Japan Chess Championship Qualifiers (Part I)

by Mayur Gondhalekar
4/2/2021 – The months of February and March are quite busy with excitement in Japan’s chess calendar. Qualifying tournaments are held in various regional chess clubs to select candidates for the strongest event of the year, held in May — the Japan Chess Championship, a FIDE-rated event. Mayur Gondhalekar brings you all the news and updates from Japan in a two-part report. | Pictured: The playing hall at the ‘En Passant Chess Club’ in Osaka

ChessBase 18 - Mega package ChessBase 18 - Mega package

Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.

More...

Chess in Japan

The qualifying events for the Japan Chess Championship are played according to the following criteria: one player qualifies for every eight participants and the host club can nominate one additional player.

JapanCompared to last year’s disruptions due to Covid-19, this year has been kinder, with the qualifying tournament scheduled as follows:

  • Chiba Qualifying tournament (February 27, 28)
  • Aichi Qualifying tournament (February 28)
  • Osaka Qualifying tournament (March 7)
  • Tokyo Qualifying tournament (March 20, 21)
  • Hokkaido Qualifying tournament (March 27, 28)
  • Hyogo Qualifying tournament (March 28)

Part I covers the tournaments conducted in Osaka, Chiba, and Aichi (Nagoya); Part II covers the tournaments conducted in Tokyo, Hokkaido and Hyogo (Kobe).

All tournaments followed anti-Covid guidelines:

  • No participation if body temperature is above 37.5 C
  • No handshakes, avoid post game discussions
  • Disinfection of chess pieces between rounds
  • Limited number of participants
  • Disinfection of hands
  • Wearing of a mask at all times

Note: All tournaments are conducted under the jurisdiction of the National Chess Society of Japan, the country’s FIDE-affiliated organization.

Osaka qualifying tournament

This tournament took place on March 7, 2021 and was conducted by Mr. Tabe Masaharu of the “En Passant” Chess club in Osaka, right after the covid-related restrictions were lifted in Japan’s second largest city. Sixteen players participated in this tournament.

The tournament consisted of 3 rounds, with a time control of 35 minutes + 30 seconds/move, from 10:30 am to 6:00 pm.

This was my first chess event in Osaka. The organizers and the participants were very friendly. While all participants are currently living in Japan, we did have a lot of different countries of origin — South Africa, Iran, India, Philippines, Mongolia, and, of course, Japan. Furthermore, the participants spanned a wide age range, from approximately 16 to 65 years of age! It was a strong field, as the tournament saw the participation of CM Nakahara Kan, who was Japan’s Under-14 champion in 2019; Takayasu Melody, who played in the Japan women’s team in the Asian Online Nations Cup 2020; and WCM Kojima Natsumi.

Personally, I  had a disastrous performance — I was hammered in the first round, defended well but lost on time in the second, and finally won the last round. Nevertheless, the tournament was thoroughly enjoyable. I was happy to meet Mr. Diba Seyed Reza, with whom I played a lot of games last year in NCS Japan’s online blitz events.

In the last game to finish on March 7, between WCM Kojima Natsumi and Mr. Okada Mitsuhiro (organizer of the Hyogo qualifying tournament), Black missed a nice win. In the final position, we saw a fitting tribute to the “International Women’s Day”, which was celebrated the next day, as there were four queens on the board:

Japan, chess

Four queens on the board! | Photo: Mayur Gondhalekar

Before the appearance of the four queens on the board, Okada missed a win.

 

The game went on with 58...b1=Q. What was the winning continuation which Black missed in the game?

SHOW

Takayasu Melody

Playing Takayasu Melody — my first time against a ‘national representative’ in a rated game!

In round 2 I faced Takayasu Melody. I was winning for the better part of the game, but then I missed a chance to score a full point.

 

What is the best continuation after 34...Qg6? I played 35.Rxa4 and lost on time later on.

SHOW

Takayasu Nobuyuki, Tabe Masaharu, CM Nakahara Kan, Mr. Yokoo

Organizers Takayasu Nobuyuki and Tabe Masaharu with CM Nakahara Kan and Mr. Yokoo, Swiss manager operator and arbiter | Photo: Mayur Gondhaleka

En Passant Chess Club, Osaka

A commemorative photograph at the En Passant Chess Club in Osaka


Final standings                   

Rk. Name Pts.  TB1 
1 Nakahara Kan 3,0 4,5
  Tsogt Ochir 3,0 4,5
3 Onishi Kosuke 2,0 5,0
4 Takashima Bunji 2,0 4,5
5 Mizumoto Takahiro 2,0 4,0
6 Tomii Yoshikatsu 2,0 3,0
7 Akai Kiyotaka 1,5 5,5
8 Yoshida So 1,5 5,0
9 Kojima Natsumi 1,5 4,5
10 Okada Mitsuhiro 1,5 3,0
11 Takayasu Nobuyuki 1,0 7,0
12 Takayasu Melody 1,0 6,0
13 Flipi Poggenpoel 1,0 4,0
14 Gondhalekar Mayur 1,0 2,5
15 Diba Seyed Reza 0,0 4,5
  Gosar Jitesh 0,0 4,5

Full info at Chess-Results


Selected games - Osaka qualifier

 
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Be7 5.a3 Surprising. 0-0 6.e3 c5 7.cxd5 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Nxd5= 9.Qc2 black gains time Stockfish 13: 9.Bd2 Nf6 10.Bd3 Nbd7 11.0-0 Ne5 12.Be2 Bd7 13.Rc1 h6 9...a6= Stockfish 13: 9...Nxc3 10.bxc3 Nd7 11.Be2 Qc7 12.Nb5 Qe5 13.a4 Nc5 14.0-0 b6 15.Bf3 Bb7 16.Bxb7 Nxb7 17.Rd1 a6 18.Ba3 Bxa3 19.Nxa3 Rfc8 20.Rd4 Na5 21.Rad1 b5 22.axb5 axb5 23.Rb4 10.b4 Nxc3 11.Qxc3 Bf6 12.Bb2 Nc6 13.Qd2 Nxd4 14.Bxd4 Bxd4 15.exd4 b5 16.Be2 Bb7 17.0-0 Rc8= one. 18.Rac1 Qf6 19.Qe3 Rcd8 two 20.Rc7 Bd5 21.Rfc1 Ra8 22.R1c3 now black queen can access b1 square from g6 Rfe8 23.Rd7 Qg6 24.g3 Rac8= 25.Bf3-+ Rxc3 26.Qxc3 Bc4± I saw Qb1+ here, but also knew I had a human opponent Stockfish 13: 26...Qb1+-+ 27.Kg2 Bc4 28.g4 Qf1+ 29.Kg3 Qg1+ 30.Bg2 Bd5 31.f3 g5 32.Qd2 h6 33.Rc7 Bc4 34.Rc5 f6 35.Qf2 Qc1 36.h4 Qf4+ 37.Kh3 Bd5 38.Qc2 f5 39.Rc8 Bxf3 40.Rxe8+ Kf7 41.Bxf3 Qxf3+ 42.Kh2 Qf4+ 43.Kh1 Kxe8 44.hxg5 hxg5 45.Qc6+ Ke7 46.gxf5 Qxf5 47.Qxa6 Qd5+ 48.Kg1 Qxd4+ 49.Kg2-+ 27.Ra7??-+ Qb1+ 28.Kg2 Qf1# 0–1
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Gosar,J-Gondhalekar,M14940–12021D37Osaka Qualifiers 20213.8
Takayasu,M1752Tomii,Y18300–12021B13Osaka Qualifiers 20213
Kojima,N1745Okada,M1822½–½2021C55Osaka Qualifiers 20213.5
Gondhalekar,M1494Takayasu,M17620–12021B84Osaka Qualifiers 20212.7

Aichi qualifying tournament

This tournament took place on February 28, 2021 and was conducted by Mr. Horie Takahiro of the Nagoya Chess Club, in Nagoya city (Aichi Prefecture). Fourteen players participated. This is the same club where India’s GM Sriram Jha won the Nagoya Open in 2019.

The qualifying tournament consisted of four rounds, with a time control of 30 minutes + 30 seconds/move. I had participated in this tournament last year. Mr. Horie was kind enough to provide the photos of this year’s tournament, on request.

Top seed Scott Tyler won the event.

Aichi, chess

Aichi Qualifying Tournament playing area | Photo: Mr. Horie/Nagoya Chess Club

Wakamori Tsuyoshi, Scott Tyler, Jiang Likai

Wakamori Tsuyoshi, Scott Tyler and Jiang Likai | Photo: Mr. Horie/Nagoya Chess Club


Final standings                   

Rk. Name Pts.  TB1 
1 Scott Tyler 3,5 9,0
2 Jiang Likai 3,0 9,0
3 若森 毅士 2,5 10,5
4 富井 義括 2,5 10,0
5 岡部 悠真 2,5 8,5
6 神田 大吾 2,5 5,5
7 澤村 哲司 2,0 9,5
8 金原 弘道 2,0 8,5
9 藤沢 寛 2,0 8,0
10 大原 アンドレ 1,5 7,5
11 阿部 太郎 1,5 6,5
12 上原 純 1,5 6,5
13 坂本 彬紘 1,0 6,0
14 松本 賢信 0,0 7,0

Full info at Chess-Results


Chiba qualifying tournament

This tournament took place on February 27-28th, 2021 and was conducted by Mr. Ogasa of the Chiba Chess club, in Chiba city. Twenty-two players participated in this tournament. It consisted of five rounds, with a time control of 30 minutes + 30 seconds/move. The top seed was CM Averbukh Alex (2318). Kitagami Sho won the event, while Noguchi Koji and Ogawa Tomie were the runners-up.


Final standings (top 15)         

Rk. Name Pts.  TB1 
1 Kitagami Sho 4,5 0,0
2 Noguchi Koji 4,0 0,0
3 Ogawa Tomie 4,0 0,0
4 Averbukh Alex 3,5 0,0
5 Kojima Natsumi 3,5 0,0
6 Clark Domenic 3,0 0,0
7 Saito Hiromasa 3,0 0,0
8 Nodon Jeremi 3,0 0,0
9 Ishii Ichiro 3,0 0,0
10 Ushiyama Sotaro 3,0 0,0
11 Kamate Aiyu 3,0 0,0
12 Endrina Julius 2,5 0,0
13 Nagai Toshiyuki 2,5 0,0
14 Yoshida So 2,5 0,0

Full info at Chess-Results


Beyond Chess

With its amazing railway network, trains are the most convenient way to get around in Japan. Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe are all connected by one of the Shinkansen (bullet train) routes. Travelling at 275 kmph without a minute’s delay, en route we get to see beautiful views of Mount Fuji. During spring, we also get to see the beautiful cherry blossoms flowering all over Japan. Enjoy the photos.

Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji from the Shinkansen | Photo: Mayur Gondhalekar

Shinkansen, Japan

Shinkansen at Shin-Osaka station | Photo: Mayur Gondhalekar

Japan

Beautiful vista | Photo: Mayur Gondhalekar

Links


Mayur is an IT engineer and a chess enthusiast from Mumbai, working in Japan since 2013. He has played over-the-board tournaments in India, USA and Japan. Currently, he is making use of online platforms for chess improvement and learning Ayurveda. He loves salsa dancing, reading, travelling and teaching.

Discuss

Rules for reader comments

 
 

Not registered yet? Register

We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.