Sep 17, 2026
Author's Commentary #930:
Time to talk about Chapter 930: Debuting the Sanryosuimon Defense.
First off, I'm not feeling well enough to write a long arc despite writing this chapter. I am feeling better, yes, but still not well enough to write out long stuff.
As for the game, a new opening appears and it's a homage to Sanryosuimon Memorial Park, where the chess club likes to hang out as well as where the Kawaguchi chess center is located. The original idea behind the opening was to eventually get a position of pawns on a3 and h3 and rooks on a2 and h2. However, after rook a2, I realized that after 2...d5 assuming Black plays 1...e5 or vice versa, 3. e3 is the best move following 1. a3 and 2. Ra2. Thus, interchangeably, you can reach the Sanryosuimon Defense with either 1. a3 e5 2. Ra2 d5 3. e3 or 1. a3 e5 2. e3 d5 3. Ra2. Thus, I've tacked it on as part of the Japanese Opening.
As for it's viability, I actually did play some games against Chess.com's engine bots and managed to win both times, one of which against the 3200-rated level 25 maximum bot. Sadly, it was a long game, so given my current state, there was no way I could write in it or the other game, hence why I went with something short. Still, the mating sequence is rather beautiful, so I do take some pride in crafting this one.
That's all for this commentary. I hope you enjoyed it.
