and a half hours over the play: might he not be seeking to cover his
activities during those three months? The organizers seemed to share my
doubts and distaste.
In an interval when Otaké was out of the room, even the Master hinted at
dissatisfaction. “He does take his time,” he muttered. However matters may
have been in a practice match, the Master had never before been heard to
say anything critical of an opponent during a title match.
But Yasunaga of the Fourth Rank, who was close to both the Master and
Otaké, disagreed with me. “Neither of them seems to have done much of
anything during the recess,” he said. “Otaké is a very fastidious person. He
would not want to do anything while the Master was lying helpless in bed.”
Probably it was the truth. Probably in those three hours and a half Otaké
was not only deliberating his play; he was bringing himself back to the
board after a three-month absence, and doing his best to map out the
finished game, through all the stages and formations it was likely to take.
