The final match of the main tournament in the "MyNavi" Women's Open took place, pitting Ten'ai directly against Ai (the disciple). Since the beginning of this tournament, Ai had adopted a "counter-attacking Shogi" style, and she had remained undefeated since mastering it. Just as Ai predicted, her level surpassed the abiliti of ordinary female professionals, who posed no threat to her. It is likely that she possesses enough strength to enter the Shoreikai (apprentice league). In fact, I believe she could successfully pass through the Shoreikai while still in junior high school.
I wonder, will Ai follow Ten'ai and join the Shoreikai after this match? The counter-attacking style becomes lethal if the opponent falls for the trick, and for Ai, who lacked deep knowledge of opening phases, this style was a revelation and a godsend. However, I don't think this style will work on Ten'ai or succeed against her.
...Moreover, before the match began, Ten'ai was showing off the necklace I gave her to Ai, as if displaying her spoils of war. Granted, she chose her words carefully, saying it was a "commemoration of the first anniversary of apprenticeship," but please stop that; it negatively affects my mental stability as well. It seems giving a White Day gift wasn't a wise idea.
『I thought you gave it to her intentionally and with full awareness, didn't you? Sora Ginko achieved eight consecutive wins in the Sandan League after her relationship with Kuzuryu developed, so I assumed you were consciously trying to steer things in that direction...』 (Ai)
(Please stop. I swear I chose it based on price alone, and I was never aware of how society might view it. Besides, you usually read my thoughts, so why didn't you read them in that specific moment?) (Ōki)
『Haven't I told you repeatedly that I can't read everything all the time? Put yourself in my shoes and imagine having to listen to what the Master is thinking twenty-four hours a day.』 (Ai)
After Ai successfully dealt me a severe psychological blow before the match, the "piece toss" (Furigoma) was conducted to determine the starter, and Ten'ai got the first move (Sente). Now, will Ten'ai choose a rapid attack, or will she resort to a war of attrition and endurance? It all depends on her choice.
But good heavens, the crowd of journalists is enormous. Regardless of the winner, the youngest challenger for the Queen title in history will be decided today. Since it is a confrontation between Kuzuryu's disciple and Ōki's disciple, the interest of Shogi fans in this match rivals the current attention on the ongoing Osho (King of Generals) tournament. Oh, by the way, it seems Osho Namikata will successfully defend his title safely. After one draw (a rematch due to impasse), the current score stands at 3 wins, 2 losses, and 1 draw. Given that his position was already winning at the moment of the "sealed move" yesterday, the probability of him retaining the title is high.
Kuzuryu couldn't attend because the match coincided with one of his official games. If he had checked the schedule beforehand, he would have realized that today was the date of the final. But it is a match in the Tei-Ei (Throne) league, and since he has won all his matches in this league so far, he cannot be absent.
The match is being broadcast live online, so I will watch it from a nearby cafe. Since becoming the holder of three crowns and topping the list in terms of title count, I can no longer simply go to Shogi halls to watch; they would almost certainly ask me to do commentary and analysis the moment they saw me.
In the Ki-Ou (Wise King) tournament, I have achieved three consecutive victories so far, so defending the title is imminent. ...Perhaps the reason I don't want to go easy in title matches is that I desire to achieve a "clean sweep" (San-ban te-naori - winning in straight sets, which shifts the power balance). Although this proposal is still overwhelmingly rejected, the Meijin supports it, and the more title matches end in clean, total victories, the more those involved in Shogi desire to implement this system.
Ai and Ten'ai's match began with cautious moves from the opening. Ten'ai did not choose a rapid attack or surprise strategies, and likewise, Ai abandoned her usual low defensive posture where she concedes spatial control. It seems both of them read that the opponent had studied their style well, so they decided to switch to a different way of playing.
Since both adopted the "Static Rook" (Ibishia) style, the match turned into a typical battle between two Yagura castles. When Ai jumped her Bishop to square 6-4, Ten'ai responded by jumping her Bishop to square 4-6. By the 40th move, pushing the pawn to 9-4, the situation became a "complete symmetry" between the two sides (identical formation for Black and White).
『It seems Ai (the disciple) possesses a decent amount of knowledge about the Yagura castle.』 (Ai)
(The question now is how much of an advantage Ten'ai will tear away to seize the lead in the middle game that starts from here.) (Ōki)
『In Yagura, the winning percentage for the second mover (Gote) is also high. As for Ai, it seems she has successfully avoided her weakness of ignorance regarding opening theories this way.』 (Ai)
At move 41, Ten'ai moved her Bishop to 6-4 to initiate a Bishop exchange. Ai responded by taking the Bishop with the Silver, granting her a time gain (an extra move). Thus, the initiative advantage shifted to Ai. In return, Ten'ai moved her Silver to 2-4, breaking the state of symmetry between the two sides.
Ai took the initiative by dropping a Bishop into Ten'ai's camp at square 6-9, but Ten'ai ignored it and started a side attack (on the edge) by pushing the pawn to 1-5. ...Has the middle game phase begun evenly?
『No, the scales tip slightly in Ten'ai's favor. Ai consumed far too much time dealing with Ten'ai's Lance on 8-3, and Ten'ai is superior in remaining time as well. ...Will Ai take the Lance on 8-3?』 (Ai)
(I know that not taking it is the theoretically superior choice, but isn't taking it the only available option? If she doesn't take it, she might move the Rook to 4-2.) (Ōki)
『Correct answer, Master.』 (Ai)
Ai took the Lance placed by Ten'ai using the Rook, accepting exposure to a Bishop fork (double attack) targeting her Rook and Gold piece. In this exchange, it seems Ten'ai is the superior one. Ten'ai promoted the Bishop to a "Horse" (promoted Bishop) after taking the Gold on 4-3, but the program's evaluation indicator points to -1. Wait? Is the program broken?
『The program's evaluation criteria differ from human criteria.』 (Ai)
(At first glance, it seems Ten'ai is superior, but computationally it isn't so? I believe the difference between a shattered castle and a Yagura castle remaining solid and intact is considered a very large difference.) (Ōki)
Ten'ai slammed her dysfunctional Rook into Ai's Horse, forcing an exchange of the Rook and Bishop as well. With this, the position clearly turned in her favor, and the evaluation rose to 300 points. The moment Ai dropped a Rook inside Ten'ai's camp, Ten'ai's evaluation indicator jumped insanely. No matter how you look at it, that was a bad move.
『A slack move at this timing is painful. Even if we look at it with good intentions, it is merely an ordinary move with no benefit.』 (Ai)
(The middle game struggle has been decided in Ten'ai's favor safely then.) (Ōki)
『...Ten'ai also committed some bad moves, so she will need a review and scolding session later.』 (Ai)
(You're right. But the forums are buzzing with loud celebrations, describing the match as a heated battle rarely seen even in professional title matches.) (Ōki)
"Yagura" is often described as the "pure literature" (classic purity) of Shogi, but I believe this phrase doesn't carry a deep meaning in itself; rather, it is a convenient phrase open to multiple interpretations. As someone who views "pure literature" as inherently similar in essence, I would interpret this analogy to mean that Yagura causes the game board to reach similar positions regardless of who plays it, and that is why it was likened to pure literature.
Ai continued her stubborn attack on the head of Ten'ai's King, using the Lance from 8-6, then promoting it on 8-7, and returning the Lance again to 8-6. However, Ten'ai skillfully evaded by moving the King to 9-8, making Ai's situation extremely difficult. ...I am a failure at making evasion and escape decisions, but Ten'ai is skilled at them. Afterward, Ten'ai reinforced her pieces with the Rook and Lance, and took the Knight by promoting the pawn on 1-3. When the King took the pawn, Ten'ai dropped the Rook on 1-1. Here, Ai realized that Ten'ai would not miss the chance to win, so she declared her resignation.
If we look only at the final scene of the confrontation between Ten'ai and Ai, we see a huge difference; the original structure of Ten'ai's Yagura castle still stands, while Ai doesn't have even a fragment of her castle left. It is true that flames were burning at the head of Ten'ai's King, but her formation was still capable of holding out and resisting significantly.
With this, Ten'ai seized the right to challenge the Queen, and she will fight a five-game match against Sora-san. Sora-san, who remains undefeated so far—I believe Ten'ai is capable of inflicting the first defeat on her, and I want her to seize the Queen title. ...The only thing I must do is warn her about wearing a Kimono. I must not allow a repeat of the scenario where a loss occurs due to a rules violation (such as sleeves touching the pieces) as happened in the original story, and I will speak with the Chairman to take Ten'ai's short stature into account when preparing the venue.