The third game of the 65th Oi match between the reigning champion Sota Fujii (22) = Ryuo, Meijin, Oza, Kibo, Osho, Kishin = and ninth dan Akira Watanabe (40) took place on July 31 at the Suisen-en in Tokushima City, where it was continued until 7:14 PM. Fujii, playing as the first player, won after 111 moves, bringing his record in the series to 2 wins and 1 loss.
Fujii Sota, after winning the third Oi game, reflects on the match during the commentary in Tokushima City
Each player had 8 hours of thinking time, with Fujii having 2 minutes remaining and Watanabe 1 minute. The fourth game is scheduled to take place on the 19th and 20th of this month at Yoyokaku in Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture.
◆ The first corner exchange of this series
The match marked the first corner exchange of the series, initiated by Watanabe on the morning of the first day. On the second day, after Watanabe’s sealed move of 66, the game escalated into intense exchanges of bishops and rooks.
In the endgame, as Fujii advanced with 21 rook (63rd move) targeting Watanabe’s king, Watanabe retaliated with 69 rook (68th move) and an aggressive sacrifice of his rook with 67 bishop (70th move), closing in on Fujii’s king. In the final moves, Watanabe pressured Fujii’s king with 49 rook (88th move), but Fujii responded defensively with 48 knight (95th move), showing remarkable resilience and ultimately delivering a checkmate on Watanabe’s king with a sequence of long moves.
The witness, Kenji Kobayashi, ninth dan (67), summarized, “Watanabe managed the situation well, and although Fujii was in a challenging position, his endgame skills ultimately led to a reversal.”
◆ “It became more difficult than I expected” and “I didn’t know how it would end”
Comments from Sota Fujii – “When I faced 75 pawn (30th move) on the first day, it led to a situation more difficult than I had anticipated. I didn’t have confidence about the sealed move (44th move). The 94 bishop (56th move) was a crucial one, which put me in a difficult position. I didn’t know how it was going to end.”
Comments from Akira Watanabe – “The 75 pawn (30th move) was part of my plan. My intention was to exchange rooks with 24 rook (58th move), but then I was met with 21 rook (63rd move). I didn’t have a solid plan with the 69 rook (68th move). There may have been something in the endgame, but I couldn’t see it.”
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