"The Attack Rolls in Like a Sudden Tide"(Gosttone - Tuelyp; TTM10, 81dojo, 2024)
Though I elected not to play in this season (season 10) of the TT-Series, I did so with an interesting intent. In fact, I wanted to focus on writing about the games and making a column on them. This is the first game I chose. It's from the first round of the tournament in the Masters' section (just below the top section) "TTM".
The players are both individuals who I've known for quite some time. Gosttone (2-Dan), Sente in this game, plays the second board on Guatemala's World Shogi League team.
Tuelyp (1-Dan) is also a very strong player, especially as of the past few weeks, and is a Twitch streamer. I think she should be promoted to 2-Dan in the coming days.
Gote is somewhat faster to castle, almost finished with Half-Mino or else with some kind of 3-Move Castle. Sente's shape is very balanced and could become many different things.
Gote has many options to continue from this position. Most natural may be to continue castling.
3
After 22. P-44
Instead... 22. P-44!? is chosen. This move is obviously quite serious. It prevents any future advance of Sente's right knight. This structure also could lead to Gote transitioning into some kind of Fourth File Rook with ideas of fighting for the 45-square in the future.
Another option may have been 22. K-82 since immediate 23. N-45? simply results in the knight being trapped. But, there is also no rush to castle here. Simply, Sente has not yet castled either and hasn't yet prepared a serious attack to be spoken of. There could be a question of K-82 being less committal than P-44. After K-82, Anaguma can become a consideration (especially with options of R-62 followed by P-64 and P-65.) Both options are quite good, and one is not seriously worse than the other.
4
After 29. K-84
This position was eventually reached after 22. P-44 23. G-38 24. K-82 25. R-29 26. S-72 27. P-96 28. P-94 29. K-48
And, finally, Sente has revealed what he intends to do. In fact, I expect it was anticipated in the preparation of both players. Right-Side Castling is one of the major options against Central Rook, and the shape has been indicative of it for several moves.
As both sides complete their castles and reach a middlegame, the question becomes what the plan will be for each player. What surprised me while looking at the record of this game was how the time usage in what should have been a critical position was almost non-existent. They were using less than 20 seconds per move. Maybe my own spirit possessed them.
Indeed, the question in this position becomes, what was wrong with R-41? It is a natural enough-looking move, placing the rook on a much better file. In the future, there will be ideas of P-44 that aim to attack the head of the king.
A first conclusion: R-41 is a move that should be considered. However, the move order is dubious. How should Sente find a slight advantage in this position?
6
35. B-97!
7
If 34. P-64!If 36. P-95?
Instead of the natural-seeming 34. R-41?!, Gote should have elected for a more precise move.
This allows the castle to be further improved, limits Sente from using the 65-square, and blocks the most natural diagonal for Sente's bishop.
It looks like Gote could have fought against the edge bishop, but this move fails in every possible way. Simply, 37. xP 38. xL 39. B-86 40. Lx99 41. xR leaves Sente with a dominating position.
40. P*98 is equally terrible, but the entire line will be left as an exercise for the reader and a trivial one at that.
8
After 36. B-51!
Instead, Tuelyp chose a move that does not forcibly lose. B-51 is not the move suggested by my engine of choice (preferring an unimpressive 36. P-14!?), but after my own deliberation, I feel like it is the best try in the position.
Gote prepares a direct plan for N-33 and P-44 that will create a double-edged fight. However, in such a sharp position, her further king will prosper, given that Sente's attack will strike from a heavily defended side.
Sente should play 37. P-56! in this position, aiming to exchange a pair of silvers after 38. xP 39. xS(67) 40. P*55 41. S-65!
Instead, Sente chose an attractive but unpromising P-65?!
9
If 37. P-56! (After 41. S-65!)After 37. P-65?!
Here, the position would have become very uncomfortable for Gote. Trading the silvers would solidify an already apparent initiative for Sente, and retreating the silver comes with some huge concessions. Strategically, Sente is dominant here.
Instead, this position was chosen in the game after roughly a minute of consideration.
Here, the pawn does look to strike at the 64-square with the bishop's help, but such an attack is not immediately crushing. In the meantime, Gote will prepare a powerful counterattack while the pawn blocks Sente's knight.
10
After 37. P-65?!
What should Gote play in this position?
11
After 38. N-33!
In fact, I already spoiled what Gote's plan in the position is. This looks risky as it allows Sente to attack with P-84, but Sente's coordination is temporarily disabled by the awkward pawn on 64. In the time Sente takes to establish a severe attack, his king will come under attack by the harmony of the white pieces aiming at the critical 45-square.
So, if a sudden, double-edged fight will be favorable for Gote, should Sente start the battle on the 84-square at all?
No! P-84? played in the game, is a mistake. We cannot leave port while a tsunami slams into the harbour.
12
After 39. P-84?
After 40. xP
13
After 41. xR
What should Gote play in this position?
14
After 42. P-45!
I admit that I was intentionally misleading by using the previous position as the cover image just under a title about the attack. Of course, at first glance, it absolutely looks like I was talking about Sente's "strong" breakthrough with the rook that cannot be assertively countered. The rook will be promoted, and Gote will knowingly do nothing about it. There is something more important in the position.
42. P-45 43. xP 44. xN 45.R-22+ 46. Nx37+ 47. xG
15
After 47. xG
What should Gote play in this position?
16
After 48. P*46!
A direct but ultimately simple move. Gote attacks the king at the head.
49. xS 50. P*45? (Better was 50. B-15!?)
17
After 50. P*45
P*45 is surprisingly an error. In fact, it allows a sudden attempt for Sente to create counterplay with 51. N*53! intending to meet 52. xG with 53. xB! as 54. P-46 is now not strong enough against the sudden 55. G*52! (when 56. S*47? simply allows the king to walk away toward the left side.)
But, Sente chose a (surprisingly) weaker 51. P*42? Of course, dropping a pawn here is extremely natural. It blocks the attacking rook and Gote's strong bishop, and it is on a key square supported by both of Sente's major pieces.
But, therein lies the problem. Sente's return on investment for allowing such a strong attack from Gote was to promote the rook. If the dragon is now traded off, Gote has accomplished all this for a shockingly low price.
Sente finally accomplishes replacing his dragon with a rook while providing sabaki for all of Gote's pieces.
Technically, 58. G-52(42) isn't even the most clinical move for Gote to continue with. Winning slightly faster was to just capture the silver and begin to boil Sente's king alive.
But, with such a clear advantage, Gote reasonably chose to slow down. Sente's silver is trapped anyway, and Sente's king is lined up behind it.
After a back-and-forth middlegame decided by only slight inaccuracies, Tuelyp took the win in the first round. It was a great battle from start to finish.
The key moments involved choosing the right plan, and how best to sabaki the pieces. Usually, games will be decided by making better choices in the most difficult, key moments.
I am excited to watch the rest of the event, and I hope to write about at least one game from each round.
Though I elected not to play in this season (season 10) of the TT-Series, I did so with an interesting intent. In fact, I wanted to focus on writing about the games and making a column on them. This is the first game I chose. It's from the first round of the tournament in the Masters' section (just below the top section) "TTM".
The players are both individuals who I've known for quite some time. Gosttone (2-Dan), Sente in this game, plays the second board on Guatemala's World Shogi League team.
Tuelyp (1-Dan) is also a very strong player, especially as of the past few weeks, and is a Twitch streamer. I think she should be promoted to 2-Dan in the coming days.