Lightning Speed Endgame Technique

Koji Tanigawa, Meijin

Part Four: Table-Turning Technique

Chapter 3: Creating a Sense of Danger

Diagram 1

This is my game at the end of 1986 against Fukusaki 10-dan, who had something of a reputation at the time for his unique style of play with the anaguma (bear-in-the-hole) castle. I would have liked to tell you how I brilliantly took the anaguma apart, but having failed to capitalize on my advantage earlier, I already have a completely lost position in Diagram 1. In reply to Fukusaki's sharp silver drop ...S*6f, I have just played S*5h but this is not an adequate defense. The correct move now is ...B*3d, and if Fukusaki had found it, the game would have been over. I was even thinking of giving up by playing +Rx7b and allowing myself to be mated. After ...B*3d; +Rx7b Sx6g+; Sx6g Lx6g+; G6hx6g +Bx6g; Gx6g Rx7f (Diagram A) and mates, whichever piece Black interposes on 7g. If S*7g Bx6g+; Kx6g G*5f (Diagram B), and now (1) K-7h Rx7g+; Kx7g G*6g; K-8h S*7g; K-9h G*8h Sx8h S*8i; Kx8i G-7h and mates, or (2) K-5h G*5g; K-6i S*6h; S7ix6h G*5h; K-7h G5hx6h; K-8i G-7h; Kx7h; G6f-6g K-8i; P*8h and mates. Both these lines are long, but since they are straight with no detours, the mate is not so difficult. If the position had been presented to my opponent as a next-move problem, I think he would have found ...B*3d instantly. It is baffling that Fukusaki 10-dan, who is reputed for his endgame ability, could have overlooked this move. I suppose he didn't believe there could be such a simple win, and this highlights the difficulties players face in the heat of the battle.

Diagram A

Diagram B

Tightening the Grip

In Diagram 1, White went wrong with ...G*7a and play continued +Rx7a Sx7g+; Gx7g Gx7a; Lx8c+ P*8b; N*9e G*7b; N*7e B*9d (Diagram 2). Fukusaki 10-dan defends stubbornly against my assault on the 8c square, the weakest point of the anaguma castle. Though he cannot do so immediately, White is already in a position to close in on Black’s king. For instance, after ...P*5g and ...Px5h+, it would almost be brinkmate. By dropping pieces defensively in his own camp, the anaguma player gains time to play these two attacking moves. This sense of speed is a distinctive feature of the anaguma.

Diagram 2

For my part, the worst possible plan in Diagram 2 would be to play for a material advantage by +Lx7b Gx7b, etc. because I would lose the foothold for my attack. Before White has time to play ...P*5g and ...Px5h+, I must create a situation where I can threaten mate. I therefore played G*8d to further tighten my grip on 8c. This may well have been the key to turning the tables.

If now ...Px8c, Gx9d Px9d; N9ex8c=, forcing the bear out of his hole. For the anaguma player, a knight on 8c poses the most dangerous threat. Once this is achieved, the opponent will have good winning chances. White therefore did not take on 8c, but hit back with ...Rx8d; +Lx8d R*5d (Diagram 3).

Diagram 3

A Careful Move: R*4h

...R*5d threatens mate by ...Rx5h+, etc. Its aim is to remove the promoted lance on 8d after Black defends against this threat and then take advantage of White's solid king position. It would be fine if Black could meet this with the knight drop tesuji N*5g, but after ...Rx8d; Nx4e P-7d (Diagram C), although Black has restored the material balance, the prospect of the pawn advancing to 7e while taking the knight is very unpleasant. This is clearly a line where the solid anaguma castle prevails.

Diagram C

In Diagram 3, I dropped a rook in my own camp with R*4h. Instead of having a knight on 4e, as in Diagram C, I thought that a rook on 4e would be attacking the lance on 6e and therefore be more effective than a knight, which threatens nothing. But R*4h is not a move to be proud of. It is the prelude to a laborious defense after ...P*4g; +Lx9d Px4h+; P*5f (Diagram 4).

Diagram 4

Instead of P*5f, it would be nice if I could mate with N*8c, but after ...Px8c; N9ex8c= Gx8c; Nx8c= K-8b (Diagram D), the thickness provided by White's rook and promoted bishop make it impossible to force mate. I therefore calmly played P*5f, which immediately restricts the movement of both rook and promoted bishop. This pawn at a key point makes it very hard for White to threaten mate. ...+Bx5f would block out the rook and after ...Rx5f; P*5g, the promoted bishop's diagonal is blocked. These considerations seem to justify the sacrificial rook drop R*4h.

Diagram D

Sharp Perception

Diagram 5

At least I thought so until Fukusaki 10-dan, after six minutes' thought, dropped his gold with ...G*6h (Diagram 5). This powerful and sharp move is typical of his style, and it took me by surprise. The normal move here would be ...+Px5h, but it does not threaten mate because, even with the tokin on 5h, Black's king escapes with K-8h after ...G*6h. Since the king can still get away with the tokin on 5h, White plays the sacrificial gold drop first. This sharp perception is one of the most attractive aspects of Fukusaki's playing style.

Diagram E

Can Black get away with K-8h after ...G*6h? White will reply with ...Gx7i, but this does not threaten mate, so I will win if I can threaten mate myself. I therefore considered S*6b (Diagram E). If now ...G7ax6b; N*8c Px8c; N9ex8c= Gx8c; Nx8c= K-8b; S*9a K-7b; G*7a mate, or if ...G7bx6b; N*8c Px8c; S*8b (Diagram F) Gx8b (if ...Kx8b N9ex8c+ followed by +Nx9b mates); N9ex8c= Gx8c; Nx8c= K-8b; B*9a K-7b; G*7a mate.

Diagram F

It looks as if Black is winning, but in fact White has a good reply to S*6b: he can take the promoted lance with ...Px9d. Now Black must play Sx7a= to threaten mate, and if ...Gx7a; N*8c Px8c; S*8b Gx8b; N9ex8c= Gx8c; Nx8c= K-8b; B*7a mates. But what if White answers Sx7a= by taking the knight with ...Px9e (Diagram G)? White has escaped the mate threat and is now threatening mate himself by ...N*9f; Px9f R*8i; K-9h L*9g. By taking the promoted lance on 9d and knight on 9e, White has succeeded in escaping a mate threat with a mate threat.

Diagram G

After 13 minutes' thought, I abandoned the idea of K-8h and S*6b.

The Losing Move

I now realized that I had no choice but to answer Furusaki's fiendish ...G*6h (Diagram 5) with Sx6h, but if this is the only move, I must be losing. White replied with ...+Px5h. This does not seem to threaten mate, but the moment I threaten mate, White can always remove the promoted lance and knight by ...Px9d and ...Px9e, escaping the mate threat and threatening mate himself. With no effective means of attacking, I stubbornly resisted with S*7i and the game continued ...+Px6h; Sx6h +Bx5f; P*5g Lx6g+; Gx6g (Diagram 6).

Diagram 6

In the position in Diagram 6, White has a decisive move. Here Fukusaki 10-dan played ...+Bx6g, which turned out to be the losing move. Correct was ...S*7g. Fukusaki is reputed for his endgame ability, but in this game he was out of form and his endgame errors are conspicuous. After ...S*7g, Black can play either Kx7g or Sx7g. If Kx7g S*6f; Gx6f R*7h; K-8f Px9d (Diagram H), threatening mate by ...L*8d; any interposition on 8e Lx8e, etc. White's promoted bishop on 5f defends against mate. Alternatively, if Sx7g S*6i; Kx6i +Bx6g (Diagram I), where Black's king is in brinkmate and, although he has many pieces in hand, there seems to be no way of forcing mate. Fukusaki had already used up all his allotted thinking time and was in byoyomi, having to play each move within one minute. Short of time, he may have felt it was too dangerous to enter such a line because it involved handing over so many pieces.

Diagram H

Diagram I

+Bx6g in Diagram 6 was the losing move. At last the tide had turned in my favor. The game continued Sx6g R*4h; G*5h S*6f; N*8c Px8c; N9ex8c= Gx8c; Nx8c= K-8b; S*9a K-7b; Nx7a+ Kx7a; S-8b+ K-6b; G*7b (Diagram 7). It may seem that I'm just chasing White's king without any prospect of mate, but that is not the case. There is no forced mate in Diagram 7, but wherever White's king goes, he runs into a king and rook fork or another highly effective bishop drop. If Black had taken the rook with Gx4h instead of playing N*8c in the above line, he would have lost after ...S*7g; K-7i Px9d, escaping the mate threat and threatening mate.

Diagram 7

In Diagram 7, if ...K-5a; B*1e, or if ...K-5c; B*8f, continuing the attack while defending the 7g square. If now ...N*7e; Bx7e Sx7e; Gx4h, removing the rook and threatening mate by N*4e, etc., with a sure win for Black. White therefore had no choice but to play ...K-5b, but after B*6a K-4b (or ...K-4a; B*2c); B*1e S*3c; Bx4h G*7g; K-6i Sx6g+; R*1b (Resignation Diagram) and Fukusaki 10-dan resigned. It is mate after ...N*2b (or ...S*2b; Rx2b+ Sx2b; G*4c, etc.); G*4c K-3a R-1a+, etc.

Resignation Diagram

The strength of the anaguma castle is its solidity, speed, and the fact that the king cannot be checked. With such a strong guard, the anaguma player can stand his ground and trade punches. In this game, I was able to turn the tables because I kept a firm grip on the 8c square without immediately dropping and exchanging pieces there. I only showed my trump card N*8c at the last moment, so it remained a constant real and imagined threat for my opponent. When playing against the anaguma, you must above all avoid letting your opponent do all the attacking. Being able to focus entirely on the attack without worrying about his king is the ideal situation for the anaguma player. The constant possibility of checking with N*8c prevented White from devoting all his energy to the attack and led to the final reversal. Without this threat, his attack would undoubtedly have prevailed. In many cases, it is this sense of danger that lies behind a dramatic comeback.