Takodori's Entrance to Shogi World

Shogi Tactics #0022

Sente's turn to play This is a Yagura mid-endgame position where Gote's left kNight jumped to 25 from 13 to escape from the capture threat of P*14 Sente dropped just before(For Firefox users, please forward one move from the displayed position to have the problem. Sorry, this cannot be displayed on some smartphones). Please find a next move to prepare for a dynamic combination to activate the 68 Bishop in the end. If possible, please calculate a five-move combination. Here is a positional tip. You should leave the three Gote's pieces of the promoted Silver on 26, a kNight on 25 and a Lance on 15 out of play. If Gote's King escapes toward them to aim for entering King, they will start working.   You can replay the answer line by clicking the arrow directing to the right under the diagram. Also, an exclamation mark sometimes appears there on a specific move during your replay, then click it and you can read my comments on that move. After reading my comments, click the exclamation mark again then the comment window will go away to move forward again.

Shogi Tactics #0021

Sente's turn to play This is a Yagura endgame position where Gote dropped a Pawn on 42 to block the 41 promoted Rook to prevent it from capturing the Gold on 43(For Firefox users, please forward one move from the displayed position to have the problem. Sorry, this cannot be displayed on some smartphones). Please find a next move to deliver a hisshi to Gote's King. If you can, please calculate all the possible variations to the end. Your attacking pieces are a Dragon on 41, a kNight on 45 controlling the 33 square, and two Silvers in hand.   You can replay the answer line by clicking the arrow directing to the right under the diagram. Also, an exclamation mark sometimes appears there on a specific move during your replay, then click it and you can read my comments on that move. After reading my comments, click the exclamation mark again then the comment window will go away to move forward again.

Shogi Tactics #0020

Sente's turn to play This is a Yagura endgame position where Gote dropped a Pawn on 12 to try to ease the tension caused by Sente's edge attack(For Firefox users, please forward one move from the displayed position to have the problem. Sorry, this cannot be displayed on some smartphones). It's a tactical problem to tell you how to maximize the power of the Rook on 28 which is considered to have stayed on its original square till the endgame. In fact, there is a mate in five from here.   You can replay the answer line by clicking the arrow directing to the right under the diagram. Also, an exclamation mark sometimes appears there on a specific move during your replay, then click it and you can read my comments on that move. After reading my comments, click the exclamation mark again then the comment window will go away to move forward again.

Shogi Tactics #0019

Sente's turn to play This is a Yagura endgame position where Gote took the 13 Pawn Sente dropped just before engaging an edge attack.(For Firefox users, please forward one move from the displayed position to have the problem. Sorry, this cannot be displayed on some smartphones). Your attacking pieces are a Rook on 81, a Bishop on 68, a kNight on 26 which Sente dropped sometime before, and a Lance on 19. If the Bishop did not exist somewhere on the 13-79 diagonal, P*14 would be a good and thematic continuation to gain a Lance. However, there will be better and quicker approach to Gote's King. Here is a positional tip. If you have a kNight in hand, it quite often happens that dropping it on a square of the fourth, fifth or sixth rank turns out be a good move since the kNight dropped on the fourth and fifth Rank can choose whether to promote or not in the next jump penetrating the enemy camp and the one dropped on the sixth rank can jump to somewhere on the fourth Rank next to work very well. Furthermore, usually your opponent's King and metal guardians are located on the second and third rank. So they will be a good target for your kNight dropped on those ranks.   You can replay the answer line by clicking the arrow directing to the right under the diagram. Also, an exclamation mark sometimes appears there on a specific move during your replay, then click it and you can read my comments on that move. After reading my comments, click the exclamation mark again then the comment window will go away to move forward again.

Shogi Tactics #0018

Sente's turn to play This is a Yagura endgame position where Gote's King ran to 22 from 31 against Sente's checking Rook drop on 81.(For Firefox users, please forward one move from the displayed position to have the problem. Sorry, this cannot be displayed on some smartphones). Please find a nine-move-mate-line from here.   You can replay the answer line by clicking the arrow directing to the right under the diagram. Also, an exclamation mark sometimes appears there on a specific move during your replay, then click it and you can read my comments on that move. After reading my comments, click the exclamation mark again then the comment window will go away to move forward again.

I have created an open joseki folder on Dropbox

I would like to inform readers of this blog that I have created an open joseki folder on Dropbox. Anyone can access it and download the joseki files there. The file format is .kif so that you can replay the files on some particular software like Kifu for Windows, BCM Games and so fourth. The file contains a main line and many branching variation lines of a specific opening. I have already uploaded two files of joseki lines written in the introductory chapter and the first part of the first chapter of "Hayawakari Aiyagura Joseki Guide"(Quick referential guidebook on Double_yagura theories) by Shoshi Kazuharu, published in 2013.  You can download them for your own use such as self-learning etc. through the link below

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/l49rav03go3z4nh/AADyLKe5CIEPmGQeCDfPgn8Aa?dl=0

I intent to add more files of various opening lines to the folder from time to time.

Shogi Tactics #0017

Sente's turn to play This is a Yagura endgame position where Gote dropped a Pawn on the 12 square to try to defend Sente's edge attack(For Firefox users, please forward one move from the displayed position to have the problem. Sorry, this cannot be displayed on some smartphones). Please find a seventeen-move-mate-line from here. Sente's attacking pieces are a Rook on 81, Bishop on 68, kNight on 37, Lance on 19 and a Pawn on 14 on the board. Usually we do not count a Pawn as an attacking piece but if the Pawn is close to the King or the castle, we often consider it as an offensive piece. So the number of your attacking pieces in the position is six including the Silver in hand which will be sufficient enough to conduct a devastating attack.   You can replay the answer line by clicking the arrow directing to the right under the diagram. Also, an exclamation mark sometimes appears there on a specific move during your replay, then click it and you can read my comments on that move. After reading my comments, click the exclamation mark again then the comment window will go away to move forward again.

Shogi Boardlive Schedule for Week 17 2015

Here it is.

Wednesday, April 22, to start at 9:00am(JST), expected to end - 6:00pm(JST)
Meijin Habu Yoshiharu vs 8th dan Namekata Hisashi
Day 1 The second game of the 73rd Meijin-sen best of seven match(Habu takes the lead in 1-0 before the game.)
Nicolive - http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv215857058　(Commentator - 9th dan Nakamura Osamu MC - Joryu sho-dan Yamaguchi Eriko)

To start at 9:00am(JST), expected to end - sometime after 5:00pm(JST)
Joryu Oui Kai Tomomi vs Joryu Meijin Satomi Kana
The first game of the 2th Joryu Oui-sen best of five match
Liveboard - http://live.shogi.or.jp/joryu-oui/kifu/ ... 20101.html
Official site(in Japanese) - http://live.shogi.or.jp/joryu-oui/
Official blog(in Japanese, but lots of photos to be uploaded related to the game) - http://kifulog.shogi.or.jp/joryuoui/

Thursday, April 23, to start at 9:00am(JST), expected to end - sometime after 9:00pm(JST)
Meijin Habu Yoshiharu vs 8th dan Namekata Hisashi
Day 2, The second game of the 73rd Meijin-sen best of seven match(Habu takes the lead in 1-0 before the game.)
Nicolive - http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv215857283　(Commentator - 9th dan Senzaki Manabu MC - Joryu sho-dan Fujita Aya)

Shogi Tactics #0016

Sente's turn to play This is a Yagura endgame position where Gote took the 14 pawn with Px14 just after Sente had pushed a sacrificing Pawn from 15 to 14 engaging in the edge attack(For Firefox users, please forward one move from the displayed position to have the problem. Sorry, this cannot be displayed on some smartphones). Please find a thirteen-move-mate-line from here. Please pay your attention to how many attacking pieces there are on the board and your piece stand. A shogi general guideline says "Attack with four pieces lasts, it may be not enough with three pieces". In this problem, you have seven attacking pieces such as the 81 Rook, 68 Bishop, 37 kNight, 19 Lance on the board and a Gold, Silver and kNight in hand which are sufficient enough to deliver a mate to the King. Please enjoy the luxury of your offensive measures.   You can replay the answer line by clicking the arrow directing to the right under the diagram. Also, an exclamation mark sometimes appears there on a specific move during your replay, then click it and you can read my comments on that move. After reading my comments, click the exclamation mark again then the comment window will go away to move forward.

Shogi Tactics #0015

Sente's turn to play This is a Yagura endgame position where Gote took the 13 pawn with Lx13 just after Sente had dropped a Pawn on 13 engaging in the edge attack(For Firefox users, please forward one move from the displayed position to have the problem. Sorry, this cannot be displayed on some smartphones). Please find an eleven-move-mate-line from here. It is very similar to the previous one, but the different points are that Sente's Rook stays on its original square and that Sente's pieces in hand is a Gold only. Here is a positional tip. It is often very effective to conduct an edge attack to the King in Yagura castle when the King cannot run to the 31 square. In this problem, the 41 Tokin controls that place, but it's not limited to a Tokin there in real games. It also happens in case of Sente's dropped Rook on the back rank, Bishop on the 31-97 diagonal, Gote's piece staying additionally on 31 and so on. The castle's guardians of three generals cannot play their defensive role well against the edge attack since their location is a bit distant from the 1st file.  You can replay the answer line by clicking the arrow directing to the right under the diagram. Also, an exclamation mark sometimes appears there on a specific move during your replay, then click it and you can read my comments on that move.