Fourth shogi evening

The fourth Cambridge shogi evening was tough going. I only played two games, both incredibly tense, hard-fought and exhausting. On the plus side I won them both, though we shall have to fit in a fifth if I am to defeat my arch-rival, Mano-san…

J vs. Tanaka-san
1. P76 P34
2. P75 P44
3. P36 S32
4. P74 Px74
5. B55 R92 (this is a terrible square for the rook, White should have seen my cheap opening trap)
6. R38 S43
7. Rx36 P54
8. B28 S72
9. G78 P’73
10. R76 G62
11. N77 P14
12. P’74 Px74
13. N65 P75
14. Rx75

The next bit is not wholly plausible, but I reconstructed this game from memory the following morning and couldn’t remember exactly how White had lost his pawn in hand that meant he had to drop a knight on move 25. So, for the sake of getting to the nice attack, the next couple of moves will have to be a bit spurious

14. … P’74
15. Rx74 B31
16. G58

From here on it is correct.

16. … B64
17. Bx64 Px64
18. Rx64 B’55 (looks very pretty but there were more solid moves)
19. R74 Bx11+
20. B’71 L’73 (looks very solid, but now the incredible sacrifices begin)
21. Bx62+ Kx62
22. G’53 K71
23. Nx73+ Sx73
24. Rx73+ +Bx73
25. L’76 N’74
26. S’63 G52
27. Gx52 Sx52
28. Sx74 +Bx74
29. Lx74 K61 (White still has no pawn in hand, which leaves him pretty defenceless)
30. B’42 G’51 (preventing mate at the cost of returning the sacrificed material)
31. G’72 Rx72
32. Lx72+ Kx72

33. Bx51+ and as White's next move was weak and permitted 34. R'62, mate followed even more quickly than it should have.