The Dragon King informed me that he and Ai (his disciple) are working part-time at the "Good Mood" bathhouse and receiving lessons on the Ranging Rook style from Iyo-shi Gyokushō. (Excuse me, I already know that), but I decided to feign surprise anyway.
(Kufufu, the Dragon King is actually being exploited as a part-time worker.) (Ai)
(In my case, I also helped out a little when I was staying there. And Tenai also worked part-time at the bathhouse reception.)
「Developing a strategy to counter the Dropped Lance (Handicap), does this mean she will join the Apprentice Guild?」 (Kuzuryū)
「I will have her take the exam this summer, either for the 1st Kyū or 2nd Kyū rank.」 (Ōki)
「1st Kyū!? That's a bit reckless... but, no, not really.」 (Kuzuryū)
「Exactly. It is not reckless. Furthermore, Tenai is also aiming to seize the Queen title.」 (Ōki)
I tried to tell the Dragon King that Tenai was going to seize the title from Sora-san, but his reaction was tepid. Why is this man confused about whom to cheer for? Is it not natural for him to support Sora-san without hesitation? Ah, I see. He believes that Tenai will not be able to defeat his elder training sister.
When we arrived at the "Good Mood" bathhouse, both Tenai, Kuzuryū, and Ai were refused training. Hmm? Is today the day of the research session (Kenkyūkai) with Sora-san? I wonder if I should let Tenai meet Sora-san here, but oh well, let things happen naturally.
I know the members of the Girls' Shogi Study Group (JS-ken) will arrive later, so I decided that we should go in for now and watch a match between Ai and Tenai. About three months have passed since their first match. It will be a good measure for the future to see how strong Ai has become, as well as how strong Tenai is.
「Ai-chan will also participate in the Mynavi Women's Open, right? How far do you think she will get?」 (Ōki)
「That depends on the draw. If Tenai specifically ends up in the same group, it might be difficult for Ai to get past the challenge round.」 (Kuzuryū)
「Hmm. ... Wait, how much did you hear about it from Iyo-shi Gyokushō?」 (Ōki)
「I heard that in a Dropped Bishop match, Tenai defeated Iyo-shi Gyokushō. Furthermore, I received the match records in which you won as the 2nd Player (Gote-ban) using the Central Rook (Nakabisha) opening.」 (Kuzuryū)
「... Damn it. Why would he give them away so easily?」 (Ōki)
「We will face each other in the second round of the upcoming Gyokushō Cup subsidiary qualifiers, right? Perhaps he had some intention, such as wanting me to defeat Ōki.」 (Kuzuryū)
It appears that Kuzuryū heard many details from Iyo-shi Gyokushō, and he was also handed the match records of my victories against AI programs. However, the number was exactly 100 records. (I believe he deliberately concealed the 50 carefully selected records.) I suppose I won randomly and mixedly in about half of those matches, but it seems he showed them to him.
I do not care that Iyo-shi Gyokushō showed the match records to Kuzuryū on his own, nor do I intend to deliberately mention his concealment of the 50 records. Those records now belong to Iyo-shi Gyokushō, and he has complete freedom to handle them however he wishes.
Kuzuryū and I rarely hold study sessions (Kenkyūkai) because we are professionals belonging to the same Kansai region, which means we meet often in tournaments. However, I did not expect to face Kuzuryū this quickly in the second round of the Gyokushō Cup subsidiary qualifiers. Incidentally, the preliminary qualifiers' final match for the Gyokushō Cup that I played after staying up all night became legendary in every sense of the word.
> [Ōki Robo]Ōki Haruō Support Thread, 7th Dan - Part 461 [The Ever-Victorious General]
> 356: Anonymous Commenter: Is thinking for this long at this timing normal?
358: Anonymous Commenter: He was playing non-stop until now, so why did he suddenly pause?
360: Anonymous Commenter: Even Ōki thinks for this long in situations like this?
361: Anonymous Commenter: Is he asleep?
363: Anonymous Commenter: Long reflection time is rare for him... Wait?
366: Anonymous Commenter: He's nodding off! (Hysterical laughter)
368: Anonymous Commenter: I predict he'll knock over the board and lose by forfeit.
371: Anonymous Commenter: Isn't this a strange incident? There's a precedent for the recording official falling asleep during a live broadcast match, but...
374: Anonymous Commenter: >>371 Falling asleep happens normally even to players during title matches.
377: Anonymous Commenter: H-e-i-s-n-o-t-m-o-v-i-n-g!
380: Anonymous Commenter: (Quote from) Ōki's Twitter account: "This is a collection of 'masochist' badges I earned after pulling an all-nighter yesterday."
382: Anonymous Commenter: >>380 Seriously, he has zero professional awareness!
383: Anonymous Commenter: >>382 This guy maintains a professional level even as a video game player... (Shaking voice)
386: Anonymous Commenter: He made a mistake after a long period. Won't he sleep until his allocated playing time runs out?
389: Anonymous Commenter: How long is this person going to sleep?
789: Anonymous Commenter: He woke up.
790: Anonymous Commenter: He's blinking his eyes really fast; how cute.
793: Anonymous Commenter: And then he immediately made his move. The match is still in the middle game phase, and we've reached this point in time!
799: Anonymous Commenter: The allocated playing time for both players is now low, so the game will proceed quickly.
808: Anonymous Commenter: He is the man who uses almost all his allocated time for nodding off and then wins.
811: Anonymous Commenter: Truly, he doesn't need allocated time for thinking.
818: Anonymous Commenter: Did he win after all that?
To win after all that...
Due to the severity of my drowsiness, I fell into a deep sleep despite Ai's desperate shouts. It appears I slept for about two hours and forty minutes out of the three-hour time allotment. It was somewhat a miracle that I was able to wake up after less than three hours of pulling an all-nighter. I nearly lost due to time expiration. Looking back at it, I could have accepted losing by time expiration anyway, as I had no intention of holding out for the Gyokushō Cup title challenge.
To offer an excuse, there are many players who sleep while their opponent thinks. In long matches, some players lie down briefly in the waiting room, and some argue that playing with a clear mind after a short rest is better than fighting drowsiness and making mistakes. But no matter what I say, my deep sleep in that situation cannot be considered an acceptable excuse.
The match between Tenai and Ai ended with a victory for Tenai this time as well. Midway through the match, the members of the Girls' Shogi Study Group (JS-ken) arrived and watched the game, surrounding them, but they seemed impressed by the intense fighting spirit of the two players. The difference from the previous time was that the match ended before entering the endgame phase (in which Ai excels). Specifically, the gap in power between them during the opening stage (Joban) has increased significantly.
They continued to play several more matches after that, but most of them ended before reaching the endgame phase. Even when Tenai allowed Ai to launch an attack for amusement and transition into the endgame, Ai was unable to break through Tenai's formation.
... Was Ai intentionally prevented from studying the opening stage? Perhaps it is better for her, being a "blank slate," to face many difficulties and be forced to engage in a fierce struggle amid adversity. I find this approach sound, and it is somewhat close to my own educational policy, too.
However, it is most likely Tenai who has undergone more intense battles and fierce struggle (mutual striking). She was playing eight simultaneous online matches against opponents of equal or superior strength. It is natural to make mistakes or find herself in a disadvantaged position even without making mistakes. Under such conditions, Tenai was always required to find solutions in a short time.
(Five victories out of five matches against Ai, with a time control of 15 minutes and 30 seconds added per move, is evidence of overwhelming strength. We can feel confident about the challenge round of the Mynavi Women's Open.) (Ai)
(The challenge round has a short time control, which benefits Tenai, who excels at quick play. ... But hasn't Ai also progressed significantly and silently?)
(The rate of Tenai's progress is higher, but Ai's rate of progress is also astonishing. ... However, the difference in fundamental strength between them has become significant.) (Ai)
In the sixth and final match, and based on Kuzuryū's suggestion, Tenai played with a Dropped Bishop (handicap). Ai seemed to have studied the rules of handicap matches properly, and she looked much stronger than she had in the previous matches. Ai overcame the disadvantage she faced in the opening, and the Dropped Bishop handicap was certainly considerable.
"I do not want to lose to Tenai, even in a handicap match." Ai's internal cry was audible, and as soon as they entered the endgame phase, Tenai came under constant pressure in the match. After Ai launched her internal cry, "Like this, like this, like this, like this, like this...", she made a move that led to an immediate checkmate (although it required a long sequence of moves). As soon as the move was played, Tenai resigned (announced withdrawal), perhaps after also realizing the immediate checkmate.
....
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