59th Osho Match Game 5
[Black "Kubo Toshiaki, Challenger"]
[White "Habu Yoshiharu, Osho"]
[Event "59th Osho-sen, Game 5"]
[Date "March 10th and 11th 2010"]
1.P7g-7f 00:00:00 00:00:00
2.P3c-3d 00:00:00 00:01:00
3.P7f-7e 00:05:00 00:01:00
4.K5a-4b 00:05:00 00:05:00
5.P6g-6f 00:11:00 00:05:00
6.S7a-6b 00:11:00 00:11:00
7.R2h-7h 00:18:00 00:11:00
8.P6c-6d 00:18:00 00:14:00
9.K5i-4h 00:31:00 00:14:00
10.S6b-6c 00:31:00 00:27:00
11.S3i-3h 00:50:00 00:27:00
12.P8c-8d 00:50:00 00:38:00
13.K4h-3i 01:01:00 00:38:00
14.G6a-5b 01:01:00 00:44:00
15.K3i-2h 01:13:00 00:44:00
16.P1c-1d 01:13:00 00:55:00
17.P1g-1f 01:16:00 00:55:00
18.S3a-3b 01:16:00 01:10:00
19.S7i-6h 01:31:00 01:10:00
20.K4b-3a 01:31:00 01:16:00
21.S6h-6g 02:13:00 01:16:00
22.B2b-3c 02:13:00 01:30:00
23.G6i-5h 02:15:00 01:30:00
24.P2c-2d 02:15:00 01:37:00
25.S6g-5f 02:20:00 01:37:00
26.K3a-2b 02:20:00 02:44:00
27.R7h-7f 02:50:00 02:44:00
28.S3b-2c 02:50:00 03:23:00
29.B8h-7g 03:01:00 03:23:00
30.G4a-3b 03:01:00 03:34:00
31.P6f-6e 03:30:00 03:34:00
With the match getting into the deciding stages, the players spent little time
discussing the opening. After all, it is quite likely that the same opening will
be played again when Kubo is black. Suffice it to say that the start of the game
was similar to the first game of this match. There Habu started the fight with the
king still on 4b and admitted after the game that this probably was not a good idea.
In this game, he opts for a slow fight, taking the time to move into the Silver Crown
castle formation. Kubo also moves his king one move further into the castle than in
the first game, but still has the extra moves to start the attack with 31.P6e.
32.P5c-5d?! 03:30:00 04:18:00
The sealed move and a big surprise. Kubo is aiming for 32.Px6e Sx6e P*6d P7d which
gives black a strong attack. In the press room the variation 32.Px6e Sx6e R6b was
analyzed, which seemed playable.
33.P6ex6d 04:17:00 04:18:00
34.S6cx6d 04:17:00 04:18:00
35.P*6e 04:37:00 04:18:00
36.B3cx7g+ 04:37:00 04:49:00
37.R7fx7g 04:41:00 04:49:00
38.S6d-5c 04:41:00 04:49:00
The point of playing 32.P5d, because the white silver now moves into a natural
position on 5c with tempo and white also keeps a pawn in hand. Despite this, Habu
said after the game that this may not have been good. In the end, white is unable
to keep his natural castle formation and even worse, there seems to be no way to
attack for white from this position.
39.P7e-7d 04:52:00 04:49:00
40.P7cx7d 04:52:00 04:49:00
41.B*4f 04:52:00 04:49:00
42.B*7c 04:52:00 04:51:00
43.B4fx7c+ 04:52:00 04:51:00
44.N8ax7c 04:52:00 04:51:00
45.R7gx7d 04:52:00 04:51:00
46.G5b-6c 04:52:00 04:51:00
47.R7d-7f 05:08:00 04:51:00
48.P*7d 05:08:00 04:51:00
49.N8i-7g 05:15:00 04:51:00
50.B*8h 05:15:00 05:59:00
51.B*4a 05:17:00 05:59:00
52.S5c-6b 05:17:00 06:00:00
53.P*7h 05:23:00 06:00:00
54.B8hx9i+ 05:23:00 06:00:00
55.R7f-6f 05:23:00 06:00:00
56.G6c-5c 05:23:00 06:01:00
57.P6e-6d 05:34:00 06:01:00
All kinds of things seemed to have been happening in the middle game until this
point, but the players rarely stopped to discuss the position during the post-mortem
analysis, leaving the journalists following the game a bit at a loss about what had
been going on. Here the obvious move seems 57.Bx7d+, but then N8e is a strong move,
because the knight on 7g is pinned by the promoted bishop on 9i.
58.L*5b 05:34:00 06:23:00
If white plays 58.P*6e here (or in the future), the conclusion in the press room was
that black has a choice between 59.R6i or simply 59.Sx6e.
59.S5f-6e!? 06:11:00 06:23:00
This was a big surprise for the professionals following the game (and probably for
Habu). Because black has the option of playing this silver to 6e if white drops a
pawn there (taking a pawn in the process), from a professional's point of view it
looks very awkward to play the silver to 6e without any provocation. The natural
moves seem to be 59.Bx3b+ or 59.S4e. After 59.Bx3b+ Sx3b G*6c P*6e R6i (or even Sx6e)
is attacking the white bishop on 9i and seems good for black. If 59.S4e then 60.+B8h
Sx5d Gx5d Bx5b+ also seems to give black good chances. Still, after the game Kubo
still thought that 59.S6e was good, even though he admitted that it looked strange.
60.N7cx6e 06:11:00 06:37:00
61.R6fx6e 06:11:00 06:37:00
62.G3b-4b! 06:11:00 06:38:00
Now it is Habu's return to surprise everyone. Here the quiet 62.P4d was expected
(to defend against N*4e).
63.B4ax2c+ 06:14:00 06:38:00
64.K2bx2c 06:14:00 06:38:00
65.N*4e 06:18:00 06:38:00
And former Osho Minami (and about everybody else) thought that black was winning.
However, things are not so easy.
66.G5cx6d 06:18:00 06:50:00
67.R6ex6d 06:18:00 06:50:00
68.P*6c 06:18:00 06:50:00
69.R6dx7d 06:24:00 06:50:00
70.P*7c 06:24:00 06:51:00
71.R7d-7f 06:29:00 06:51:00
72.+B9i-8h! 06:29:00 06:54:00
Black seems to have gotten everything he wanted, forcing white to drop his two
remaining pawns to keep the rook out. However, 72.+B8h forces black's hand, because
black cannot afford to have the promoted bishop getting back into play. It would
have been alright for black if he could play 73.N6e here, but white can answer with
S*6d and if the promoted bishop can get to 5e, there are suddenly all kinds of
threats against the black king.
73.S*3a 06:51:00 06:54:00
Kubo hates to play a heavy attack like this one, but he has no choice.
74.G4b-3b 06:51:00 06:59:00
75.G*4b 06:52:00 06:59:00
76.P4c-4d 06:52:00 07:16:00
77.G4bx3b 07:34:00 07:16:00
78.K2cx3b 07:34:00 07:16:00
79.G*4b 07:35:00 07:16:00
80.K3b-2c 07:35:00 07:16:00
81.G4bx5b 07:35:00 07:16:00
82.P4dx4e 07:35:00 07:18:00
83.L*2b 07:38:00 07:18:00
84.S*1b 07:38:00 07:46:00
85.P*6d 07:44:00 07:46:00
86.B*5e 07:44:00 07:46:00
87.G5bx6b 07:48:00 07:46:00
88.R8bx6b 07:48:00 07:46:00
89.S*5c 07:48:00 07:46:00
Despite the heavy-handed attack, black seems to be doing well here.
90.+B8hx7h! 07:48:00 07:50:00
Here comes the promoted bishop. Habu said after the game that under normal
circumstances there would have been nothing else but 90.R6a, but here this
fails to 91.Lx2a+ Sx2a N*6g.
91.S5cx6b=? 07:53:00 07:50:00
Habu dares Kubo to take the rook and Kubo obliges. However, black could probably
have kept his advantage had he played 91.P4f here to neutralize the threats on
the long diagonal. Then 92.R6a Lx2a+ Sx2a S3a-4b+ makes this a long battle, but
because black clearly has the stronger castle, black has good chances to win.
92.+B7hx7g 07:53:00 07:50:00
93.R7f-5f 07:54:00 07:50:00
94.N*4d 07:54:00 07:51:00
This has the devastating threat of N*3f, so now suddenly the roles of attack and
defender are reversed.
95.R*5c 07:55:00 07:51:00
96.N2a-3c! 07:55:00 07:55:00
This seems like a simple defense against a check, but the knight is very well-placed
here, defending the important squares 4e and 2e. Also, the knight has moved away
from the attack of the lance on 2b, and now the silver on 3a and lance on 2b are
very awkward.
97.R5fx5e 07:55:00 07:55:00
98.+B7gx5e 07:55:00 07:55:00
99.B*4a 07:55:00 07:55:00
100.G*3b 07:55:00 07:55:00
101.G4i-3i 07:58:00 07:55:00
102.N4d-3f 07:58:00 07:56:00
103.K2h-1h 07:58:00 07:56:00
104.G*2h 07:58:00 07:56:00
105.G3ix2h 07:58:00 07:56:00
106.N3fx2h+ 07:58:00 07:56:00
107.K1hx2h 07:58:00 07:56:00
108.N*3f 07:58:00 07:56:00
109.K2h-1g 07:58:00 07:56:00
110.+B5e-4d 07:58:00 07:56:00
111.G*2f 07:58:00 07:56:00
112.R*2h 07:58:00 07:56:00
113.N*5f? 07:59:00 07:56:00
This cannot be called the decisive mistake, but it throws the towel very easily.
After 113.N*3e Px3e R5b+ instead, there are still many different variations, so
it would be hard to find the right way to win with only a few minutes on the clock.
Here the players finally took their time in the post-mortem analysis and the
conclusion was that white could hold out long enough to mate the black king.
114.+B4dx2f 07:59:00 07:57:00
115.P2gx2f 07:59:00 07:57:00
116.R2hx2f+ 07:59:00 07:57:00
Resigns 07:59:00 07:57:00
Mate after 117.Kx2f P2e K1g (K3f G*2f; K2g is the same) G*2f K1h G*2h. Note the
importance of the knight on 3c here to cover both 2e and 4e in this mate. Habu
dodges a bullet as both players agreed that black had the advantage for most of
the game. Will this stroke of good fortune be enough for Habu to hold serve with
the black pieces in the next game to set up a deciding seventh game?