Japan Chess Championship Qualifiers (Part I)

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.

Compared 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:

Four queens on the board! | Photo: Mayur Gondhalekar

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

Chess Endgames 14 - The golden guidelines of endgame play

Rules of thumb are the key to everything when you are having to set the correct course in a complex endgame. In this final DVD of his series on the endgame, our endgame specialist introduces you to the most important of these rules of thumb.

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

58...Qb7+ 59.Kf2 Qa7+ 60.Kf3 Qa8+ 61.Kf4 b1Q and Black wins.

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.

Fundamentals of Chess Tactics

What’s the easiest way to win a chess game? We all know finding a good tactic in a game can let you win a point immediately. Therefore, Fundamentals of Tactics is an excellent choice for you if you wish to learn how to start finding tactics in your games!

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

35.f5 removing the defender 36.Qh6 Rxb1 and White wins.

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

A commemorative photograph at the En Passant Chess Club in Osaka

Final standings                   

Full info at Chess-Results

Selected games - Osaka qualifier

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.

Master Class Vol.1: Bobby Fischer

No other World Champion was more infamous both inside and outside the chess world than Bobby Fischer. On this DVD, a team of experts shows you the winning techniques and strategies employed by the 11th World Champion.

Grandmaster Dorian Rogozenco delves into Fischer’s openings, and retraces the development of his repertoire. What variations did Fischer play, and what sources did he use to arm himself against the best Soviet players? Mihail Marin explains Fischer’s particular style and his special strategic talent in annotated games against Spassky, Taimanov and other greats. Karsten Müller is not just a leading international endgame expert, but also a true Fischer connoisseur.

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

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

Final standings                   

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)         

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 from the Shinkansen | Photo: Mayur Gondhalekar

Shinkansen at Shin-Osaka station | Photo: Mayur Gondhalekar

Beautiful vista | Photo: Mayur Gondhalekar

Links

• Article at ChessBase India
• National Chess Society of Japan
• Yumiko Hiebert: “For Japanese people, it’s hard to get into chess”