84th Kisei Match Game 1
[Black "Habu Yoshiharu, Kisei"]
[White "Watanabe Akira, Challenger"]
[Event "84th Kisei-sen, Game 1"]
[Date "June 4th 2013"]
1.P7g-7f 00:00:00 00:00:00
Habu and Watanabe square off in this Kisei match, each holding three major titles.
Will Watanabe take a fourth and become the undisputed leader of the shogi world?
A slightly unlucky start as the furigoma turns up with three pawns, giving Habu
the black pieces.
2.P3c-3d 00:00:00 00:00:00
3.P2g-2f 00:01:00 00:00:00
4.P8c-8d 00:01:00 00:01:00
5.P2f-2e 00:01:00 00:01:00
6.P8d-8e 00:01:00 00:01:00
7.G6i-7h 00:01:00 00:01:00
8.G4a-3b 00:01:00 00:01:00
9.P2e-2d 00:01:00 00:01:00
10.P2cx2d 00:01:00 00:01:00
11.R2hx2d 00:01:00 00:01:00
12.P8e-8f 00:01:00 00:01:00
13.P8gx8f 00:01:00 00:01:00
14.R8bx8f 00:01:00 00:01:00
15.R2dx3d 00:01:00 00:01:00
16.B2b-3c 00:01:00 00:02:00
17.R3d-3f 00:01:00 00:02:00
18.S3a-2b 00:01:00 00:02:00
19.P*8g 00:02:00 00:02:00
20.R8f-8e 00:02:00 00:02:00
21.R3f-2f 00:02:00 00:02:00
22.K5a-4a 00:02:00 00:03:00
23.K5i-5h 00:03:00 00:03:00
24.S7a-6b 00:03:00 00:06:00
25.B8hx3c+ 00:04:00 00:06:00
26.N2ax3c 00:04:00 00:06:00
27.N8i-7g 00:04:00 00:06:00
28.R8e-8d 00:04:00 00:07:00
29.P7f-7e 00:04:00 00:07:00
30.G6a-5a 00:04:00 00:08:00
31.S7i-6h 00:04:00 00:08:00
32.P9c-9d 00:04:00 00:25:00
33.P8g-8f 00:07:00 00:25:00
34.N8a-9c 00:07:00 00:25:00
35.P7e-7d 00:08:00 00:25:00
36.P7cx7d 00:08:00 00:25:00
37.P*7b 00:08:00 00:25:00
38.R8d-8c 00:08:00 00:31:00
This match opens with a Yokofudori opening. Black threatened P7a+ Px7a B*7c and
38.R8c is a defense against this. Other moves that have been played here are
38.B*4d and 38.R8a.
39.P7b-7a+!? 00:19:00 00:31:00
Watanabe has played this position with black before and played 39.G7i here to defend
the weak square 8i. In that game it followed 40.P*3f Rx3f B*2g R6f B5d+ P7a+ Sx7a
P9f and Watanabe also made a promoted bishop that he pulled back, leading to a
drawn-out strategic battle. The four games with this position that have been played,
all continued with 39.G7i, but Habu introduces a new move with 39.P7a+. The plan
is to pull the silver away from the defense of 5c, so a later N6e can be played
with tempo.
40.S6bx7a 00:19:00 00:32:00
41.P9g-9f 00:19:00 00:32:00
42.P*8e 00:19:00 00:53:00
43.P8fx8e 00:29:00 00:53:00
44.N9cx8e 00:29:00 00:53:00
45.N7g-6e 00:29:00 00:53:00
46.P6c-6d 00:29:00 01:05:00
47.P*8d 00:47:00 01:05:00
48.R8c-9c 00:47:00 01:15:00
49.B*8c 00:59:00 01:15:00
50.P6dx6e 00:59:00 01:16:00
51.B8cx7d+ 01:00:00 01:16:00
52.B*5b 01:00:00 01:16:00
53.+B7d-7e 01:23:00 01:16:00
Black has made a bishop at the cost of a knight. Because the white knight on 8e cannot
be saved in the long term, it seems like black has a good position, but as Habu said
after the game, the position is quite complicated. In the press room, 53.+B6d was
analyzed more thoroughly than 53.+B7e and it seemed to give black good chances, but
the advantage of 53.+B7e is clear because it keeps the pressure on the knight. After
a pawn drop on 7d next, black can take this knight quickly. Watanabe acknowledged that
he would lose this knight and that the main point of this position was whether he could
use the time for taking the knight to set up a good attack. From here, Watanabe shows
some nice footwork with a number of pawn sacrifices. Definitely worth some careful study.
54.P*7g 01:23:00 02:14:00
55.G7h-8h 01:24:00 02:14:00
56.P6e-6f! 01:24:00 02:15:00
After chasing away the gold, this pawn drop aims at the black king. Black wants to take
it, but 57.Px6f opens a diagonal to the king and block the rook, while 57.Rx6f can be
answered by 58.N*2g and white picks up the lance, which can be used very effectively,
for example on 7b. In the post-mortem analysis Watanabe didn't give the impression that
he had looked at this very deeply, just liking the knight drop on 2g, but Habu quickly
agreed with his assessment.
57.P*7d 01:56:00 02:15:00
58.P*8f 01:56:00 02:16:00
Still, black cannot take the knight on 8e because of 59.+Bx8e P8g+ Gx8g P7h+.
59.+B7ex8f 02:19:00 02:16:00
60.B5bx7d 02:19:00 02:16:00
61.R2fx6f 02:19:00 02:16:00
62.S7a-6b 02:19:00 02:20:00
63.R6f-7f 02:22:00 02:20:00
64.B7d-6c 02:22:00 02:21:00
65.P*7d 02:22:00 02:21:00
66.P*8g 02:22:00 02:30:00
67.G8h-8i 02:22:00 02:30:00
68.B6c-2g+ 02:22:00 02:35:00
69.+B8fx8e 02:23:00 02:35:00
Black has finally taken the knight, but white has also manage to make a promoted bishop
from the bishop that was just dropped on 5b to help the knight. Also, the pawns on the
7th and 8th file are well-placed to assist an attack on the king. The position seems
unclear here.
70.K4a-3a 02:23:00 02:35:00
71.N*6e 02:41:00 02:35:00
72.P*6f? 02:41:00 02:47:00
This was considered a very good move by Watanabe. If the bishop is pulled back to 4e,
then the gold on 8i is attacked indirectly. This is also one of the reasons why 72.Px6f
is not good (it also opens a diagonal to the king). Therefore, 72.Rx6f is the obvious
choice, not having these drawbacks, but then P7c+ is not so threatening anymore. However,
after the game Watanabe regretted this move and judged it as "too light". Correct was
the more direct 72.P*2h. If 73.P7c+ 74.Sx7c 75.Nx7c+ then 76.S3h +B5d P8c+ +P2h and even
if black gets a rook in hand, white can always shut it out with P*6a. Also, if black
doesn't move the silver and plays 76.+N8c directly, then 77.+Bx4i Kx4i +Px3i K5h G7h
is quite dangerous for black. In either case, white keeps chances to win the game.
After 72.P*6f, it actually becomes more difficult to get access to the black king.
It is a pity for Watanabe that a move that was hard to find and looked impressive
actually loses the game.
73.P7d-7c+ 02:58:00 02:47:00
74.S6bx7c 02:58:00 02:52:00
75.N6ex7c+ 03:04:00 02:52:00
76.N*5e 03:04:00 02:52:00
77.S3i-3h 03:05:00 02:52:00
78.+B2g-4e 03:05:00 03:07:00
79.S*5f 03:14:00 03:07:00
80.P7g-7h+ 03:14:00 03:09:00
81.R7fx7h 03:17:00 03:09:00
82.P6fx6g+ 03:17:00 03:18:00
83.S6hx6g 03:17:00 03:18:00
84.P*7g 03:17:00 03:20:00
85.R7hx7g 03:18:00 03:20:00
86.+B4e-4d 03:18:00 03:20:00
87.P*6f 03:22:00 03:20:00
88.N5ex6g+ 03:22:00 03:21:00
89.+B8ex6g 03:22:00 03:21:00
90.P*6e 03:22:00 03:23:00
91.S5fx6e 03:24:00 03:23:00
92.S*8h 03:24:00 03:32:00
93.G8ix8h 03:26:00 03:32:00
94.P8gx8h+ 03:26:00 03:32:00
95.P8d-8c+ 03:26:00 03:32:00
96.G*5e 03:26:00 03:32:00
97.N*5f! 03:28:00 03:32:00
The decisive move. After taking the bishop on 4d, this also attacks the gold on 3b,
leaving the white king without defense.
98.G5ex6f 03:28:00 03:36:00
99.N5fx4d 03:28:00 03:36:00
100.G6fx7g 03:28:00 03:36:00
101.N4dx3b+ 03:28:00 03:36:00
102.K3ax3b 03:28:00 03:36:00
103.+B6gx7g 03:28:00 03:36:00
104.+P8h-7h 03:28:00 03:36:00
105.+B7g-6g 03:31:00 03:36:00
106.R*8h 03:31:00 03:37:00
107.P*8i 03:31:00 03:37:00
108.R8hx8i+ 03:31:00 03:37:00
109.P*2c 03:31:00 03:37:00
110.S2bx2c 03:31:00 03:37:00
111.S*2a 03:32:00 03:37:00
Resigns 03:32:00 03:37:00
After 112.Kx2a +Bx2c there is no defense and even with an extra silver white has no way
to get to the black king, therefore Watanabe resigned here. Habu draws first blood in
this class of three crown titans, but Watanabe played some nice shogi that could carry
over to the second game in which he has the black pieces.