The 'King of Wisdom' (Ken-Oh) championship was formally announced as an addition to the Seven Major Shogi Titles, thereby increasing the total number to eight. It appears the announcement was delayed until the very last moment due to the prolonged consultation period. For decades, the system had remained fixed at only seven titles.
We are now at the pre-opening ceremony for the 'King of Wisdom' tournament. The championship will follow the usual challenge format: the titleholder defends against a challenger. I am the titleholder, and the challenger is the Federation President, Geikō (Moonlight).
... I thought I had grown accustomed to the atmosphere before a title match, but I am extremely nervous. Honestly, why would an A-class player exert this much effort in the 'King of Wisdom' tournament? Before the game, President Geikō did not offer phrases like, "Do your best," or "Show me your seriousness." He simply said, "I hope you enjoy the shogi."
(No, it's very enjoyable, isn't it? Being intoxicated by the overwhelming power and victory is the pinnacle of pleasure, correct?) (Ōki)
(Please stop talking like you're the final boss in a video game. ... In this first round, you are going to play seriously yourself, right?) (Ai)
(That's right. Tinei inspired me, and I feel like playing a little more seriously.) (Ōki)
(I will permit it... But the moment you attempt to play a bad move, I will stop you immediately.) (Ai)
After seeing Tinei free herself from the constraints of experience, I felt a desire to play on my own. I managed to convince Ai to let me play freely in the first round until I reached the point of no return. I had previously held my own against the Meijin (Grand Master) and reached a good position without using up much time. Today, right here, I wanted to truly repay my master.
Nonetheless, I played the opening quickly out of habit and because it was within the scope of my preliminary studies. President Geikō, as the second player (Gote), opted for the Bishop Exchange, losing a move strategy, while I, as the first player (Sente), adopted the Right-Sided King formation. Now came the moment for the first true deliberation.
「... Fufu, it has been a long time. I haven't seen you nod your head while reading the board in ages.」 (President Geikō)
「Do I nod my head a lot? Besides, you are visually impaired, so how...」 (Ōki)
「I know. I sensed the movement of your head as you thought, through my other senses.」 (President Geikō)
President Geikō initiated conversation while I was deep in thought and using up my clock time. This is a title match, my master! Furthermore, I never lost the enjoyment of shogi simply because I entrusted it to Ai. Shogi is most enjoyable when you win.
(Then why don't you leave it to me? Don't you already have the answer?) (Ai)
(Silence. You are distracting me. I am now torn between attacking and being cautious. ... Alright, I'll go for it!) (Ōki)
The King was at 4-2, and the opponent's King was at 4-8. We both adopted the Static Rook (Ibisha) setup, with the Kings on the same file. Then, President Geikō advanced his Perched Silver General (Koshikake-gin) to 5-4. We reached the point of divergence at the 33rd move. I moved my Rook to the 3rd file. President Geikō's defenses were still fragile; he needed two moves to fully castle his King. If I were going to attack, the time was now.
(According to the shogi software evaluation, your position leans toward the negative, Master, but it is not bad. Is this due to Tinei's influence?) (Ai)
(... Well, a master is often influenced by his pupil. By the way, how bad is the position?) (Ōki)
(Will you allow me to offer advice? What I said earlier is true; the situation is not bad. We are still in the opening.) (Ai)
President Geikō initiated the attack with the Pawn 6-5, and I responded by pushing the Pawn 7-5, beginning the real fight for the center. After President Geikō captured the Pawn, I spent a move castling my King to 3-9.
Ultimately, this move was the decisive factor. In the center battle, where we both held a Bishop in hand, President Geikō dropped his Bishop and promoted it to a Horse. I did the same, created a Horse, and started to harass his Rook with Pawns. He retaliated in kind, harassing my Rook, which was forced to retreat, and we ended up exchanging ineffective Rooks.
At the moment of the Rook exchange, my King needed one more move to complete castling, while President Geikō's King needed two. Consequently, immediately after the Rook exchange, President Geikō was forced to spend a move defending with his King at 3-1. Thanks to this, I was the one who was able to drop a Rook into the opponent's camp first.
The game progressed smoothly, and just as I had President Geikō severely cornered, he performed a check (threat to the King) using his Horse. In this situation, I can simply escape with the King, right?
Just as I was about to move the King aside, Ai intervened and stopped me: "Wait!"
(You have been fighting equally, and even superiorly, until now, so why commit such a blunder at the last moment? If you play that move, you will lose. Do you want me to list the sequence of defeat for you?) (Ai)
(So, the correct solution is to block by placing the Gold General at 7-7? ... In the end, I couldn't reach President Geikō's level on my own, huh.) (Ōki)
(You used up too much time before reaching the endgame. ... You tried to read deeply and abandoned winning through experience alone. You must be exhausted because you haven't read the board with this much concentration and time in a long time. Rest now.) (Ai)
My clock time was about to run out, and since Ai stopped me and told me the sequence of defeat, I considered myself defeated by President Geikō. After sudden fatigue swept over me, I yielded control to Ai and played until the end according to his instructions. Damn it, I didn't reach him.
After the match, we conducted a Post-Mortem Analysis (Kansōsen), and neither President Geikō nor anyone else mentioned the 'Gold General 7-7' move. It was a very natural move, so why did I think of escaping and saving my pieces at that moment? During the review, I listened to every detail of the sequence of defeat and the variations from Ai, and it really did seem like a simple oversight on my part.
Nevertheless, this was my current limit. From the second round onwards, I will entrust the task to Ai again. It seems it was too early for a genuine repayment. Even though the world will view today's game as just another one of those repeated repayments.
(If you had escaped with the King to 9-8, President Geikō would not have spared you.) (Ōki)
(President Geikō had more time remaining in today's match. His strength in the final stages is considered elite even among professionals. Of course, he would not have let you get away.) (Ai)
(The program's evaluation value is... Oh my God! It was
+441
before the move, and if the King had escaped, it would have become
−1674
?!) (Ōki)
(But you can be proud that you turned a negative opening position into a superiority in the middlegame, can't you? No matter what is said, that blunder at the end is inexcusable.) (Ai)
For me, it was a completely different match than usual, but to the outside world, it looked like a rare match where I used my time and won as usual, so nothing seemed abnormal. ... No, wait, the forums are saying, "Robot Ōki is glitching against his master." The audience has become accustomed to my very fast play. This is inevitable, but shogi is originally a time-consuming game, you know?
After the match, I felt that President Geikō's demeanor had softened a little. Well, even after the 'Gold General 7-7' move, the subsequent moves were ones I could play, so the issue truly came down to that single move. I feel there is a colossal wall there, but Ai bombarded and destroyed that wall this time.
In any case, competing in title matches against both President Geikō and the Meijin simultaneously is very demanding for any ordinary professional player. Thanks to Ai, I am winning everything so far. ... If I win both championships, I will invite Tinei and Akira for some grilled meat (Yakiniku).
_____________
Read 16 chapters ahead on my p.a.t.r.e.o.n : Raven737