 0/33 6/24 Of course Habu does not allow this extra black tempo and builds an attacking formation quickly before black has the chance to complete his plans. 23.S4h-5g 0/33 0/24 24.S6b-6c 0/33 7/31 25.K6h-7h 0/33 0/31 26.N8a-7c 0/33 13/44 27.S5g-4f 0/33 0/44 28.S3c-4d 0/33 22/66 29.P2f-2e 9/42 0/66 30.G5b-4b 0/42 14/80 31.P2e-2d 33/75 0/80 32.P2cx2d 0/75 1/81 33.R2hx2d 0/75 0/81 34.R8b-5b 0/75 3/84 35.R2d-2e 18/93 0/84 Goda himself suggested 35.Rx3d after the game. After 36.P5e Sx5e Sx5e Px5e Rx5e R3e! black has good chances because his king on the second rank is better defended against rook drops than white's king. 36.P*2c 0/93 0/84 37.P3g-3f 2/95 0/84 38.K4a-3a 0/95 6/90 39.P9g-9f 3/98 0/90 40.P5d-5e 0/98 36/126 41.S4fx5e 10/108 0/126 42.S4dx5e 0/108 0/126 43.P5fx5e 0/108 0/126 44.N7c-8e 0/108 0/126 45.S*5f 18/126 0/126 46.S*4d 0/126 4/130 47.S7g-6h 2/128 0/130 48.P7d-7e 0/128 17/147 49.P8g-8f 16/144 0/147 50.S4dx5e 0/144 0/147 51.S5fx5e 0/144 0/147 52.B2bx5e 0/144 0/147 53.S*4f 0/144 0/147 54.B5ex4f 0/144 1/148 55.P4gx4f 0/144 0/148 56.S*5h 0/144 0/148 57.P*5f 0/144 0/148 58.S5hx6i= 0/144 7/155 59.K7hx6i 0/144 0/155 60.G*8g 0/144 1/156 61.S*7h 33/177 0/156 Many in the press room thought that this was a mistake and that Goda might have good chances after simply taking the knight. However, after 61.Px8e S*7h K5h Sx8i+ followed by N*3e (this knight can not be taken because of B*3f) black seems in trouble. 62.G8gx8f 0/177 4/160 63.P*8g 23/200 0/160 64.G8fx7f 0/200 0/160 65.B*7c 0/200 0/160 66.G7fx6g 0/200 31/191 67.S7hx6g 4/204 0/191 68.S*7f 0/204 0/191 This makes the game end in sennichite. Goda feared P*5g, but Habu did not have confidence in his attack after that. Instead, he decides to try his luck with reversed colours. 69.G*7h 2/206 0/191 70.S7fx6g= 0/206 9/200 71.S6hx6g 1/207 0/200 72.S*7f 0/207 0/200 73.S*6h 1/208 0/200 74.S7fx6g= 0/208 7/207 75.S6hx6g 0/208 0/207 76.S*7f 0/208 0/207 77.S*6h 0/208 0/207 78.S7fx6g= 0/208 0/207 79.S6hx6g 0/208 0/207 80.S*7f 0/208 0/207 81.S*6h 0/208 0/207 Sennichite 0/208 0/207 Time: 03:28:00 03:27:00 And so the second game of the Kio ends in sennichite at 5:44 in the afternoon. A sennichite does not count as a result in professional shogi, so a replay to decide the game has to be played. Both players were given a 30 minute break after which the replay starts. Black: Habu, Kio White: Goda, Challenger 23rd Kio-sen, Replay Game 2, February 24th 1998 1.P7g-7f 179/179 0/0 2.P8c-8d 0/179 180/180 The replay of a sennichite game is played with reversed colours. Also, the time taken for the sennichite game is taken into account. Usually in a professional game, the replay is played with at least one hour for each player. The difference in time used between the players is then added to the time that is allowed. Since Habu used one minute less for the sennichite, he has a one minute advantage over Goda, who has one hour. 3.S7i-6h 0/179 0/180 4.P3c-3d 0/179 0/180 5.P6g-6f 0/179 0/180 6.S7a-6b 0/179 0/180 7.P5g-5f 0/179 0/180 8.P5c-5d 0/179 0/180 9.S3i-4h 0/179 0/180 10.S3a-4b 0/179 0/180 11.G4i-5h 0/179 0/180 12.G4a-3b 0/179 0/180 13.G6i-7h 0/179 0/180 14.K5a-4a 0/179 0/180 15.K5i-6i 0/179 0/180 16.P7c-7d 0/179 0/180 17.G5h-6g 0/179 0/180 18.G6a-5b 0/179 0/180 19.S6h-7g 0/179 0/180 20.S4b-3c 0/179 0/180 21.B8h-7i 0/179 0/180 22.B2b-3a 0/179 0/180 23.P3g-3f 0/179 0/180 24.P4c-4d 0/179 0/180 25.S4h-3g 0/179 0/180 26.P8d-8e 0/179 2/182 27.B7i-6h 0/179 0/182 28.G5b-4c 0/179 0/182 29.K6i-7i 0/179 0/182 30.S6b-7c 0/179 0/182 31.S3g-4f 0/179 0/182 32.P9c-9d?! 0/179 0/182 Goda has clearly prepared this opening, since he is not using any time. It looks very risky and he might only have wanted to use it in quick games. 33.N2i-3g 1/180 0/182 34.P7d-7e 0/180 0/182 35.P7fx7e 8/188 0/182 36.B3ax7e 0/188 0/182 37.R2h-5h 0/188 0/182 38.P4d-4e 0/188 0/182 Begging for the black piece to attack. Habu is not one to decline such an invitation. 39.N3gx4e 0/188 0/182 40.S3c-4d 0/188 0/182 41.P3f-3e 12/200 0/182 42.P3dx3e 0/200 0/182 43.P*3c 2/202 0/182 44.G3b-4b 0/202 1/183 Still played quickly. Goda seems confident that he can weather the storm. The opinion in the press room was quite different: "It looks like all black pieces can get sabaki". 45.P5f-5e 6/208 0/183 46.P5dx5e 0/208 0/183 47.S4fx3e 0/208 0/183 48.B7e-9c? 0/208 2/185 A big mistake in a tough position. The very risky looking 48.Sx4e would have been best. After 49.Rx5e (attacking both bishop and silver) B6d Rx4e Nx3c black has trouble continuing his attack. Habu: "This was a frightening variation. It is hard to play whatever I do". He planned to play Rx4c+ Gx4c P*5c, but white will be very happy having the rook in hand. Goda: "I should have chosen this". 49.S3ex4d 1/209 0/185 50.G4cx4d 0/209 0/185 51.P4g-4f 1/210 0/185 52.S*4g 0/210 12/197 53.R5h-5g 6/216 0/197 54.S4g-3f+ 0/216 0/197 55.S*5c 2/218 0/197 56.G4d-4c? 0/218 1/198 White's last fighting chance would have been 56.G5d to strengthen the top of the king. After 57.Sx4b+ Kx4b G*6e Gx6e Px6e G*5d S6f the black attack is still far from easy. 57.S5cx4b+ 2/220 0/198 58.K4ax4b 0/220 0/198 59.S7g-7f! 1/221 0/198 Great move. This threatens S6e-N7g, giving black's attack decisive strength. Goda now has to take desperate measures to avoid this. 60.+S3fx4f 0/221 23/221 61.R5gx5e 1/222 0/221 62.P*5d 0/222 0/221 63.R5ex8e 1/223 0/221 64.R8bx8e 0/223 4/225 65.G*3b 0/223 0/225 Subtle check. If he takes back the rook immediately with 65.Sx8e, then 66.+Sx4e gives white two escape routes on 3c and 5c. This gold drop blocks one of them. 66.K4b-5a 0/223 2/227 Painful, but 66.K5b P*5c is even worse. 67.S7fx8e 0/223 0/227 68.+S4fx4e 0/223 0/227 69.R*4a 1/224 0/227 70.K5a-5b 0/224 0/227 71.P*4d! 0/224 0/227 As usual, Habu plays a perfect endgame. This blocks the escape of the king and decides the game. 72.+S4ex4d 0/224 1/228 73.R4ax8a+ 0/224 0/228 74.P*7a 0/224 3/231 75.N*6e 0/224 0/231 76.N*5e 0/224 2/233 77.N6ex7c+ 5/229 0/233 78.N5ex6g+ 0/229 6/239 79.G7hx6g 0/229 0/239 80.+S4d-5e 0/229 0/239 81.+N7cx6c 2/231 0/239 82.K5bx6c 0/231 0/239 83.+R8a-8c 0/231 0/239 Resigns 0/231 0/239 Time: 03:51:00 03:59:00 With this win Habu scored his 16th straight victory in Kio title match games. He now is only one win away from defending his title for the fifth straight year in the minimal number of three games. Can Goda stop this amazing run? In other Shogi news: 1) Moriuchi is the first one to qualify for the final of the Zen Nihon Pro Tournament. Yashiki dictated the pace of the game for a long time, but overlooked a nasty bishopmove. He was so shocked by the oversight that he let it follow by two bad moves in a row, after which his position had turned from much better to hopeless. Moriuchi will now meet the winner of the game between Habu and Sato. 2) In the white group of the Oi league Goda started well by beating Murayama. He was lucky to escape with the victory, because Murayama missed a mate in byoyomi. He was considering the right moves until for 55 seconds, but then he saw a side variation in which he missed the mate and chose the wrong move. 3) Moriuchi and Fujii are the final two players to qualify for the knock-out tournament to decide the challenger of Kisei Yashiki. With Tanigawa, Murayama, Goda, Habu, Yonenaga and Fukaura also qualified for the best eight, there will be some very interesting games. More next week, Reijer -- Reijer Grimbergen Electrotechnical Laboratory 1-1-4 Umezono Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken 305 JAPAN E-mail: grimberg etl go jp WWW: http://www.etl.go.jp:8080/etl/suiron/~grimberg Tel: +81-(0)298-54-3316 Fax: +81-(0)298-54-5918