Unusual openings

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"Takemiya's opening" -- a history of the double-kosumi sanrensei

I wanted to talk a bit about an interesting opening formation that was only played for a short time around the turn of this century, almost exclusively by Takemiya Masaki. That formation is the “double-kosumi sanrensei”. It looks like this: [image] It usually appeared in play against a nirensei, consituting a nine-move opening branch. Let’s examine the context. This opening was first played in 1996. Takemiya had been one the top professionals in Japan and, indeed, the world for about twenty…