56th Osho Match Game 7
[Black "Habu Yoshiharu, Osho"]
[White "Sato Yasumitsu, Challenger"]
[Event "56th Osho-sen, Game 7"]
[Date "March 19th and 20th 2007"]
1.P7g-7f 00:00:00 00:00:00
The furigoma for this final game resulted in three pawns and two tokins,
giving Habu the black pieces. Especially with white, Sato has been playing
some daring opening strategies. This game is no exception.
2.P3c-3d 00:00:00 00:02:00
3.P2g-2f 00:01:00 00:02:00
4.P9c-9d 00:01:00 00:04:00
5.P9g-9f 00:02:00 00:04:00
6.P1c-1d 00:02:00 00:27:00
7.P2f-2e 00:14:00 00:27:00
8.B2bx8h+ 00:14:00 00:27:00
9.S7ix8h 00:14:00 00:27:00
10.S3a-2b 00:14:00 00:27:00
11.S3i-4h 00:14:00 00:27:00
12.S2b-3c 00:14:00 00:27:00
13.K5i-6h 00:22:00 00:27:00
14.R8b-2b!? 00:22:00 00:43:00
In the press room the professionals were taking it easy a little at the
start of the game, but this definitely got their attention. White is not
defending against the fork B*6e...! The normal way to play here is to 14.R4b
first and after the development of some pieces move the rook to 2b.
15.K6h-7h 01:00:00 00:43:00
Habu thinks for 38 minutes, but decides to play it safe here. Black can
promote the bishop with 15.B*6e B*7d Bx4c+, but things are not so easy.
For example, G4a-5b P7e Gx4c Px7d Px7d or G4b +Bx6a Kx7a G*7e lead to an
all-out attacking game where black is not necessarily better. Sato will
definitely have prepared this better than Habu.
16.K5a-6b!? 01:00:00 00:53:00
Another daring move. Habu may have moved his king a little bit more to safety,
but still Sato doesn't defend against the bishop fork.
17.B*6e 01:16:00 00:53:00
This time Habu bites.
18.P7c-7d 01:16:00 01:07:00
Nice defense. With the king on 6b, it is now even easier to defend against
the bishop promotion.
19.B6ex7d 01:28:00 01:07:00
19.Bx4c+ is answered by 20.P6d and the promoted bishop has no squares to go.
If black then opens up the bishop's diagonal with 21.P7e Px7e P8f, white can
simply exchange bishops with B*3b or B*7f. Therefore, black has no choice but
to take the pawn on 7d. Black wins a pawn, but the bishop is on the wrong
diagonal and white still has the bishop in hand. Hard to say who is better.
20.S7a-7b 01:28:00 01:26:00
21.B7d-5f 01:31:00 01:26:00
22.G4a-5b 01:31:00 01:34:00
23.P3g-3f 01:43:00 01:34:00
24.P5c-5d 01:43:00 01:36:00
25.P6g-6f 01:44:00 01:36:00
26.B*5e 01:44:00 03:06:00
27.S4h-3g 02:05:00 03:06:00
28.B5ex6f 02:05:00 03:06:00
29.S3g-4f 02:05:00 03:06:00
30.K6b-7a 02:05:00 03:08:00
31.S8h-7g 02:42:00 03:08:00
32.B6f-8d 02:42:00 03:21:00
33.K7h-8h 02:42:00 03:21:00
34.P4c-4d 02:42:00 03:51:00
35.G4i-5h 02:50:00 03:51:00
36.G5b-4c 02:50:00 03:51:00
37.G5h-6h 03:11:00 03:51:00
38.B8d-7c 03:11:00 03:55:00
39.G6i-7h 03:43:00 03:55:00
The sealed move. The first day started with some fireworks, but the game has
settled into a strategic battle.
40.P4d-4e 03:43:00 04:00:00
41.B5fx4e 03:43:00 04:00:00
42.S3c-4d 03:43:00 04:00:00
43.B4e-6g 03:43:00 04:00:00
44.P*4e 03:43:00 04:00:00
45.S4f-3g 03:43:00 04:00:00
46.N2a-3c 03:43:00 04:00:00
47.P7f-7e 03:54:00 04:00:00
48.G6a-5b 03:54:00 04:19:00
49.P7e-7d!? 04:03:00 04:19:00
A little psychological trick with major consequences. This is not a move a
professional would like to play. Without any support, the pawn on 7d might
just be lost. Also, with the pawn on 7d any later drops of lance or knight
on 7d are no longer possible. Still, there is a reason why Habu played this
move. The tricky part is that Habu played this move quite fast (only 9 minutes
thought). If he would have played this move after thinking for a long time,
he would have signaled that there is something in this position and Sato
would have been warned. As it is, Sato doesn't think much of this move and
plays his reply very quickly.
50.B7c-8b? 04:03:00 04:21:00
Shogi at the top level is a very scary game. Sato battled so hard to get
back into this match and now throws it all away with one sloppy move, played
after only 2 minutes. If he would have taken his time, he wouldn't have missed
Habu's hidden attack and might have played something like 50.B8d, which is unclear.
51.P9f-9e 04:27:00 04:21:00
The edge attack was of course expected by Sato, but he had overlooked a crucial move.
52.P9dx9e 04:27:00 04:22:00
53.P*9d! 04:27:00 04:22:00
Sato had only looked at 53.P*9c here, but white can just ignore that move and
play 54.P3e, after which white gets a strong counter attack against the rook.
The point of 53.P*9d is not that black can play Lx9e next, because this is easily
met with P*9b. The real meaning of 53.P*9d is that black can play P9c+ next,
which wins a knight.
54.K7a-6b 04:27:00 06:03:00
Sato spent 101 minutes on this move, at least half of which was probably spent
on cursing himself and trying to compose himself to put everything into a desperate
defense. 54.P8d also doesn't save the knight because of 55.P9c+ Nx9c P8f.
55.P9d-9c+ 04:29:00 06:03:00
56.N8ax9c 04:29:00 06:04:00
57.P*9d 04:29:00 06:04:00
58.S4d-5e 04:29:00 06:04:00
59.P9dx9c+ 04:54:00 06:04:00
60.L9ax9c 04:54:00 06:04:00
61.P3f-3e! 04:54:00 06:04:00
Habu shows no mercy. White had been intending to push the pawn to 3e for a long
time, but now black is using that same square for a deciding push. 61.N*8e seems
enough, but by playing 61.P3e, black can bring the rook into the attack with R2f
followed by R8f. This basically decides the game and Sato's desperate struggles
are just for the record.
62.P3dx3e 04:54:00 06:05:00
63.R2h-2f 04:54:00 06:05:00
64.R2b-2a 04:54:00 06:36:00
65.N*8e 05:06:00 06:36:00
66.S5e-6d 05:06:00 06:48:00
67.R2f-8f 05:44:00 06:48:00
68.N3cx2e 05:44:00 07:22:00
69.S3g-2f 05:58:00 07:22:00
70.S6d-6e 05:58:00 07:22:00
71.P7d-7c+ 06:07:00 07:22:00
72.S7bx7c 06:07:00 07:22:00
73.N8ex9c+ 06:07:00 07:22:00
74.B8bx9c 06:07:00 07:22:00
75.R8fx8c+ 06:07:00 07:22:00
76.S7c-8b 06:07:00 07:24:00
77.+R8c-8e 06:10:00 07:24:00
78.P*7f 06:10:00 07:25:00
79.+R8ex6e 06:17:00 07:25:00
80.P7fx7g+ 06:17:00 07:25:00
81.G7hx7g 06:17:00 07:25:00
82.P*7f 06:17:00 07:34:00
83.G7gx7f 06:20:00 07:34:00
84.N*9f 06:20:00 07:45:00
85.L9ix9f 07:05:00 07:45:00
86.P9ex9f 07:05:00 07:45:00
87.N*5f 07:05:00 07:45:00
88.S*5e 07:05:00 07:50:00
89.P*9d 07:11:00 07:50:00
90.B9c-8d 07:11:00 07:50:00
91.S2fx2e 07:19:00 07:50:00
92.S5ex5f 07:19:00 07:58:00
93.+R6ex5f 07:20:00 07:58:00
94.L*5e 07:20:00 07:59:00
95.+R5fx4e 07:28:00 07:59:00
96.L5ex5g+ 07:28:00 07:59:00
97.L*4d 07:36:00 07:59:00
98.G4cx4d 07:36:00 07:59:00
99.+R4ex4d 07:36:00 07:59:00
100.P9f-9g+ 07:36:00 07:59:00
101.N8ix9g 07:37:00 07:59:00
102.N*9f 07:37:00 07:59:00
103.K8h-7g 07:38:00 07:59:00
104.R2a-7a 07:38:00 07:59:00
105.G6hx5g! 07:44:00 07:59:00
Habu may have been kind to his opponent when he said after the game that even
though he felt sure he was better, he didn't feel like he was making much progress
and only here he felt that he was winning the game. This lance is the piece he
needs to finish white off.
106.B8dx5g+ 07:44:00 07:59:00
107.S*5c 07:44:00 07:59:00
108.G5bx5c 07:44:00 07:59:00
Sato decides to allow a mate instead of the horrible 108.K7b (shutting out the
rook) Sx5b+.
109.+R4dx5c 07:44:00 07:59:00
110.K6bx5c 07:44:00 07:59:00
111.N*6e 07:44:00 07:59:00
Resigns 07:44:00 07:59:00
Mate after 112.K4b S*4c or 112.K6b S*5c K7b G*7c Sx7c Nx7c+ Kx7c S*7d Kx7d B5f
+Bx5f L*7e (there is the lance that black rook on move 106). Quite a devastating
loss for Sato, who just like last year loses the Osho match in the final game
after a great come-back. Last year he came back from 0-3 to lose in 7 games and
this year he came back from 1-3, only to lose again in 7 games. For Habu, the story
is completely different. With this victory he claims his 10th Osho title, which
means that he is now "Lifetime Osho", an honorary title which until now only
Oyama had been awarded. Habu now only needs one more Ryu-O title and one more
Meijin title to be "Lifetime Seven Crown", i.e. have the honorary "Lifetime"
title for all seven titles.