Chapter 6 - Akira Watanabe, Who Utilized the Window of Opportunity

第六章　機会の窓を活かした渡辺明

 

 

After the Game, at a Café at Paris

終局後、パリのカフェで ／

 

It was 6:15PM that the first Ryuoh battle in Paris has finished. Soon after seeing commentary which has continued for about an hour, I returned to common room. With checking looking at backing the staffs off, I wrote up web-based commentary named "Meijin Habu, victory by interest with great perspective" (See Ch.5), and uploaded it at 7:58PM.

 

Right next to me, Yasumitsu Sato explained the battle for accompanying reporters. He highlighted Habu's perspective at times, and he represents this shogi as "renaissance" with right-Gyoku, which was born in Paris. The common room was enveloped with the air of excitement, because of the excited battle afterglow. The word "Renaissance," which was said by Sato, made us more and more excited. We were all happy because of meeting the "artistic" battle directly.

 

At 4:17PM, I uploaded an article named Kiou Yasumitsu-Sato, who explains modern shogi publicly, and it was significant outcome for me that I could raise an issue about the essence of this shogi on real time. This is because Watanabe's statement on post-game analysis in final commentary coincides with Sato's indication some hours ago. Also, I felt fulfilled that I could convey the commentary for internet users in real time.

 

The two players changes their wearings, and went to a cafe in a two-minute walking distance from the hotel, with Yonenaga, who is both chairman and observer. French shogi federal staffs were there, and other staffs in the common were supposed to go there after they finished their own work.

 

Because knowing both fun and fear about writing web-based articles in real time, I had been nervous about the last sentence of the commentary. Shogi is an art made by two professional shogi players, and it's not adequate to write like "an art which is made only by Habu" based on common sense. But, I was sure to write my commentary like this, thinking about last Watanabe's commentary. On the other hand, I had to account for the fairness for Watanabe...

It was about eight o'clock when I reached the cafe, which was simple and is likely to Paris. The feast was in full swing. Related parties cuddled up all days in Paris like training camp, and they didn't have to reward someone for their services. So, the party was so casual, and was not like the one which was in the second battle in Toyota city. There were Yonenaga and Shogi-fans in Europe around Habu, and they played chess and got off. After having pleasant chat, I was headed to Watanabe, because I'd like to talk with him. Watanabe, who relieved his two days fatigue and kept quiet while eating, found me and said

"You came here all the way here, and I'm sorry not to let you see great shogi."

He was not at all as usual and looked depressed.

 

 

"I May Have Time to Reorganize Myself."

「立て直せる時間があるかもしれない」／

 

It was one and a half years ago since I met Watanabe. Apart from shogi, I though he looked like brightest scientists or engineers, who came to study from all around the world to the Unites States, after they graduate from college. The 1st class University in the US is the world is like this, as an example; When a top high school student in mathematics ranking in California state went to Harvard, the number-one student of India, China, and Hungary were also there, and from that day one, they start hard competitions among them.

 

What Watanabe is similar to the top young students from some countries is free and vigorous, reasonable, bullishness, hard-nosed, clever, speak fast, open-minded, and open what he thought. Instead that he was credited with special talent, he accepted strict competitive environment, and kept his effort. "The talent is the effort, at last," he said to himself, and felt self-confident. As he was strict with himself, he had a sharp tongue. He looked like them as a point of view of it.

 

Soon after Watanabe lost Habu, he looked like to be quite another man.

 

"My point of view about Shogi was revoked. The best move was the one looked most unlikely to be the best for me. I was aware of that move, but I eliminated it at the first glance. My view point of Shogi was controverted."

He burbled on.

 

Although I said to him "Everybody evaluates that the battle was very difficult in common room, and Habu said that it was very difficult in his commentary," it was meaningless for him, and he was disappointed very much.

After I saw his figure with a heavy heart, I understood that Habu cut him down roughly. It was very awesome world, I thought. In commentary, Habu evaluate that it was "very difficult shogi till final situation," and people in common room did it like a masterpiece that cannot be predicted which to win. It was only Watanabe that concluded  Habu's clear-cut victory and Watanabe's boring lose. I wondered if it was a defeat due to Watanabe's ability to foresee the moves too much?  Because Watanabe was genius, he understood that genius Habu's greatness. So, he might lose, I thought. So, I summed up that it was not bad to evaluate "an art made only by Habu."

 

After having a chat, Watanabe said, as if his worries were gone: 

"The title match would be over, if today's game appeared in the middle of the series. I have to appreciate that today's match was the first. I may have time to reorganize myself."

It meant that he would lose one or two matches due to the momentum of this defeat. But he had "time to reorganize myself", and he would not lose three matches in a row. He regarded himself much objectively. Come to think of it, this statement is very curious. Watanabe is such an interesting person, I think. Does he really have "time to reorganize myself"? Thinking about such things, I returned from Paris to Silicon Valley.

Watanabe lost his three games in a row in 3 weeks, as he predicted: the second match held in Toya lake in Hokkaido and the third match held in Hiraizumi in Iwate prefecture. Habu left only one game for "the entitlement of 1st Permanent Ryuoh."

 

 

The Celebration Speach for Oza Habu and the Length of Seventeen Years

羽生王座への祝辞、十七年という長さ／

 

Exactly one month later, the inaugural ceremony of Oza was held in the evening of Tuesday, the 18th of November, in between the third and the fourth game of Ryuoh title match. It was also honored about Habu's seventeenth continuous victory in Teikoku hotel. It was held just when I was in business trip, and I arranged my schedule for attending it. Here was my speech:

"It was September in 1992, when Habu got first Oza. He was just twenty one years old. Seventeen consecutive championships was the only record which is not recorded in any other world, they said. We have to think deeply about the meaning of this string, because modern age is condensed.

The modern shogi is the world, which moves more rapid than the one of internet. As we call the internet time "Dog year (seven times fast)," the modern shogi moves double faster, i.e. it was developed with "the modern-shogi year (fourteen times fast)." I emphasize that the seventeen consecutive championships in such world means to keep to reign more than two hundred years.

The reason why the time is condensed is to account for dramatic change as to information. Once they think or develop something, it will go out and others will brush it up. Such a process goes very rapidly in shogi world. Habu's seventeen consecutive championships differs from "accomplishment something for seventeen years."

 

And then, I explained Habu's hypothesis "There should be time from change quantity to quality," which is similar to Google's thought:

 

"I guess the greatest intelligence in Japan that can compete with those in Google, is NOT in industrial arena, but is here, Habu-san. The accumulation of shogi research is essentially equivalent to Google's kinds of challenges, and its accumulation is created by not only Habu but other professional shogi players. Things to come in shogi world would give us lots of hints about social future. One of the most important thing, which Habu represents to us, is absolutely its accumulation. Mr. Habu shows us the cutting-edge about informational society, and we have to find such things, I strongly believe."

 

The theme of the ceremony was "the length of seventeen years." When Habu got his first title, Watanabe was only eight years old. Thinking about this fact, I was astonished of the greatness of pure shogi battles.

 

The Rapid-Attack-Yagura Strategy, Chosen by a "Devil of Games"

「勝負の鬼」が選んだ急戦矢倉／

 

At that time of the inaugural ceremony of Oza, they thought that Habu should be entitled both "the first Permanent Ryuoh" and "the permanent grand slam of the seven crowns".  Also, I think as well. But, thinking about Watanabe's words "I might have time to reorganize myself" and Sato's "Watanabe is strong!" and Fukaura's "a conjecture of Watanabe's defense with four victories and three loses," anything could happen. That is because they will battle with close match, and the professional shogi players know each other's strategies.

Here is the fourth battle Kikuike city in Kumamoto prefecture. Watanabe lost the second battle, because of his negative strategy, and he won the third battle with active and valiant behaviors. "Even if there are risks, I'll not win without taking steps further. In case of doubts, I'll go actively." He thought as above. He could spark large shifts, and he won the fifth Here match in Nankishirahama, and the score was two victories and three defeats.

By the way, how was Habu's mind-set then?

When Kozo Masuda was thirty years old (in the year of 1948), which is just in the middle of Habu and Watanabe, he left an interesting statement like below:

I'd like to fight with NOT a shogi player, BUT for the board. I deem it recently. Of course, there are both fighting spirits on the board and pieces. So, it means neither getting off from players nor doing away with them. Fighting spirits on the board and pieces absolutely means overcoming not only the rival but myself. In my opinion, overcoming myself is similar to fighting with the truth.

They call us -professional shogi players- "devil of games." The professional shogi players always live in the winning-is-everything world, and we must think about only the victory. It is not true, if we don't win, at last. In case of disadvantage, we must not get off our fighting spirits. (*snip*) But, can we master shogi only with "devil of games" or reach the truth of shogi? I believe that we should be more strong, if we insist on the essence of shogi, not on "devil of games." I would like to call this thinking "devil of shogi." (Best of five match between Meijin Tsukada and 8-dan Masuda)

Some professional shogi players say "Habu recently experiments in his match when he leads the score in title matches." It means that he uses a title match to verify "hypothesis about the truth of shogi". To begin with, it was scientists that research or experiment to find the truth. Additionally, Habu said "I'd like to play shogi like art," which is beyond the match.

According to 9-dan Tanigawa Koji, professional shogi players have three aspects :a player who lives in the winning-is-everything world, researcher and artist. Putting Masuda's word, Watanabe may become "devil of match", and Habu can be "devil of shogi" (both researcher and artist) before the 4th match. As Masuda proclaimed when he was thirty years old, top professional shogi players would change from "devil of match" to "devil of shogi" as their lifecycle. Such a thinking might be one of the essence, I believe.

Next match is the 6th and it was held at South-Uonuma city in Niigata prefecture. When Watanabe select S6b-5c, I was impressed so much, because I found Rapid Attack in Yagura Opening that is a motif  in The Changing Modern Shogi (See Ch.1). According to internet broadcasting, they say "Habu has had eight consecutive victories without a loss in today's position. Watanabe should know this fact." After Habu refered to Rapid Attack in Yagura Opening like "Sente (first mover) might have advantage in Rapid Attack in Yagura Opening," this strategy have become common sense. There were few matches, where Rapid Attack in Yagura Opening were used by top professional shogi players.

 

Yes - The importance of "time to reorganize himself" means not only mental reorganization but also time to reconstruct strategies and techniques. I wanted to applaud him, because he considered about his strategies for his shogi. In fact, Watanabe have advantage in this match, and won it in shorter moves than thought.

And then, both players could get entitled "Permanent Ryuoh", if they won the last game. If Habu won it, he would be entitled "Permanent Seven Crowns", and if Watanabe won, it would be "Four consecutive victories after three consecutive defeats in a best of seven match" which would be the first time in the history of the professional shogi, What a rare game it is in a century!.

 

 

The Wide Open "Window of Opportunity" for Young Ryuoh Watanabe

若き竜王に大きく開いた「機会の窓」／

 

One of the important things on my life in Silicon valley, there are a few cases where we can open "Window of opportunity." Some people can get only one chance for it. Similar to Japanese proverb "meeting only once in a lifetime," it's important if we can exploit "Window of opportunity" or not. To be barbarous, it decides their life. Compared to Habu who won all glories, Watanabe was under heavy pressure. It was "the first match, Watanabe could get entitled a permanent title," and this was a "Window of opportunity" for him.

I was very happy to watch this defining moment with internet, although this is other's span of life.

This is the seventh match held at Tendo city in Yamagata prefecture. According to the result of Furigoma (five pawn toss), Watanabe became Gote(second mover), and he adopted Rapid Attack in Yagura Opening as he did it in the sixth match. Also, he used a new strategy for this match. It had been tention-filled for all 140 moves i.e. from AM of the first day to the last moment that he had to make a move less than 60 seconds per move in the evening of the second day. It was a fierce fight, and was precious match, which kept "beauty of equibrium" till the last situation. "Ryuoh Watanabe’s shogi has impressive performance in his closing. He has a natural feel for shogi." Said Yasumitsu Sato in his comment. After the match, he also said "It was historical shogi match. Although there were backtrackings, we could feel players' feelings. As a result of their skills, fortunate, obsession and spirits, Watanabe defended his Ryuoh title with four victories and three defeats. I cannot find any other words except Super!. I may not be able to sleep this night with excitement, although I usually do well."

Watanabe got his "Window of opportunity." He defeated Habu, and became entitled the first permanent Ryuoh

Here is a word by now-dead 9-dan Kingoro Kaneko  in his note "What is the top of shogi played by professionals?":

"I think it is human intersection in a form of matches. ... Also, it is a behavior, for which they prune their life and by which they represent themselves through shogi." (Kindai Shogi, March issue, 1964)

This 7th match was a precious match, by which both Akira Watanabe and Yoshiharu Habu represent themselves, as Kaneko said above. All the more, we were impressed so much. Even if computers get stronger, our impression, which was born from human matches, would NOT be decreased at all, I believe. This precious match made me find afresh.

 

 

Celebration Speach for Watanabe's Entitlement of the First Permanent Ryuoh

  - The First Year of Shogi Globalization

初代永世竜王への祝辞、将棋グローバル化元年／

 

It was the evening of twenty sixth January in 2009. The party was held, which was applaud for Watanabe's victory as to the entitlement of first Permanent Ryuoh in Palastine Hotel. Here is my congratulatory speech which I felt responsible to accept to give there since I had gone to Paris to report the first match and observed all of it from the beginning to the end.

"Europeans in Paris enjoyed the match very much in the middle of depression around the world. Obama became the president of US recently, and　the world reaches a turning point. When this happens, the important thing is to remember the power of soft or the power of culture, I think. Now, we have to recognize "the power of Japanese culture" like shogi again.

 

The Ryuoh title match made the precious story, where Habu won three games in a row at first and Watanabe got the remaining four matches. It made people all over the world enthusiastic. The number of internet access reached seventy six million views from all around the world which is faily big because of the attractiveness of shogi. Internet has a global character essentially, and it is good that the power of shogi as a software content is being added there, I feel sure. Also, I strongly expect that this year will be "The First Year of Shogi Globalization" when Watanabe-san got entitled Permanent Ryuoh. Watanabe wrote a great book named Duel of Brains (Zuno Shobu) one year and three months ago. I was very surprised at the content. What a capable person he is who can express himself well using such plain words!. 

What to accomplish in their early twenties represents their essence. Watanabe wanted shogi to be enjoyed more casually by people like popular sports such as baseball, soccer and so on, for instance, as if amateurs could enjoy watching ball-games by bad-mousing professional baseball players. It was a great book not only with "the power of words" but also with scoping much wider audience.

As you know, Watanabe updates his blog and, he keeps on explaining there why he think he won or lost in his last game and what he felt in the next day of the game. It's easy to say, but very difficult to do actually. Internet has a difficult aspect to be criticized easily. But, as Watanabe has a belief of "This is the role of top player in a certain area", he carries out. This has been his consistent way of thinking and behavior since he wrote the book. 

And then, I remembered that this way of thinking is similar to top researchers on science or mathematics to US from all over the world. He is twenty four years old now. If he didn't meet shogi, he would win the Olympic of mathematics and would pass Tokyo university to go to a university in US directly. That imagination could be made easily and realislic.

The senior generation of Habu and Sato seem to be successors of shogi as a traditional Japanese culture. On the other hand, Watanabe seems to have a cosmopolitan character, I think, which is suitable for getting along with the age of the globalization. Such character is good for dealing with the world. English skill has little thing to do with it. He must be the very person with such a brief and policy who will play a role of taking the leadership to spread the wonderful Soft Power of shogi abroad, I believe."

I'd like to add comments, which aren't included in congratulatory speech above. It's about Watanabe's strategic characteristic.

 

I estimated Koichi Fukaura from my experience in Silicon valley as below: "A person is silent but has an inner fortitude and also develops socializing skills. He/She has a great talent for technology in youth, and will bring out total powers." Compared to the above, Watanabe has "great talent of technology in nature and brought out social skills and total powers in his early twenties. As he can perform any kinds of the jobs, he doesn't set in a frame and will found a venture company." Such people understand his environment objectively, and make a move for it.

Now, what surrounds Watanabe is the environment: "Habu generation with lots of actual achievements and power of existence are still working and his own twenties is lapping over." In such an environment, it's not meaningless if he battles with shogi players with same generation. For the purpose of great achievement, he has to evaluate himself as "relative weaker," and has to try his luck aiming at his target. This is common way of thinking where young people have their ambitions. Watanabe is not the exceptional case for it.

Keeping on not gaining other titles and "becoming entitled the 1st permanent Ryuoh with consecutive five victories" is Watanabe's intention, I think. This way of thinking is similar to "Success of business by founding a new venture cooperation investing resources intensively in a targeting market." These examples are both very strategic. I'd like to evaluate such thinkings affirmatively and highly.

Ryuoh match permits "for young shogi players to advance the final round straight away." It come with a structural twist, and there is a big chance for young shogi players to obtain a fame of Ryuoh holder and big prize money. Watanabe had consciously aimed at this title, Ryuoh, as his target of his big business to concentrate on in his twenties since he became a professional player. Even this time, although he was put on the rope after three consecutive loss to Habu, he won his "very big matches in his life" with "preparing two novelties in Rapid Attack in Yagura Opening, which can be rarely seen recently,  in the 6th and 7th games." At last, he managed to open "Window of opportunity" to make a big leap. It was overbrilliant!

 

 

Wills to Make Progress, No Matter How Small It is

少しでも進歩しようとすること

 

Two days after the inaugural ceremony of Ryuoh, I dined with Watanabe in Tokyo, in order to keep the promise we made upon parting in Paris "to drink together after the Ryuoh title match." We talked about the Global economic crisis, which we would remember in the future along with the Ryuoh title match, but shortly after, I shifted the topic to what I had been desperate to ask him—whether or not he had read Changing Modern Shogi, which Habu had started when Watanabe was thirteen years old.

 

  "Although I do not remember what was written there but I surely remember reading it." "Many were describing the series as very difficult also at the time, and whilst I could have understood the moves written there, but I must have been unable to see his background ideologies," so he answered. He continued, "it should be interestingly read now, and as I had prepared a new move of Rapid attack in Yagura Opening for the most crucial situation in the Ryuoh title match, ‘what to do about Yagura Opening on Gote's side’ is my main theme of study, so I would like to read it in the near future."

 

I asked him to give me his thoughts if there was any he found interesting.

 

On February 23, around a month after this conversation, he sent me an email with his thoughts on the series attached to it.

 

In the email, he described Habu’s Changing Modern Shogi as follows,

 

Reading this series requires a fairly high level. It started in 1997, so I was 12 or 13 years old, being in sho-dan level of a Shoreikai (Apprentice Professionals' Association). Had I read it at the time, I would not have been able to understand it. The fact Habu-san continued this for forty-one series even under the assumption that few could understand it gives me the idea that Habu-san thought "I want to write them down here," and "only I can do this."

 

The most impressive thing about this series is that he did not cut corners even on the middle and final stages. Most standard sequence textbooks make soft variations which are easy to explain and tend to reach conclusions where is the most convenient. The middle and final stages are riddled with too many choices and possibilities to seriously ponder over, so few want to get out of the comfortable zone and do it. It is of course to make it easier for the readers to understand, but also for the author to easily finish it (laughs). There is anything but that kind of slackness in this book.It would have taken tremendous amount of time to write just one series, I suppose. I can hardly believe that he was writing this in the midst of all those title matches.

 

And he remarked regarding today's significance of Changing Modern World.

 

After the Ryuoh title match, I have been pondering over if it would be impossible for Gote to adopt Rapid Attack of Yagura opening to attack first. In the series of Changing Modern Shogi, Rapid attack in Yagura opening is rich in variations which are Sente's favour on the whole, (It's natural since every Gote player adopt it if it's Gote's favour). I felt it would be very unlikely that Rapid Attack in Yagura Opening could become a mainstream strategy.

My feeling in the first place is that the position at the twenty fourth move of new Yagura Opening is Sente's favour ultimately since Gote already advanced his Rook pawn in spite of the second mover while Sente reserves advancing Rook pawn which gives Sente wider options and it make Sente possible to make a good formation of S-4f and N-3g. Then, thinking about where Gote made mistake, I have a feeling that it may go back to how to punish the fifth move of blocking the Bihsop's diagonal line with S-7g or P-6f which seems somewhat unreasonable though it's much earlier. Though it seemed natural to adopt Rapid Attack in Yagura Opening when I thought about the way of utilizing the merit that only Gote's bishop's diagonal line was not blocked, I'm not sure it really worked.   At the 5th move, Gote's merit is the following two; (1) The Bishop's diagonal line is not blocked (2) The placement of Gold and Silver is not yet fixed. And the Sente's demerit is like these; (3) The Bishop's diagonal line is blocked. (4) S-6h indicates to adopt Yagura already. I haven't come up with a concrete idea about how Gote compete combining these four conditions(laugh). I feel it's likely to repeat and repeat trial and error of new moves.

 

I see. The propositions Habu has made in Changing Modern Shogi regarding Yagura opening is still towering before professional shogi players as one of the most important questions to be answered, and the main theme Watanabe himself is "pondering over."

 

At the end of the email, 

Regarding "the fruit of effort made by every shogi player" in the preface of the series (his wish that

it is professional shogi players' responsibility to always try to progress no matter how small a step might be. Refer to the first chapter), I thought not so many professional shogi players have enthusiasm to that degree (laughs).

He, very much like himself, remarked this very severe criticism. Because of his own strong resolution for shogi, he is very strict on others and himself, which vividly manifests itself in this message. The very person, who is in the unlimited competition of devotion to infinite vastness, surely utters intensive words. "Not so many professional shogi players" have enthusiasm for shogi to that degree. Watanabe’s determination, which is vividly observable in his email, made me sure that the future will surely come when "we will be able to watch many great battles between Habu and Watanabe."