39th Oi Match Game 5
Black: Sato Yasumitsu, Challenger
White: Habu Yoshiharu, Oi
39th Oi-sen, Game 5, August 27th and 28th 1998
1.P7g-7f 1/1 0/0
2.P3c-3d 0/1 6/6
3.P2g-2f 2/3 0/6
4.P4c-4d 0/3 4/10
5.P2f-2e 2/5 0/10
6.B2b-3c 0/5 1/11
7.S3i-4h 0/5 0/11
8.R8b-4b 0/5 2/13
9.K5i-6h 3/8 0/13
10.S7a-7b 0/8 6/19
11.K6h-7h 1/9 0/19
12.K5a-6b 0/9 44/63
13.P5g-5f 4/13 0/63
14.K6b-7a 0/13 1/64
15.G4i-5h 40/53 0/64
16.P9c-9d 0/53 3/67
17.P9g-9f 1/54 0/67
18.P6c-6d 0/54 82/149
19.S4h-5g 13/67 0/149
20.S3a-3b 0/67 1/150
21.B8h-7g 49/116 0/150
22.P7c-7d 0/116 23/173
23.K7h-8h 10/126 0/173
24.N8a-7c 0/126 5/178
25.P6g-6f 5/131 0/178
26.R4b-6b 0/131 9/187
27.G5h-6g 52/183 0/187
28.P6d-6e 0/183 5/192
Habu opens the fight quickly. We are still a couple of hours away from the
close of the first day.
29.G6i-7h 56/239 0/192
30.G4a-5b 0/239 40/232
It is a pity that white has to lose time playing this move, but there was no
choice. After 30.P4e Px6e Nx6e Bx3c+ Nx5g+ +B5e black is threatening mate, so
white can not take on 6g. Also, after 30.N8e B8f the pawn on 5c is undefended.
30.G4a-5b defends against this, so now white does threaten N8e followed by
P4e.
31.K8h-9h 23/262 0/232
Sato style move. This blocks the lance and might be dangerous, but taking the
king out of the bishop diagonal is more important.
32.S3b-4c? 0/262 28/260
A mistake that gives black the advantage. Better was 32.P9e Px9e N8e B8f P4e
which leads to an unclear but violent fight after P5e Bx5e G5f Px6f Gx5e Px6g+.
After 32.S4c the game returns to the piece development stage.
33.P8g-8f 7/269 0/260
34.P8c-8d 0/269 3/263
35.S7i-8h 0/269 0/263
36.S7b-8c 0/269 2/265
37.S8h-8g 1/270 0/265
38.G6a-7b 0/270 0/265
39.B7g-8h 30/300 0/265
40.P6ex6f 0/300 22/287
41.S5gx6f 0/300 0/287
42.P*6e 0/300 0/287
43.S6f-7g 4/304 0/287
44.G5b-6c 0/304 0/287
45.B8h-7i 1/305 0/287
46.R6b-2b 0/305 0/287
It is interesting that we now have reached a well-known position where black
has won a move despite the bishop manoeuvre B7g-B8h-B7i. The reason is that
black has managed to get his gold to 6g in the usual way, while in the normal
joseki white plays P6e with the black pawn still on 6g so the gold takes a
long route to 6g: P6e P6f Px6f G5g N7c Gx6f P*6e G6g is then the normal move
sequence. It seems that Habu only after the game realised that he was an extra
move behind here. Sato now has a small advantage, but is still far from
winning.
47.P3g-3f 22/327 0/287
48.P5c-5d 0/327 30/317
49.B7i-4f 2/329 0/317
50.B3c-4b 0/329 2/319
51.P1g-1f 6/335 0/319
52.P1c-1d 0/335 9/328
53.P5f-5e 5/340 0/328
54.K7a-8a? 0/340 35/363
A big mistake that makes white's position critical. Much better would have been
54.Px5e Bx5e G5d B3g P3e to go after the blaack bishop. Post-mortem analysis
did not reach a conclusion, but it was "100 times better than the game" (Habu).
55.G6g-5f 27/367 0/363
56.P7d-7e 0/367 17/380
57.P7fx7e 6/373 0/380
58.B4bx7e 0/373 0/380
59.P*6f 8/381 0/380
60.P8d-8e 0/381 2/382
61.P8fx8e 6/387 0/382
62.P9d-9e 0/387 1/383
63.P9fx9e 2/389 0/383
64.G6c-7d 0/389 2/385
65.P*7f 17/406 0/385
66.B7e-5c 0/406 1/386
67.K9h-8h 5/411 0/386
68.R2b-6b 0/411 14/400
69.P6fx6e 6/417 0/400
70.N7cx6e 0/417 2/402
Things do not seem too bad for white. He has been able to bring his rook back
into play and has an attack that looks very promising. For example, 71.S7g-8f
P*7g and white has good chances to win.
71.G5fx6e 5/422 0/402
72.G7dx6e 0/422 3/405
73.N*7e! 6/428 0/405
Nice counter. After 74.S7d P*6c white's attack would die and his king position
would be too weak.
74.G6ex7e 0/428 33/438
Painful, but white has no choice. Still, this gold is defending vital squares,
so white has no real hope of defending the position now.
75.P7fx7e 0/428 0/438
76.P5dx5e 0/428 0/438
77.P*6c 2/430 0/438
78.R6bx6c 0/430 0/438
Or 78.Gx6c P9d P*9b P2d and white is slowly squeezed to death.
79.P8e-8d 1/431 0/438
80.S8cx8d 0/431 8/446
80.S9b G*7d R6i+ R6h might prolong the agony a little, but one can not blame
Habu for not playing this hideous looking move.
81.G*7d 0/431 0/446
82.R6c-6i+ 0/431 0/446
83.R2h-6h 3/434 0/446
84.+R6ix2i 0/434 0/446
85.R6h-6a+ 2/436 0/446
86.G*7a 0/436 0/446
87.P*8b 2/438 0/446
88.K8ax8b 0/438 4/450
89.P*8c 0/438 0/450
90.K8b-8a 0/438 0/450
90.Gx8c Gx8c Kx8c +R6c is easier for black.
91.+R6ax2a 6/444 0/450
Resigns 0/444 0/450
Time: 07:24:00 07:30:00
After 92.S8e Bx5e (threatening P8b+ G7bx8b Bx8b+ and mate) P*6d N*8d white
has no more hope.
A good win for Sato, but no smiles from him after the end of the game. He takes
his responsibilities as a new Meijin very seriously and he is unhappy with
his recent match results against Habu (4-1 losses in both last year's Oi and
this year's Osho title matches). He is still 3-2 behind and needs to win the
remaining games to win the Oi title.