Putting the finishing touches to the Summer edition of the GoGoD database, I just found this opening as a good candidate for weirdest move of the year (White 4), the games of Gan Siyang notwithstanding. Amusingly, this White 4 was a major factor in the ensuing centre fight and ended up being captured, but only as part of a nakade shape which killed a huge Black group. The perpetrator was Hirata Tomoya 2-dan.

Using a phrase I adore, he said wanted to "borrow the chest" of his 7-dan opponent - this is from the sumo drill of a junior being allowed to pound on the chest of a senior to practise. But the game is also significant as yet another example of the creative and violent style now endemic among young Japanese players. There was another game, the Globis Cup final, where of the 155 moves I had no idea what was going on for almost 150 of them. The Globis was an international U-20 event won by a Japanese player (Ichiriki Ryo).



Edit: File repaired here for convenience, as per Bill. Only 12 moves shown.