Hiroto Tanaka Wins the 15th Osaka Wine Cup!

What a wonderful day it was in Kashiwara! Sunny skies, but not too hot—just the kind of pleasant weather everyone can appreciate, especially those familiar with the brutal summer heat that arrives in Osaka every year.

Our longest-running tournament series was held for the 15th time, once again attracting a great mix of Japanese and international players. They don't mind the 8-minute walk from Ando Station (or the 15-minute walk from Kashiwara Station) because playing chess inside a historic winery surrounded by vineyards, traditional farmhouses, temples, and shrines makes the journey well worth it.

Players getting ready for their games

The tournament consisted of six nationally rated rounds, with three rounds played before lunch and three afterwards.

At the Wine Cup, chess preparation is not the only thing that matters. Convenience stores and vending machines are scarce in the quiet, village-like surroundings, so we recommend bringing your own food and drinks rather than trying to buy them during the lunch break.

A bit of light-hearted conversation before the next round. Serious over the board, relaxed away from it—that is the atmosphere you can enjoy at the Wine Cup tournaments.

A few games stood out to me.

For a change, I (Leonard) even allowed myself to play in the tournament while still carrying out my duties as arbiter, often running from board to board whenever assistance or an arbiter's intervention was required.

Round 1: Diliyaer held me to a convincing draw. I managed to win a central pawn through a tactical sequence and gained some space, but instead of defending passively he successfully transferred his pieces to the kingside and launched an attack against my king. After a series of perpetual checks, the game ended in a draw.

Round 2: Among many sharp positions and hard-fought games, Melody's victory with the white pieces against Jingfei deserves special mention.

The game began as a Scottish Defence, with both sides developing their pieces naturally. Later in the middlegame, Melody opted for a rook lift from f3 to h3 to generate tactical opportunities along the h-file.

Melody's trademark fighting spirit—always looking for active play—proved to be the right approach against the ever-resourceful Jingfei. At one point Jingfei sacrificed a knight for central pawns and may have been hoping to generate her own attack with her advancing e- and f-pawns. Melody neutralized these ideas by choosing pragmatic exchanges, eventually reaching a risk-free winning position.

Round 3: On the top board, Melody faced Hiroto, who would eventually go on to win the tournament outright. This proved to be one of the key games in determining the final podium places.

Right from the opening an interesting position emerged, with both of Hiroto's bishops fianchettoed while Melody adopted a Modern/Pirc-style setup. Melody kept the game balanced for a long time, but Hiroto eventually prevailed.

Who wouldn't love to add one of these trophies to their chess collection? Of course, it wouldn't be the Wine Cup without additional prizes in the form of premium grape juice and fine wines.

After lunch, the second half of the tournament began. With three rounds still to play, almost anything was still possible.

Round 4: Mark, who was travelling through Japan and had even flown in from Tokyo especially for this tournament (many thanks for making the trip!), demonstrated tremendous resilience in a 56-move battle against Hiroki. It was one of the longest, if not the longest, game of the tournament.

During the middlegame, both players had hanging pieces and neither side was willing to back down. Once the complications had cleared, Hiroki emerged with an extra minor piece—a potentially decisive advantage. However, Mark somehow continued creating practical problems and eventually managed to win the piece back.

The game then reached a rook endgame with six pawns each. White's backward c-pawn looked like an easy target, giving Black the more pleasant position. In the end, however, Hiroki lost on time despite appearing well on his way to converting the position, with his king and rooks already penetrating White's camp. Credit to both players for an excellent fight.

The venue from a queen's point of view.

Round 5: Once again there were plenty of interesting stories. After losing to Melody in the first round, Jonathan bounced back with three consecutive victories to earn a place on the top board against none other than Hiroto.

Could Jonathan cause an upset?

Hiroto opened with 1.g3, making no secret of his intention to once again steer the game into familiar territory with an early kingside fianchetto. Jonathan fought hard until the very end, but this time he was unable to stop Hiroto's winning streak.

Round 6: On the top board, Hiroto, who had not dropped a single point all tournament, faced Jingfei, whose only loss had come against Melody. Both players probed for opportunities, but after a balanced struggle they eventually agreed to a draw—a fittingly peaceful conclusion to an exciting day of chess.

So, what did the final standings look like?

There was never much doubt about first place. Hiroto finished with an outstanding 5½/6, securing the title outright.

Thanks to her excellent performance in the second half of the tournament, Jingfei finished clear second with 4½/6.

Third place was much closer. Melody, Mark, and Rejold all scored 4/6, but Melody claimed the final podium spot thanks to the superior tiebreak.

Today's best three. First place: Hirota (in the middle), Second Place: Jingfei (on the right), Third Place: Melody (on the left)

Most importantly, everyone enjoyed themselves. When asked about future tournament formats, many players said they would also love to see a Chess960 tournament or even a Bughouse team tournament later this year.

Let's see what we can organize!