The Pawn Taken at Move Forty

The game, move by move

A Bishop’s Opening, and nothing in it

1. 1. e4 King’s pawn
2. 1… e5
3. 2. Bc4 Bc4 — the Bishop’s Opening
4. 2… Nf6
5. 3. Nc3
6. 3… Nc6
7. 4. d3
8. 4… Bb4
9. 5. Bg5
10. 5… h6
11. 6. Bxf6 The bishop takes the knight
12. 6… Bxc3+ And the bishop takes the knight on c3, with check
13. 7. bxc3
14. 7… Qxf6
15. 8. Ne2
16. 8… Na5
17. 9. Bb3
18. 9… O-O
19. 10. O-O
20. 10… d6
21. 11. Qd2
22. 11… Qe7
23. 12. f4
24. 12… Nxb3 The knight takes the bishop
25. 13. axb3
26. 13… Bd7
27. 14. c4
28. 14… f5 f5, at the centre
29. 15. Qe3
30. 15… fxe4
31. 16. Qxe4
32. 16… Bc6
33. 17. Qe3
34. 17… Rae8
35. 18. f5 f5, a pawn at the king
36. 18… a6
37. 19. Ng3
38. 19… Bd7
39. 20. Rf2
40. 20… Rf7
41. 21. Raf1
42. 21… Ref8
43. 22. Qe4
44. 22… c6
45. 23. Qe3
46. 23… d5
47. 24. cxd5
48. 24… cxd5
49. 25. d4
50. 25… e4 e4, the pawns locked
51. 26. c4
52. 26… Qg5
53. 27. Qxg5 The queens come off Two rooks each, and a knight against a bishop. The engine has it level, and will go on having it level until move thirty-nine.
54. 27… hxg5

Four rooks, level

1. 28. cxd5
2. 28… e3
3. 29. Rf3
4. 29… Bb5
5. 30. Re1
6. 30… e2 e2 — a pawn one square from queening It does not get there. The knight collects it, the knight and the bishop come off soon after, and from move thirty-four it is rooks and pawns.
7. 31. Kf2
8. 31… Rd7
9. 32. Nxe2
10. 32… Rxd5
11. 33. g4
12. 33… Bxe2
13. 34. Rxe2 Four rooks and pawns
14. 34… Rxd4
15. 35. Kg3
16. 35… Rfd8
17. 36. h4 h4, the pawns go forward
18. 36… gxh4+
19. 37. Kxh4 The king takes back, onto h4
20. 37… Rd3
21. 38. Rfe3
22. 38… Kf8
23. 39. Kh5 Kh5 — the king goes up The white king walks up behind its own pawns, towards g6. Caruana has about a minute left to make two moves.

Rxb3, and the net

1. 39… a5 a5 Rxe3 was the move: a pair of rooks off, and a draw. With all four rooks on, the white king has company.
2. 40. Re7 Re7, to the seventh
3. 40… Rxb3 Rxb3 — the pawn, and the game The fortieth move, with forty seconds left. Rh3+ kept the white king out; after this, the engine has White more than four pawns ahead.
4. 41. g5 g5
5. 41… Rb6
6. 42. g6 g6 — the net Two pawns on f5 and g6, a rook on e7 and a king coming to g5. The black king on f8 has almost no squares.
7. 42… Rf6
8. 43. Kg5 The king to g5
9. 43… Kg8
10. 44. Rxg7+ Rxg7+ — the rook given back The pawn on g7 is the only thing defending the rook on f6.
11. 44… Kxg7 The king takes
12. 45. Re7+ Re7+
13. 45… Kg8
14. 46. Kxf6 And the king takes the rook on f6
15. 46… a4
16. 47. Rg7+
17. 47… Kh8
18. 48. Rxb7 The rook takes b7
19. 48… Ra8
20. 49. Kg5 Kg5 — and Caruana resigned The engine counts a forced mate. Uzbekistan won the match 2½–1½.