This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 1447, March 28th 2012)
Reijer Grimbergen
Kubo and Goda. Here is the game with comments:
[Black "Kubo Toshiaki, Kio"]
[White "Goda Masataka, Challenger"]
[Event "37th Kio-sen, Game 4"]
[Date "March 17th 2012"]
1.P7g-7f 00:00:00 00:00:00
2.P3c-3d 00:00:00 00:00:00
3.P7f-7e 00:00:00 00:00:00
4.P8c-8d 00:00:00 00:01:00
5.R2h-7h 00:00:00 00:01:00
Again Kubo's favorite opening, the Quick Ishida. There has been a lot of
study put into this opening and this often results in wild variations,
but in this game the game develops at a slower pace.
6.P8d-8e 00:00:00 00:01:00
7.R7h-7f 00:04:00 00:01:00
8.B2bx8h+ 00:04:00 00:02:00
9.S7ix8h 00:04:00 00:02:00
10.S3a-3b 00:04:00 00:02:00
11.K5i-4h 00:08:00 00:02:00
12.S3b-3c 00:08:00 00:07:00
13.K4h-3h 00:08:00 00:07:00
14.S7a-6b 00:08:00 00:07:00
15.K3h-2h 00:08:00 00:07:00
16.K5a-4b 00:08:00 00:07:00
17.S3i-3h 00:08:00 00:07:00
18.K4b-3b 00:08:00 00:07:00
19.G6i-7h 00:08:00 00:07:00
20.R8b-8d 00:08:00 00:07:00
21.S8h-7g 00:08:00 00:07:00
22.P9c-9d 00:08:00 00:07:00
23.P9g-9f 00:15:00 00:07:00
24.P1c-1d 00:15:00 00:19:00
25.P1g-1f 00:16:00 00:19:00
26.P6c-6d 00:16:00 00:20:00
27.P8g-8f 00:18:00 00:20:00
Kubo starts the hostilities with an attack on the 8th file.
28.G6a-7a 00:18:00 00:39:00
We are still in known territory. Here white cannot take on 8f, because
after 28.Px8f Rx8f P*8e R8h black can play S7f next to attack the pawn
on 8e and white is in trouble.
29.P8fx8e 00:26:00 00:39:00
30.R8dx8e 00:26:00 00:39:00
31.S7g-8f 00:27:00 00:39:00
32.R8e-8b 00:27:00 00:39:00
33.N8i-7g 00:29:00 00:39:00
Black has taken control of the 8th file and threatens to extend his
influence by pushing the edge pawn P9e next. Or so it seems...
34.P9d-9e! 00:29:00 00:53:00
There has been two games played with this position and here 34.G4b and
34.G6a were tried. Black and white each won a game, but a conclusion
about which move was better had not been reached. In any case, black
needs to do something about the silver on 8f, because it may become a
burden to the rook. Forcing black into action is an obvious strategy,
but Goda is playing the position much more positively.
35.R7f-4f 01:12:00 00:53:00
The problem black has is that 35.Px9e fails to 36.P*9h Lx9h B*5d, so
Kubo moves his rook away from the bishop line.
36.B*5d 01:12:00 01:08:00
Even without attacking the rook Goda drops the bishop, keeping the
pressure on the 9th file. After the game Goda admitted that he had no
idea if this was a good plan or not, but that he felt that he could only
have a chance of winning if he could activate the rook, so there was no
alternative.
37.G7h-8h 01:46:00 01:08:00
38.P9ex9f 01:46:00 01:37:00
39.P*8d 01:57:00 01:37:00
40.G4a-4b 01:57:00 01:53:00
41.R4f-6f 02:07:00 01:53:00
42.S3c-4d 02:07:00 02:09:00
43.P5g-5f 02:25:00 02:09:00
44.S6b-6c 02:25:00 02:24:00
45.P4g-4f 02:32:00 02:24:00
46.S6c-5b 02:32:00 02:59:00
47.P4f-4e 02:38:00 02:59:00
48.B5dx4e 02:38:00 02:59:00
49.S8f-8e 02:49:00 02:59:00
50.N8a-9c 02:49:00 03:20:00
51.R6fx9f 03:07:00 03:20:00
52.R8b-8a 03:07:00 03:20:00
53.P*9b? 03:19:00 03:20:00
Kubo has managed to return the attack on the edge, and it seems that
black has the easier position. However, 53.P*9b is an important mistake.
Here 53.S7f would have been correct. For example, 54.Nx8e P*9b Nx7g+
Gx7g Rx8d N*8e leads to a long fight where black has good attacking chances.
54.N9cx8e 03:19:00 03:29:00
55.N7gx8e? 03:19:00 03:29:00
After the second mistake in a row, the game dramatically turns in Goda's
favor. The only way to keep it interesting was 55.Px9a+ Rx8d R8f. Kubo
was worried about Nx7g+ then, but after Rx8d +Nx8h Rx8h Bx5f Goda said
that he was far from confident. In the post-mortem analysis Kubo added
that he thought that the white king position was very solid and that he
saw no good way to attack it, but that this variation definitely offered
more chances than what happened in the game. Goda said that instead of
Nx7g+, he probably would have played B6c which threatens P*8c and Nx7g+
next. If black has nothing to counter this plan, there will be an
attacking race that white will probably win because of his safer castle.
56.R8ax8d 03:19:00 03:29:00
57.R9f-8f 03:19:00 03:29:00
58.L9ax9b 03:19:00 03:33:00
59.L9ix9b+ 03:19:00 03:33:00
60.S*9e! 03:19:00 03:33:00
This move basically ends the game and the match. Black loses the
important knight on 8e and the white rook is coming alive. Black cannot
hold on, because 61.R8g is answered by S9f.
61.B*9c 03:21:00 03:33:00
62.R8d-8c 03:21:00 03:33:00
63.R8f-7f 03:27:00 03:33:00
64.R8cx8e 03:27:00 03:33:00
65.R7f-7h 03:27:00 03:33:00
66.G7a-7b 03:27:00 03:38:00
67.P7e-7d 03:28:00 03:38:00
68.S9e-8d 03:28:00 03:38:00
69.P7dx7c+ 03:28:00 03:38:00
70.G7bx7c 03:28:00 03:38:00
71.B9c-8b+ 03:32:00 03:38:00
72.B4ex5f 03:32:00 03:38:00
73.L*4h 03:35:00 03:38:00
74.B5fx6g+ 03:35:00 03:38:00
75.P*8g 03:37:00 03:38:00
76.P*7f 03:37:00 03:38:00
The black rook is now completely boxed in, the white king position is
very solid and black only has a knight in hand. Kubo said that here he
had already more or less given up and that the moves that followed were
kind of like going through the motions. It is not even unthinkable that
he played on to avoid the embarrassment of losing three games in a row
in less than 90 moves.
77.N*9f 03:43:00 03:38:00
78.N*6f 03:43:00 03:41:00
79.N9fx8d 03:44:00 03:41:00
80.G7cx8d 03:44:00 03:43:00
81.R7h-7i 03:45:00 03:43:00
82.N6f-5h+ 03:45:00 03:43:00
83.G4ix5h 03:46:00 03:43:00
84.+B6gx5h 03:46:00 03:43:00
85.S*4i 03:46:00 03:43:00
86.+B5h-6h 03:46:00 03:45:00
87.R7i-7h 03:49:00 03:45:00
88.+B6hx7h 03:49:00 03:46:00
89.G8hx7h 03:49:00 03:46:00
90.N*5g 03:49:00 03:46:00
91.S4i-5h 03:52:00 03:46:00
92.R*5i 03:52:00 03:46:00
93.G7h-6h 03:52:00 03:46:00
94.P7f-7g+ 03:52:00 03:46:00
95.G6hx5g 03:53:00 03:46:00
96.+P7g-6h 03:53:00 03:46:00
97.S5h-4i 03:53:00 03:46:00
98.R5ix5g+ 03:53:00 03:46:00
99.L4hx4d 03:53:00 03:46:00
100.+P6h-5h 03:53:00 03:47:00
101.L4dx4c+ 03:54:00 03:47:00
102.S5bx4c 03:54:00 03:47:00
103.P*4d 03:54:00 03:47:00
104.+P5hx4i 03:54:00 03:47:00
105.P4dx4c+ 03:54:00 03:47:00
106.G4bx4c 03:54:00 03:47:00
107.S3hx4i 03:54:00 03:47:00
108.L*4d 03:54:00 03:47:00
109.S*5b 03:55:00 03:47:00
110.L4dx4i+ 03:55:00 03:49:00
Resigns 03:55:00 03:49:00
White threatens a standard mate with G*3h K1h S*1g Kx1g S*2h K1h G*1g
Nx1g S2i= and there is no proper defense. There also is no mate against
the white king, so Kubo resigned here. Goda wins his first Kio title,
which is his first title in ten years. Kubo has had a miserable month
with dropping out of the A class of the Junisen and losing both the Osho
and the Kio titles. He is now without a title for the first time in four
years.
--
Reijer Grimbergen
School of Computer Science, Tokyo University of Technology
1404-1 Katakura, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0982 Japan
Tel: +81-(0)42-637-2591 FAX: +81-(0)42-637-2112
http://www.teu.ac.jp/gamelab/