59th Osho Match Game 4
[Black "Habu Yoshiharu, Osho"]
[White "Kubo Toshiaki, Challenger"]
[Event "59th Osho-sen, Game 4"]
[Date "February 17th and 18th 2010"]
1.P7g-7f 00:00:00 00:00:00
2.P3c-3d 00:00:00 00:00:00
3.P2g-2f 00:06:00 00:00:00
4.P5c-5d 00:06:00 00:07:00
5.P2f-2e 00:12:00 00:07:00
6.R8b-5b 00:12:00 00:12:00
As expected, Kubo sticks with his current openings of choice, playing
the Quick Ishida with black and the Gokigen Nakabisha with white.
7.B8hx2b+ 00:27:00 00:12:00
Habu plays it differently than in the second game, using the "Maruyama
Vaccin" this time. This bishop exchange gives black the option of playing
a slow game, avoiding all the complications of a sharp opening fight.
8.S3ax2b 00:27:00 00:13:00
9.P9g-9f 00:28:00 00:13:00
10.P9c-9d 00:28:00 00:27:00
11.S7i-7h 00:32:00 00:27:00
12.K5a-6b 00:32:00 00:41:00
13.K5i-6h 00:35:00 00:41:00
14.K6b-7b 00:35:00 00:59:00
15.P6g-6f 00:39:00 00:59:00
16.S2b-3c 00:39:00 01:02:00
17.K6h-7i 00:41:00 01:02:00
18.K7b-8b 00:41:00 01:18:00
19.S3i-3h 00:46:00 01:18:00
20.S7a-7b 00:46:00 01:25:00
21.P4g-4f 00:51:00 01:25:00
22.P8c-8d 00:51:00 01:27:00
23.S3h-4g 00:57:00 01:27:00
24.S7b-8c 00:57:00 01:29:00
25.G4i-5h 01:04:00 01:29:00
26.G6a-7b 01:04:00 01:31:00
27.S4g-5f 01:16:00 01:31:00
28.P7c-7d 01:16:00 01:43:00
29.P8g-8f 01:50:00 01:43:00
30.R5b-5a 01:50:00 02:17:00
31.N8i-7g 01:56:00 02:17:00
32.G4a-3b 01:56:00 02:19:00
33.P4f-4e 02:03:00 02:19:00
34.S3c-4b!? 02:03:00 02:32:00
Both players have build a solid castle formation and it seems like the
game will become very slow. However, with 34.S4b Kubo invites Habu to make
it a quick fight after all because black now has the option to exchange the
pawns on the second file. The timing of S4b is important, because the black
king is still on 7i, which gives white some important counter chances. Without
this, white would have no compensation for the exchange of the pawn in front
of the rook.
35.P2e-2d 02:57:00 02:32:00
Habu accepts Kubo's invitation. The alternative is 35.B*4f, but after 36.B*7c
Bx7c+ Nx7c B*4f B*6d Bx6d Px6d B*4f S5c black finally has managed to put a bishop
on the strong square 4f, but white has gotten a lot of free moves to improve his
position with tempo and Habu said that he didn't like that at all. If black plays
a slow move like 35.K8h, white plays 36.N3c and it will be very difficult to find
a weakness in the white position.
36.P2cx2d 02:57:00 02:33:00
37.R2hx2d 02:57:00 02:33:00
38.N2a-3c 02:57:00 03:07:00
39.P8f-8e 03:26:00 03:07:00
Habu decides to attack the head of the king, but after the game admitted that he
wasn't really sure if it was good. Still, it seems he didn't have much choice here.
39.P*2c was analyzed, but after 40.P5e S5f-6g Nx4e P2b+ P5f Sx5f Rx5f Px5f B*3e the
aforementioned problem of having the king on 7i instead of 8h surfaces. If then B*6h
P*5g Rx3d Px5h+ Bx3e +Px6i Sx6i G*6g it looks like black has no proper defense. When
Habu saw this variation in the post-mortem analysis, he agreed that his 39.P8e was
probably the correct way of playing this position.
40.P8dx8e 03:26:00 03:23:00
41.S5f-6e 03:30:00 03:23:00
42.P8e-8f 03:30:00 04:09:00
The sealed move. Kubo said after the game that this was the only way to avoid a
one-sided attacking game. However, he also admitted that he had no idea how to make
this pawn effective for his own attack at this point.
43.B*2c 04:06:00 04:09:00
44.G3b-3a! 04:06:00 05:21:00
Strong defense. 44.Gx2c Rx2c+ is of course good for black, but 44.R2a seems a
natural reply, because 45.Bx3b+ Rx2d +Bx4b Rx2a+ is good for white, but if black
plays 45.Bx3d+ instead, then after Rx2d +Bx2d black strongly threatens P*8d which
is a major problem for white.
45.B2cx3d+ 04:37:00 05:21:00
46.P6c-6d 04:37:00 05:22:00
47.P*8d 04:42:00 05:22:00
48.S8cx8d 04:42:00 05:22:00
49.S6ex7d 04:42:00 05:22:00
50.P*7e! 04:42:00 05:32:00
Very well judged by Kubo. Because of the power of a black pawn drop on 8c, it seems
that the white attack is too slow. The move P*7e is not really special, but being
able to judge a number of moves earlier that the white counter attack through P*7e
is at least as strong as the black attack on the head of the king is exceptional.
After all, the white king is much closer to the attacking pieces than the black king.
51.G5h-6g 05:01:00 05:32:00
52.P7ex7f 05:01:00 06:05:00
53.G6gx7f 05:56:00 06:05:00
54.B*4i 05:56:00 06:14:00
55.G7fx8f 06:00:00 06:14:00
56.P*7f 06:00:00 06:14:00
57.P*8c 06:01:00 06:14:00
58.K8b-9b 06:01:00 06:22:00
59.G8f-8e 06:01:00 06:22:00
60.S8d-7c 06:01:00 06:42:00
61.+B3dx3c 06:02:00 06:42:00
62.P7fx7g+ 06:02:00 06:55:00
63.N*8d? 06:03:00 06:55:00
Deeper analysis will have to show if this is mistake that quickens the end or a
blunder that threw away the game. There is no doubt that 63.Sx7g was the correct
move here, but how much this changes the outcome of the game is unclear. The
post-mortem analysis went 64.P*7f S8f N*7g N*8d Sx8d Gx8d Sx3c P8b+ Kx8b P*7c
Nx6i+ (the crucial position) Kx6i B*4g K7i Bx7d+ Px7b+ Kx7b Gx7d N*8g K8h S*7g
and the white attack is stronger than the black attack. However, on the webpage
for this game, there was a discussion about what would happen if the black king
didn't take the promoted knight on 6i, but ran away with K8i instead. When Habu
was asked about this the next morning, he agreed that black would be winning then,
so the conclusion that white was winning after S*7g may have been too hasty. In
any case, 63.Sx7g was the correct move and 63.N*8d quickly seals black's fate.
64.S7cx8d 06:03:00 07:07:00
65.G8ex8d 06:03:00 07:07:00
66.N*8g 06:03:00 07:29:00
67.S7hx8g 06:04:00 07:29:00
Or 67.K8i P*8h K9h Nx9i+ Kx9i L*9g N*9h Bx7f+ and white wins.
68.+P7gx8g 06:04:00 07:32:00
Now there is a mating threat against the black king that cannot be defended. It
is clear that Habu made a big mistake in his calculation, although he did not
say after the game what the problem was.
69.P8c-8b+ 07:21:00 07:32:00
70.K9bx8b 07:21:00 07:32:00
71.S*8c 07:21:00 07:32:00
72.K8b-7a 07:21:00 07:32:00
73.S8cx7b+ 07:21:00 07:32:00
74.K7ax7b 07:21:00 07:32:00
Resigns 07:21:00 07:32:00
White threatens a simple mate with N*6g K6h S*7g, there is no mate against the
white king and if black runs away with 75.K6h, then 76.Sx3c is another mating
threat (after B*7g) so Habu resigned here. An important win for Kubo with white,
who now suddenly is very close to adding the Osho title to his Kio crown. Habu
will need all his magic powers to win three games in a row against a challenger
oozing with confidence at the moment.