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Habu keeps the chances alive in Kisei
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Black: Tanigawa Koji, Kisei
White: Habu Yoshiharu, Challenger
71st Kisei-sen, Game 4, July 18th 2000
Notes by Reijer Grimbergen
1.P7g-7f
2.P3c-3d
3.P2g-2f
4.P8c-8d
5.P2f-2e
6.P8d-8e
7.G6i-7h
8.G4a-3b
9.P2e-2d
10.P2cx2d
11.R2hx2d
12.P8e-8f
13.P8gx8f
14.R8bx8f
15.R2dx3d
Habu is not in a position to vary the opening much, as he must win this game to stay in the match. Just like in the third game (which he won), he plays the Yokofudori.
16.B2b-3c
17.R3d-3f
18.S3a-2b
19.G4i-3h
20.K5a-4a
21.K5i-5h
22.S7a-6b
23.B8hx3c+
This early bishop exchange is to avoid the popular R8e variation.
24.N2ax3c
25.S7i-8h
26.R8f-8b
27.P*8g
28.P5c-5d
29.S3i-4h
30.G6a-5a
31.S8h-7g
32.P7c-7d
33.P1g-1f
34.P5d-5e
35.P1f-1e
36.R8b-8d
Subtle play, as this rook was first pulled back to 8b. A loss of a move, but having the rook here is more important. It is a strange feature of shogi that even though black seems to have played all the natural moves, it is white who comes out of the opening on top. He has a natural attack in N7c~P7e~N6e, while black is stuck for moves.
37.R3f-2f
38.N8a-7c
39.S7g-6f
Tanigawa thought long and hard about 39.P1d, but after the wild
variation 40.Px1d P*1b Lx1b B*2a B*4e P4f B3d R2d B2c Rx2c+ Sx2c P*2d R*2b Px2c+ Rx2a +Px3b Kx3b black has lost material and it is also hard to defend on the second file without pawns in hand.
40.P7d-7e
41.P7fx7e
42.P9c-9d!
This simple move requires top level positional judgement. Habu has seen that every move Tanigawa can play will only weaken his position. Forcing his opponent to move increases his advantage. Of course, this pawn also aims for a nasty edge attack.
43.N2i-1g
44.P9d-9e
45.R2f-2i
46.P*2g
47.S6fx5e
48.P9e-9f
49.P9gx9f
50.P*8f
51.P8gx8f
52.R8dx8f
53.S5e-6f
54.P*9h
55.L9ix9h
56.B*5d
Now the white advantage is clear. Black can no longer defend the right side of the board accurately. 57.S7g R8d does not help black. Tanigawa has made no obvious mistakes so far and the post mortem analysis also did not reveal any clear problem. It seems that there is something wrong with the black opening development.
57.P7e-7d
58.B5dx9h+
59.P7dx7c+
60.S6bx7c
61.P*8g
62.+B9hx8g
63.G7h-7g
64.+B8gx7g
65.S6fx7g
66.R8f-8g+
67.S7g-6h
68.S7c-6b?
A natural looking move, but a mistake that gives black hope. After 68.G*7h instead, white would have won easily.
69.P*7c
70.P*7g
71.B*6e
72.+R8g-8h
73.B*9g
74.+R8h-8e
75.N8ix7g
76.+R8ex9f
77.P*9h
78.P*7f
79.P7c-7b+
80.P7fx7g+
81.S6hx7g
82.N*8e
83.+P7bx6b
84.G5ax6b
85.N*5d
With active use of both bishops, black has chased the dragon out of his position. It is unfortunate for Tanigawa that white can just survive. Here 85.N*2d looks very good, but after 86.L*6d Nx3b+ Kx3b S*3d Lx6e G*4b K2a Rx2g Lx6g+ K4i N*2f defends against the black mate with a mating threat of his own and still wins.
86.G6b-5b
87.R2i-8i
88.L*6d
89.B6e-7d
90.+R9fx9g
91.P9hx9g
92.N8ex7g+
93.S*6a
94.G5b-5c!
For the past couple of moves, Habu's hand was visibly shaking when he made his moves. However, the pressure was not affecting his endgame power in the least. Here he used only 8 minutes to secure the win by this simple looking move. Hard to see for mere mortals, but this gold defence is actually a mating threat. For example, 95.S7b= +Nx6g K4i +N5h K3i G*2h Gx2h Px2h+ Kx2h P*2g Kx2g P*2f Kx2f B*4d followed by taking the piece that black drops on 3e and advancing the gold on 5c to 4d.
95.K5h-4i
This must have been a long 7 minutes for Tanigawa. He has found no way out and turns to defence without any hope of survival.
96.+N7gx6g
97.P*6e
98.S*2i
99.P*2h
100.B*1f
101.P2hx2g
102.P*2f
Resigns
Time: 04:57:00 04:55:00
The bishop on 1f works very well. Black has no defence and Tanigawa has no option but to resign. The decisive fifth game will now decide whether Habu will get his fifth crown or Tanigawa will become Lifetime Kisei. Unlike the Meijin match, both players might hope that the furigoma will give them the white pieces. All four games in this Kisei match have been won by white so far...
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