25th Ryu-O Match Game 3

[Black "Maruyama Tadahisa, Challenger"]
[White "Watanabe Akira, Ryu-O"]
[Event "25th Ryu-O sen, Game 3"]
[Date "November 8th and 9th 2012"]
1.P7g-7f     00:00:00  00:00:00
2.P8c-8d     00:00:00  00:00:00
3.P2g-2f     00:00:00  00:00:00
4.G4a-3b     00:00:00  00:01:00
5.G6i-7h     00:00:00  00:01:00
6.P8d-8e     00:00:00  00:02:00
7.B8h-7g     00:00:00  00:02:00
8.P3c-3d     00:00:00  00:03:00
9.S7i-8h     00:00:00  00:03:00
10.B2bx7g+   00:00:00  00:04:00
11.S8hx7g    00:01:00  00:04:00
12.S3a-4b    00:01:00  00:04:00
13.P9g-9f    00:01:00  00:04:00
14.P9c-9d    00:01:00  00:05:00
15.S3i-3h    00:01:00  00:05:00
16.S7a-7b    00:01:00  00:05:00
17.P4g-4f    00:02:00  00:05:00
18.P6c-6d    00:02:00  00:05:00
19.S3h-4g    00:02:00  00:05:00
20.S7b-6c    00:02:00  00:06:00
21.K5i-6h    00:02:00  00:06:00
22.K5a-4a    00:02:00  00:08:00
23.P1g-1f    00:04:00  00:08:00
24.P1c-1d    00:04:00  00:08:00
25.S4g-5f    00:05:00  00:08:00
26.K4a-3a    00:05:00  00:08:00
27.K6h-7i    00:08:00  00:08:00
28.G6a-5b    00:08:00  00:09:00
29.G4i-5h    00:30:00  00:09:00
30.S6c-5d    00:30:00  00:12:00
31.P3g-3f    00:32:00  00:12:00
32.P4c-4d    00:32:00  00:14:00
33.K7i-8h    00:34:00  00:14:00
34.P6d-6e    00:34:00  00:27:00

A crushing defeat in the first game doesn't stop Maruyama from playing his 
favorite Kakugawari opening. In the first game, he played P6f early, but in 
this game he enters the castle with the king first. Seeing this, Watanabe takes 
the vanguard position on the 6th file, not allowing an easy P6f.

35.R2h-4h    01:24:00  00:27:00
36.G5b-4c    01:24:00  00:28:00
37.N2i-3g    01:38:00  00:28:00
38.K3a-2b    01:38:00  00:31:00
39.G5h-5i!?  01:39:00  00:31:00

Because the white silver is not yet on 3c, black cannot start the attack here. 
After 39.P4e Px4e P3e Px3e Sx4e Sx4e Nx4e P*4d black has only a single pawn in 
hand and the threat of B*3g is hard to defend against. Maruyama tries a complicated 
plan here to change the rook to the 6th file, get an extra pawn in hand and only 
then start the attack on the 4th file.

40.S4b-3c    01:39:00  00:34:00
41.P6g-6f    01:45:00  00:34:00
42.P6ex6f    01:45:00  01:21:00
43.R4h-6h    01:45:00  01:21:00
44.R8b-6b    01:45:00  01:21:00
45.S7gx6f    01:46:00  01:21:00
46.S3c-4b    01:46:00  01:23:00

Diagram 1

Moving the silver away from the knight attack to take the sting out of P4e.

47.P*6c!     03:18:00  01:23:00

Maruyama uses the precious pawn to force the white pieces into a bad formation, 
using this time to start his attack.

48.S5dx6c    03:18:00  01:50:00

Of course 48.Rx6c is answered by B*7b.

49.S6f-7g    03:29:00  01:50:00
50.P*6d      03:29:00  02:39:00

This slows down the white attack considerably. However, after 50.P*6f P4e S5d 
Px4d Gx4d black can play P*6c again, getting a very good position.

51.R6h-4h    03:37:00  02:39:00

Without having the worry about a white counter attack, Maruyama switches the 
rook back to the fourth file to start the attack there. For the first time in 
this match, Maruyama has a satisfying position coming out of the opening.

52.P3d-3e    03:37:00  03:53:00

Diagram 2

Watanabe used 74 minutes to seal this move, ending the first day of play using 
more time than Maruyama (also for the first time in this match). As a result of 
the black strategy, white has gotten a pawn in hand which can be used to attack 
the head of the knight.

53.P4f-4e    03:54:00  03:53:00

Maruyama has to start the attack here. Of course 53.Px3e is bad because of P*3f.

54.P3ex3f    03:54:00  03:54:00
55.P4ex4d    03:54:00  03:54:00
56.G4c-5d    03:54:00  04:28:00

No choice. After 56.Px3g+ Px4c+ +Px4h +Px3b the loss of both of the defending 
golds is too much for white to handle.

57.N3g-2e    06:05:00  04:28:00

In the press room 57.B*6f was analyzed extensively. This looks very dangerous for 
white, but after 58.Px3g+ P4c+ P*3c +Px3b Kx3b Rx4b+ Rx4b P*3d P*4d the white 
position is not so easy to break down. Watanabe also said after the game that 
there were many more worrying moves here and that he would have welcomed 57.B*6f.

58.P3f-3g+   06:05:00  04:28:00
59.R4h-4e    06:07:00  04:28:00
60.G5dx4e    06:07:00  05:03:00
61.S5fx4e    06:07:00  05:03:00
62.R*4g!     06:07:00  05:03:00

Diagram 3

When attacked, the natural impulse is to look for a way to counter attack, but 
Watanabe has judged that there is no time for this and decides that his best 
chance is to defend and try to make an entering king. This rook is an important 
preparation for that.

63.P4d-4c+   06:41:00  05:03:00
64.G3bx4c    06:41:00  05:24:00
65.S4e-5f    06:45:00  05:24:00
66.R4gx5g+   06:45:00  05:24:00
67.B*6f      06:45:00  05:24:00
68.+R5gx6f   06:45:00  05:25:00
69.S7gx6f    06:45:00  05:25:00
70.+P3g-3f   06:45:00  05:42:00
71.P1f-1e?   06:47:00  05:42:00

Diagram 4

Here 71.R*4a was the right move. For example, 72.B*5a G*3a Sx3a Rx5a+ G*6a +Rx6b 
Gx6b R*4a and the black attack continues. Or 72.B*6a P*4d Gx4d G*5b! and white is 
in trouble. The conclusion of the post-mortem analysis was that after 71.R*4a 
+Px2f Rx8a+ +Px2e +Rx9a the position is unclear, even though black has managed 
to pick up a lance and knight, giving him a lot more attacking options.

72.+P3fx2f   06:47:00  05:47:00
73.P1ex1d    06:51:00  05:47:00
74.+P2fx2e   06:51:00  05:47:00

Now the position on top of the white king is strong enough to try and make an 
entering king. With time slowly running out, this is not the development Maruyama 
was hoping for.

75.P1d-1c+   06:51:00  05:47:00
76.L1ax1c    06:51:00  05:48:00
77.L1ix1c+   07:01:00  05:48:00
78.K2bx1c    07:01:00  05:50:00
79.R*1a      07:02:00  05:50:00
80.K1c-2d    07:02:00  06:06:00
81.P*2f      07:31:00  06:06:00
82.+P2ex2f   07:31:00  06:12:00
83.L*2i      07:31:00  06:12:00
84.B*3g      07:31:00  07:12:00
85.P*2e      07:45:00  07:12:00
86.K2d-3e    07:45:00  07:24:00
87.G5i-5h    07:47:00  07:24:00
88.P*4f      07:47:00  07:26:00
89.G*3h      07:53:00  07:26:00
90.P*3f      07:53:00  07:26:00
91.R1a-1e+   07:58:00  07:26:00
92.+P2f-2g   07:58:00  07:35:00
93.G3hx3g    07:58:00  07:35:00
94.P3fx3g+   07:58:00  07:35:00
95.L2ix2g    07:58:00  07:35:00
96.+P3gx2g   07:58:00  07:36:00
97.P2e-2d    07:58:00  07:36:00
98.G*2e      07:58:00  07:45:00
99.P*3f      07:58:00  07:45:00
100.K3ex3f   07:58:00  07:45:00

Diagram 5

101.B*1d?    07:58:00  07:45:00

With only two minutes left, Maruyama makes the decisive mistake. He was unsure 
which of two moves to play here and he picked the wrong one. If he had played 
101.B*4g here, he could have kept his hopes of winning this game alive. For 
example, 102.K3g +Rx2e or 102.Px4g+ Gx4g K3e P*3f K3d S4e would both have led 
to complicated position, but it would also have been very hard for Watanabe to 
find the correct defense with so little time left on the clock.

102.P2cx2d   07:58:00  07:52:00
103.+R1ex2d  07:59:00  07:52:00
104.N2a-3c   07:59:00  07:52:00

This knight defends the gold on 2e, so there is no way to continue the attack 
for black.

105.G5h-4h   07:59:00  07:52:00
106.K3f-2f   07:59:00  07:52:00
Resigns      07:59:00  07:52:00

Final Diagram

Black only has a pawn in hand, so there is no way to stop the white king from 
entering through 1g. Rather than waiting for a slow death, Maruyama resigned 
here. This makes it three wins in a row for Watanabe, but Maruyama finally showed 
some signs of life in this game, giving the neutral spectators some hope that 
he can stage a comeback. Of course, his back is against the wall, so he must 
put everything he has into the fourth game.