69th Meijin Match Game 7
[Black "Moriuchi Toshiyuki, Challenger"]
[White "Habu Yoshiharu, Meijin"]
[Event "69th Meijin-sen, Game 7"]
[Date "June 21st and 22nd 2011"]
1.P7g-7f 00:00:00 00:00:00
The furigoma for this final game resulted in three tokins, giving challenger Moriuchi
the black pieces. A small moral victory, as black has a significant winning rate in
the head-to-head between these players.
2.P3c-3d 00:00:00 00:00:00
3.P2g-2f 00:02:00 00:00:00
4.P8c-8d 00:02:00 00:04:00
5.P2f-2e 00:03:00 00:04:00
6.P8d-8e 00:03:00 00:05:00
7.G6i-7h 00:03:00 00:05:00
8.G4a-3b 00:03:00 00:08:00
For the third time in this match the Yokofudori opening. Habu said after the game
that he had planned to play this if he ended up with the white pieces.
9.P2e-2d 00:05:00 00:08:00
10.P2cx2d 00:05:00 00:08:00
11.R2hx2d 00:05:00 00:08:00
12.P8e-8f 00:05:00 00:14:00
13.P8gx8f 00:05:00 00:14:00
14.R8bx8f 00:05:00 00:14:00
15.R2dx3d 00:05:00 00:14:00
16.B2b-3c 00:05:00 00:19:00
17.R3d-3f 00:06:00 00:19:00
18.S3a-2b 00:06:00 00:23:00
19.P*8g 00:09:00 00:23:00
20.R8f-8e 00:09:00 00:28:00
21.R3f-2f 00:09:00 00:28:00
22.K5a-4a 00:09:00 00:39:00
Moving the king to 5b is the more popular way of playing nowadays, but Habu prefers
to move the king to 4a.
23.S3i-4h 00:18:00 00:39:00
24.S7a-6b 00:18:00 00:47:00
25.P3g-3f 00:20:00 00:47:00
26.G6a-5a 00:20:00 01:02:00
27.N2i-3g 00:22:00 01:02:00
Moriuchi can also opt for a more positional Yokofudori by moving the king to 5h, but
instead chooses the super quick New Yamasaki Style variation. This leads the game
into very sharp positions, but as Takahashi (9-dan) explains, these type of violent
positions are good to play when there is a lot of pressure as there is on Moriuchi
in this game. After all, in sharp positions there is no choice but to go all in, so
there is no time to think about long strategic decisions, feeling the pressure
mounting all the time, often leading to a mistake.
28.P*8f 00:22:00 01:51:00
29.P8gx8f 00:26:00 01:51:00
30.R8ex8f 00:26:00 01:52:00
31.P3f-3e 00:26:00 01:52:00
32.R8f-8e 00:26:00 01:54:00
33.N8i-7g 00:29:00 01:54:00
34.R8ex3e 00:29:00 02:46:00
35.R2f-2e 00:37:00 02:46:00
36.R3e-3d 00:37:00 02:48:00
37.N3g-4e 00:39:00 02:48:00
38.B3c-4b 00:39:00 03:00:00
39.P*2d 01:07:00 03:00:00
40.P*8g 01:07:00 03:03:00
41.G7hx8g 01:08:00 03:03:00
42.P*2c 01:08:00 03:03:00
43.P2dx2c+ 01:25:00 03:03:00
44.G3bx2c 01:25:00 03:04:00
45.N7g-6e 01:49:00 03:04:00
46.P*2d 01:49:00 03:06:00
47.R2e-2f 01:59:00 03:06:00
48.P*3f 01:59:00 03:17:00
This is a new move. Before this, 48.N3c was played here, but after 49.R4f Habu
said that he had no confidence in the white position. The pawn drop on 3f blocks
the path of the rook to 4f and was a move that Habu had prepared at home.
49.P*3h 02:34:00 03:17:00
50.P6c-6d 02:34:00 03:28:00
51.N6ex5c+ 04:33:00 03:28:00
The sealed move and played after almost two hours of thought. In the press room,
51.P*8b was expected, but after 52.Px6e Px8a+ N3c N*1e G1d there is no good way
to continue for black.
52.S6bx5c 04:33:00 05:04:00
53.N4ex5c+ 04:34:00 05:04:00
54.B4bx5c 04:34:00 05:04:00
55.S*4e 04:34:00 05:04:00
56.R3d-3e 04:34:00 05:10:00
No choice. White cannot afford to exchange the rooks here, because his position
is much weaker against rook drops. Also, 56.R3b Rx3f Rx3f Sx3f is followed by R*8b
next and good for black.
57.S4e-5d 04:43:00 05:10:00
58.B5c-7a? 04:43:00 05:11:00
Immediately after the game, Habu suggested 58.B6b here. This just seems to invite
59.S6c+, but after 60.B7a the black rook is also in danger, so black has to move
quickly. For example, 61.Bx2b+ Gx2b Rx2d is answered by B4d, which is unclear after
Rx4d Px4d Bx2d R3c Bx3c+ Gx3c R*7a N*6a because white also has a good square for a
rook drop on 8i.
59.P*8b 06:35:00 05:11:00
60.R3e-8e 06:35:00 05:46:00
61.R2fx3f 06:36:00 05:46:00
62.N*4d 06:36:00 05:47:00
63.R3f-4f 06:51:00 05:47:00
64.R8ex8b 06:51:00 05:58:00
The obvious 64.Rx8g+ is answered by 65.Px8a+ and it is hard to find a good attack
against the black king, while black simply threatens +Px7a followed by Sx4c+. Habu
added that the biggest problem is that black can play S3g at any time after which
the black king has a lot of space to run.
65.P*8c 07:34:00 05:58:00
66.R8bx8c 07:34:00 05:59:00
67.P*8d 07:34:00 05:59:00
68.R8cx8d 07:34:00 06:29:00
69.P*8e 07:34:00 06:29:00
70.R8dx8e 07:34:00 06:30:00
71.P*8f 07:34:00 06:30:00
72.R8e-2e 07:34:00 06:32:00
73.S5dx4c+ 07:34:00 06:32:00
74.P*4e 07:34:00 06:41:00
75.B8hx4d! 07:34:00 06:41:00
Habu's reaction to this move in the post-mortem analysis seems to suggest that he
overlooked it or underestimated it at the very least. The normal 75.R6f is answered
by 76.N*9e G7g P*8g and the black bishop becomes a target. Sacrificing the bishop
before it becomes a target for attack is very good here.
76.B7ax4d 07:34:00 06:48:00
77.R4f-5f 07:34:00 06:48:00
This is a mating threat.
78.P*5e 07:34:00 07:32:00
79.R5f-3f 08:07:00 07:32:00
This is again a mating threat.
80.P*3e 08:07:00 07:45:00
81.R3f-1f! 08:07:00 07:45:00
Again, the obvious 81.R6f is not good because of 82.P6e Rx6e B*5d. However, 81.R1f
works perfectly because black now both threatens +Sx4d and P*2f.
82.B4d-6b 08:07:00 08:11:00
White wants to play 82.R2i+ +Sx4d +Rx1i and now +S4c is answered by G3c, but after
B*5d L*4b +S5c the black promoted silver is too strong. Moving the bishop away to
6b is a defense only move, indicating the black has the advantage here.
83.P*2f 08:09:00 08:11:00
84.B*6e 08:09:00 08:12:00
85.N*5c 08:13:00 08:12:00
86.K4a-3a 08:13:00 08:13:00
87.+S4c-4d 08:13:00 08:13:00
88.P4e-4f 08:13:00 08:17:00
89.P6g-6f 08:20:00 08:17:00
90.B6e-7d 08:20:00 08:18:00
91.P7f-7e 08:24:00 08:18:00
92.B7d-5b 08:24:00 08:18:00
93.P2fx2e 08:24:00 08:18:00
94.G2c-3c 08:24:00 08:18:00
95.+S4dx3c 08:27:00 08:18:00
96.N2ax3c 08:27:00 08:20:00
97.G4i-5h 08:28:00 08:20:00
98.N*3f 08:28:00 08:25:00
99.R*8b 08:30:00 08:25:00
100.S*2g 08:30:00 08:36:00
101.R1f-2f 08:49:00 08:36:00
102.S2gx3h+ 08:49:00 08:39:00
Or 102.Nx4h+ Gx4h +S3f N*4d B4c G*4a and black wins.
103.S4h-3i! 08:50:00 08:39:00
This nice defensive silver tesuji give Moriuchi the Meijin title. White has to
capture this silver, but this slows down the attack too much.
104.P2dx2e 08:50:00 08:41:00
105.R2f-1f 08:55:00 08:41:00
106.+S3hx3i 08:55:00 08:46:00
107.R8bx8a+ 08:55:00 08:46:00
108.S*2g 08:55:00 08:56:00
109.N*5d 08:57:00 08:56:00
110.B5b-6c 08:57:00 08:56:00
111.N5dx6b+ 08:57:00 08:56:00
112.B6cx8a 08:57:00 08:56:00
113.B*7f 08:57:00 08:56:00
114.R*5d 08:57:00 08:56:00
115.+N6bx5a 08:57:00 08:56:00
116.S2gx1f+ 08:57:00 08:56:00
117.G*4c 08:57:00 08:56:00
118.K3a-2a 08:57:00 08:56:00
119.G*3b 08:57:00 08:56:00
120.K2a-1b 08:57:00 08:56:00
121.G4cx3c 08:57:00 08:56:00
122.S2bx3c 08:57:00 08:56:00
123.G3bx3c 08:57:00 08:56:00
Resigns 08:57:00 08:57:00
The easy mating threat is S*2c and because black can take the rook on 5d at any
time, there is no proper defense. White can try one more check with 124.R*4i,
but there is no follow-up after 125.K6i. Habu took one minute to compose himself
before resigning his Meijin title to Moriuchi. He fought hard to get back from 3-0
down, but it was not enough as Moriuchi takes his sixth Meijin title. Moriuchi and
Habu have a stronghold on the Meijin title with either of them winning the title
in the last ten years. In Meijin title matches their head-to-head is 3-3 and their
overall title match tally against each other is dead even at 6-6. The childhood
rivals don't give each other an inch and this rivalry is set to continue for a while.