62nd Meijin Match Game 2
[Black "Moriuchi Toshiyuki, Challenger"]
[White "Habu Yoshiharu, Meijin"]
[Event "62nd Meijin-sen, Game 2"]
[Date "April 26th and 27th 2004"]
1.P7g-7f 00:01:00 00:00:00
2.P3c-3d 00:01:00 00:03:00
3.P2g-2f 00:01:00 00:03:00
4.P8c-8d 00:01:00 00:04:00
5.P2f-2e 00:01:00 00:04:00
6.P8d-8e 00:01:00 00:06:00
7.G6i-7h 00:01:00 00:06:00
8.G4a-3b 00:01:00 00:07:00
9.P2e-2d 00:01:00 00:07:00
10.P2cx2d 00:01:00 00:08:00
11.R2hx2d 00:01:00 00:08:00
12.P8e-8f 00:01:00 00:10:00
13.P8gx8f 00:01:00 00:10:00
14.R8bx8f 00:01:00 00:10:00
15.R2dx3d 00:01:00 00:10:00
16.B2b-3c 00:01:00 00:11:00
17.R3d-3f 00:01:00 00:11:00
18.K5a-4a 00:01:00 00:12:00
19.P*8g 00:03:00 00:12:00
20.R8f-8e 00:03:00 00:13:00
21.R3f-2f 00:03:00 00:13:00
22.S3a-2b 00:03:00 00:14:00
23.K5i-5h 00:03:00 00:14:00
24.S7a-6b 00:03:00 00:26:00
25.P3g-3f 00:03:00 00:26:00
26.G6a-5a 00:03:00 00:29:00
27.S3i-3h 00:03:00 00:29:00
28.P7c-7d 00:03:00 00:30:00
29.P3f-3e 00:05:00 00:30:00
30.R8ex3e 00:05:00 00:53:00
Again this position from the R8e Yokofudori. This is the 32nd
professional game played with it and both Habu and Moriuchi have
plenty of experience with it playing both the black and the white
side of it. Moriuchi has played it 4 times (1 win and 3 losses),
while Habu played it 9 times (7 wins and 2 losses, but the 2 losses
followed 7 consecutive wins). Actually, Habu had this position only
a week earlier (on the 20th) in the 2nd game of the Asahi Open match
against Fukaura and Moriuchi had it three days afterwards (on the 23rd)
in his Oi league game against Yashiki. Both times Habu and Moriuchi had
black and both times they lost the game...
31.B8hx3c+ 00:06:00 00:53:00
32.N2ax3c 00:06:00 00:54:00
33.B*4f 00:08:00 00:54:00
34.P*2e 00:08:00 01:00:00
35.R2f-1f 00:09:00 01:00:00
36.R3e-3d 00:09:00 01:05:00
37.P*3e 00:10:00 01:05:00
38.R3d-4d 00:10:00 01:10:00
39.B4fx9a+ 00:37:00 01:10:00
40.N8a-7c 00:37:00 01:12:00
41.P7f-7e 00:37:00 01:12:00
42.P*8h 00:37:00 01:19:00
43.S7ix8h 01:11:00 01:19:00
44.B*2h 01:11:00 01:22:00
45.N8i-7g 01:12:00 01:22:00
46.B2hx1i+ 01:12:00 01:25:00
47.N2i-3g 01:12:00 01:25:00
48.N3c-4e 01:12:00 01:58:00
Habu tried 48.+B1h against Fukaura, but Fukaura's new move 49.L*4f proved
too much for the black position after 50.L*4e Px7d Rx7d +B9b R4d P*7d.
48.N4e is the move that was played in the B1 Junisen game between Abe and
Takahashi. Quite a dramatic game as both players still had chances to promote
at the time. Habu and Moriuchi follow it for a while.
49.L*4f 02:06:00 01:58:00
50.N4ex3g= 02:06:00 02:29:00
51.L4fx4d 02:08:00 02:29:00
52.N3gx4i+ 02:08:00 02:29:00
53.S3hx4i 02:39:00 02:29:00
54.G*2f 02:39:00 02:41:00
55.N*2d 03:53:00 02:41:00
56.G2fx1f 03:53:00 02:44:00
57.P1gx1f 03:54:00 02:44:00
58.R*1h 03:54:00 02:47:00
59.K5h-6i 04:15:00 02:47:00
The sealed move. It is quite unusual to have so many moves on the first
day of a title match game. Furthermore, it is also quite unusual that
Habu has such a time advantage after the first day (4 hours and 15 minutes
for Moriuchi against only 2 hours and 47 minutes for Habu). Habu is not
known for his deep preparation of the opening, but the commentators
expected that he might have something up his sleeve here.
60.N*7f 04:15:00 02:49:00
61.P7ex7d! 04:53:00 02:49:00
But Moriuchi comes up with a new move first. The game between Abe and
Takahashi continued with 61.P*2h Rx2h+ R*2a P*3a +Bx7c (threatening mate)
Sx7c Nx3b+ K5b (only move because Kx3b Rx2b+ leads to mate) and then Abe
played G*3h, a mistake he deeply regretted after the game: "G*4h is winning".
It is not completely clear if this is true or a comment clouded by disappointment, but the
fact is that Habu had prepared L*3a instead of P*3a so that white can play Kx3b after
Nx3b+ without being mated. 61.Px7d looks slow and it is hard to imagine that black can
afford this with his king under so much pressure, but it just works. Actually, it seems that
the fact that Px7d is winning for black was already known among a small group of
professionals who had studied the position deeply. Unfortunately, Habu was not among them.
62.N7fx8h+ 04:53:00 06:35:00
Three hours and 46 minutes are unable to find a hole in the analysis. In
the press room 62.S2c was analyzed, because white has a mate if he can get
lance and knight in hand after Rx7h+ Kx7h Nx8h+ K6i L*6h etc. However,
62.S2c fails to 63.R*2a P*3a Lx4c= K5b P*2h which is the perfect block.
If white takes this pawn with the promoted bishop, there is no attack
against the black king anymore. If white takes the pawn with the rook,
black wins after Px7c+. The game is over, already decided at home by Moriuchi.
63.G7hx8h 04:57:00 06:35:00
64.S*6h 04:57:00 06:49:00
The big point of the position is that 64.Rx8h+ seems to be easily winning
for white, but there is a difficult mate after this: 65.Nx3b+ Kx3b N*2d
K4a Lx4c= K5b G*4b K6a Gx5a Sx5a G*7b K5b (or Kx7b R*8b K6a G*7a) G*4b
Sx4b Lx4b+ Kx4b R*4b etc.
65.K6i-7h 04:57:00 06:49:00
66.S6hx7g+ 04:57:00 06:49:00
67.K7hx7g 04:57:00 06:49:00
68.+B1i-5e 04:57:00 06:49:00
Habu thought that maybe 68.N8e 69.K7f 70.+Bx9a was better, but Moriuchi
pointed out that even then there is a long and difficult mate: 71.Nx3b+
Kx3b N*2d K4a R*2a K5b G*4b K6a Gx5a K7b G*7c Sx7c Rx2b+ N*6b S*6a K8c
Px7c+ +Bx7c S*7b K9d S*8c (interesting position with the silver staircase)
+Bx8c Sx8c= Kx8c S7b= Kx7b (now the staircase is completely gone) B*6a etc.
69.P6g-6f 05:58:00 06:49:00
Here Moriuchi felt comfortable that the black attack could be stopped
and he would win.
70.N7c-6e 05:58:00 08:01:00
71.K7g-7f 06:34:00 08:01:00
72.+B5ex9a 06:34:00 08:02:00
73.N2dx3b+ 06:34:00 08:02:00
Again there is a mate against the white king. Moriuchi takes 18 minutes
to double check all the variations.
74.K4ax3b 06:34:00 08:02:00
75.N*2d 06:52:00 08:02:00
76.K3b-4a 06:52:00 08:02:00
77.L4dx4c= 06:53:00 08:02:00
78.K4a-5b 06:53:00 08:03:00
79.G*4b 06:53:00 08:03:00
80.K5b-6a 06:53:00 08:05:00
81.G4bx5a 06:53:00 08:05:00
82.S6bx5a 06:53:00 08:07:00
83.G*7b 06:54:00 08:07:00
84.K6ax7b 06:54:00 08:07:00
85.S*7c 06:54:00 08:07:00
86.+B9ax7c 06:54:00 08:07:00
87.P7dx7c+ 06:54:00 08:07:00
88.K7bx7c 06:54:00 08:07:00
89.P*7d 06:54:00 08:07:00
90.K7cx7d 06:54:00 08:07:00
91.R*7a 06:58:00 08:07:00
Resigns 06:58:00 08:07:00
Mate after 92.P*7c G*7e K8c R8a+ and B*7b or 92.K6d R7e+ K5d +Rx6e K4c
N*5e K4d G*3d K4e B*5d Px5d +R5f. In this game Habu was not beaten by a
superior opponent, but by a superior preparation. This will not be too
damaging to his confidence, but the fact remains that he is 2-0 down and
desperately needs to win game 3 to get back in this match.