This week in Shukan Shogi (no. 1318, September 16th 2009)
Reijer Grimbergen
Shogi reports. Here is game 6 of the Oi match between Fukuara and Kimura.
[Black "Kimura Kazuki, Challenger"]
[White "Fukaura Koichi, Oi"]
[Event "50th Oi-sen, Game 6"]
[Date "September 8th and 9th 2009"]
1.P7g-7f 00:01:00 00:00:00
2.P8c-8d 00:01:00 00:02:00
3.S7i-6h 00:03:00 00:02:00
4.P3c-3d 00:03:00 00:02:00
5.P6g-6f 00:03:00 00:02:00
6.S7a-6b 00:03:00 00:02:00
7.P5g-5f 00:04:00 00:02:00
8.P5c-5d 00:04:00 00:02:00
9.S3i-4h 00:04:00 00:02:00
10.S3a-4b 00:04:00 00:04:00
11.G4i-5h 00:05:00 00:04:00
12.G4a-3b 00:05:00 00:05:00
13.G6i-7h 00:08:00 00:05:00
14.K5a-4a 00:08:00 00:05:00
15.K5i-6i 00:08:00 00:05:00
16.G6a-5b 00:08:00 00:06:00
17.S6h-7g 00:09:00 00:06:00
18.S4b-3c 00:09:00 00:07:00
19.B8h-7i 00:09:00 00:07:00
20.B2b-3a 00:09:00 00:07:00
21.P3g-3f 00:11:00 00:07:00
22.P4c-4d 00:11:00 00:07:00
23.G5h-6g 00:12:00 00:07:00
24.P7c-7d 00:12:00 00:07:00
25.B7i-6h 00:14:00 00:07:00
26.P9c-9d 00:14:00 00:14:00
27.K6i-7i 00:16:00 00:14:00
28.P9d-9e 00:16:00 00:14:00
29.S4h-3g 00:21:00 00:14:00
30.G5b-4c 00:21:00 00:37:00
31.P3f-3e 01:04:00 00:37:00
32.P3dx3e 01:04:00 00:44:00
33.B6hx3e 01:04:00 00:44:00
34.N8a-7c 01:04:00 00:44:00
35.K7i-8h 01:24:00 00:44:00
36.P5d-5e 01:24:00 01:16:00
37.P5fx5e 01:29:00 01:16:00
38.P9e-9f 01:29:00 01:18:00
39.P9gx9f 01:29:00 01:18:00
40.P*9g 01:29:00 01:18:00
41.L9ix9g 01:43:00 01:18:00
42.N7c-8e 01:43:00 01:20:00
43.S7g-8f 01:44:00 01:20:00
44.N8ex9g+ 01:44:00 01:20:00
45.S8fx9g 01:45:00 01:20:00
46.L*9c 01:45:00 01:20:00
47.P5e-5d 02:03:00 01:20:00
This is the position after the lunch break on the first day and we are
already quite far advanced into the middle game. It seems like both players
were familiar with this position, which has appeared three times before in
official games. In all three games white played 48.Gx5d here. The first time
this position was played was in October 1993 in the Oza tournament game
between Hatakeyama Mamoru and Kansaki and ended in a win for white. However,
the position is much more famous from the game that was played a month
later, the 5th game of the Ryu-O title match between Habu and Sato. This
game was a very sharp battle in which white finally won. After that, the
position didn't appear again until 14 years later, when it was played in the
B1 Junisen game between Watanabe and Morishita. There white got a big
advantage, but in the end black won.
48.L9cx9f 02:03:00 02:19:00
Despite the good results for white with 48.Gx5d, Fukaura decides to change
the moves and play the very sharp 48.Lx9f. This is a very risky move,
because without the gold on 5d, the long bishop diagonal cannot be properly
defended. On the other hand, white gets compensation in attack, so the
position is not clear.
49.S9gx9f 03:35:00 02:19:00
50.L9ax9f 03:35:00 02:28:00
51.B3e-4f 03:44:00 02:28:00
52.R8b-9b 03:44:00 03:12:00
Both players have little choice but to put all their eggs in one basket
here. Black explores the bishop's diagonal, white gets compensation by
adding the rook to the edge attack. Who's judgment will be correct?
53.P*9c 03:47:00 03:12:00
54.R9bx9c 03:47:00 03:13:00
55.B4f-8b+ 03:48:00 03:13:00
56.L9f-9h+ 03:48:00 03:33:00
The sealed move.
57.K8h-7g 03:49:00 03:33:00
58.R9c-9f 03:49:00 03:34:00
59.+B8b-7b 04:35:00 03:34:00
60.+L9hx8i 04:35:00 03:49:00
61.+B7bx6b 04:36:00 03:49:00
62.B3a-9g+ 04:36:00 03:49:00
63.L*9h! 04:41:00 03:49:00
After the game, Fukaura admitted that he had underestimated the strength of
this move. The point is that white cannot take this lance because of P5c+.
In the press room 64.S*7i was analyzed which looks very strong because it is
threatening N*8e mate, so black has no time to take the bishop on 9g. Also,
65.P6e doesn't work because of 66.+B7e! and both Px7e and Lx9f are answered
by N*8e mate. The problem for white is that black can play 65.G5f after S*7i
and there is no way for white to continue the attack (of course 66.+Bx9h
still fails to P5c+). Although Kimura said that L*9h was forced in this
position, which meant that it was part of his earlier calculations, he also
said that he still wasn't sure about the strength of his position.
64.N*8e 04:41:00 06:11:00
Fukaura took 142 minutes for this move, a clear indication that L*9h had
taken him by surprise.
65.K7g-6h 04:46:00 06:11:00
66.+B9g-7i 04:46:00 06:11:00
67.G7hx7i 05:06:00 06:11:00
68.R9fx9h+ 05:06:00 06:11:00
69.K6h-5g 05:36:00 06:11:00
70.L*5e 05:36:00 06:11:00
71.N*5f 05:37:00 06:11:00
72.L5ex5f 05:37:00 06:11:00
73.G6gx5f 05:38:00 06:11:00
74.+R9hx8g 05:38:00 06:11:00
75.K5g-4h 05:39:00 06:11:00
76.+L8ix7i 05:39:00 06:11:00
77.S*5b? 06:46:00 06:11:00
Here Kimura got a chance to take his first major title. If he would have
played 77.P5c+ here, he probably would have won this game and the match. For
example, 78.Gx5c +Bx5c P*5b L*4c N*4b +B5d G*5c Lx4b+ Sx4b +B3f (probably
+Bx3b is also good) and black has forced white to drop most of his pieces in
defense before pulling back the promoted bishop to make his own king safe.
This is a way of playing that Kimura really likes, so it can only be that
the pressure of this game after allowing Fukaura to get back from 0-3 to 2-3
was getting to Kimura in this position, leading to this overplay.
78.K4a-3a 06:46:00 06:12:00
79.S5bx4c+ 06:48:00 06:12:00
80.G3bx4c 06:48:00 06:24:00
81.P5d-5c+ 06:48:00 06:24:00
82.S*4i 06:48:00 06:59:00
This is a very strong attack against which black has no proper defense.
83.Kx4i of course fails to 84.+Rx4g, so black cannot easily get rid of this
silver close to the king. The reason that this move is not getting an
exclamation mark, is that Kimura pointed out after the game that 82.S*6g is
winning more quickly. This attacks the gold on 5f and if the gold moves
naturally back into defense with 83.G5g, then 84.G*5h is a vulgar, but very
effective move because 85.K3i Gx5g threatens mate with G*4i Kx4i S5h+ etc.
83.P*5i 07:01:00 06:59:00
84.P*3h 07:01:00 07:33:00
85.B*2e 07:27:00 07:33:00
Defends the vital point 4g and attacks the gold on 4c at the same time, but
it is not enough to turn the tables.
86.+R8g-7h 07:27:00 07:42:00
87.L*5h 07:28:00 07:42:00
88.S4ix5h+ 07:28:00 07:42:00
89.P5ix5h 07:28:00 07:42:00
90.S*3i 07:28:00 07:42:00
91.K4h-5g 07:33:00 07:42:00
92.+R7h-8g 07:33:00 07:43:00
93.S*6g 07:35:00 07:43:00
94.S3ix2h= 07:35:00 07:47:00
95.G*3b 07:42:00 07:47:00
96.K3ax3b 07:42:00 07:47:00
97.+P5cx4c 07:44:00 07:47:00
98.K3b-2b 07:44:00 07:47:00
99.G5f-5e 07:44:00 07:47:00
100.R*3e 07:44:00 07:54:00
101.+P4cx3c 07:45:00 07:54:00
102.N2ax3c 07:45:00 07:54:00
103.G*3b 07:45:00 07:54:00
104.K2bx3b 07:45:00 07:54:00
105.B2e-4c+ 07:45:00 07:54:00
106.K3bx4c 07:45:00 07:55:00
107.+B6bx4d 07:45:00 07:55:00
108.K4c-3b 07:45:00 07:55:00
109.S*4c 07:45:00 07:55:00
110.K3b-2a 07:45:00 07:55:00
111.+B4dx3e 07:45:00 07:55:00
112.B*8i! 07:45:00 07:59:00
With the silver on 4c, the gold on 5e and promoted bishop on 3e it seems
that black has secured an escape route up the board, but this bishop drop,
together with the ton of pieces that white has in hand, is enough to mate
the king.
113.S3gx2h 07:47:00 07:59:00
This threatens mate after S*2b next, but unfortunately for Kimura his king
can be mated from here.
114.B8ix6g+ 07:47:00 07:59:00
115.K5g-4f 07:47:00 07:59:00
116.L*4d 07:47:00 07:59:00
117.K4f-3f 07:49:00 07:59:00
118.G*4f 07:49:00 07:59:00
119.+B3ex4f 07:49:00 07:59:00
120.G*2e 07:49:00 07:59:00
121.K3f-3g 07:49:00 07:59:00
122.S*3f 07:49:00 07:59:00
123.+B4fx3f 07:49:00 07:59:00
124.G2ex3f 07:49:00 07:59:00
125.K3gx3f 07:49:00 07:59:00
126.G*2e 07:49:00 07:59:00
127.K3f-3g 07:49:00 07:59:00
128.L4dx4g+ 07:49:00 07:59:00
129.K3gx4g 07:49:00 07:59:00
130.+B6gx5h 07:49:00 07:59:00
Resigns 07:49:00 07:59:00
A long and not so easy mating sequence, but from here it is easy. 131.Kx5h
B*6i K4i +R4g; 131.K5f or K4f 132.+B4g and 131.Kx3h +R4g K3i +R4h all lead
to mate. A tight game that could have gone either way, but Fukaura manages
to level the match after being 3-0 down. He now gets a chance to become the
second player to come back and win a seven game title match after dropping
the first three games.
--
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
URL: http://www.teu.ac.jp/gamelab/