Every Piece at Once, in Twenty-Three Moves

The game, move by move

A Meran Semi-Slav

1. 1. d4 Queen’s pawn
2. 1… d5 The same claim
3. 2. c4 c4
4. 2… c6 c6 — the Semi-Slav
5. 3. Nf3 The knight out
6. 3… Nf6 And Black’s
7. 4. Nc3 The second knight
8. 4… e6 e6
9. 5. e3 e3
10. 5… Nbd7 Nbd7
11. 6. Bd3 The bishop to d3 — the diagonal to h7 It is the piece that makes Nxh7 possible ten moves later, and it is also the piece Anand trades off on g4 to make his own attack work.
12. 6… dxc4 The pawn taken on c4
13. 7. Bxc4 The bishop recaptures
14. 7… b5 b5
15. 8. Bd3 Back to d3
16. 8… Bd6 Bd6
17. 9. O-O White castles
18. 9… O-O And Black
19. 10. Qc2 The queen to c2, behind the bishop
20. 10… Bb7 Bb7 — the long diagonal It ends on g2, and g2 is the square the mate comes on. From here Black never touches this bishop again.
21. 11. a3 a3
22. 11… Rc8 The rook to c8

The knight takes h7

1. 12. Ng5 The knight to g5, at h7
2. 12… c5 c5 — and Black ignores it Not a defensive move. Anand opens the centre and lets the knight take on h7, which is the decision the whole game turns on.
3. 13. Nxh7 The knight takes h7 A knight for the pawn in front of the king. In almost every position this is the move; here it is a piece walking away from the fight.
4. 13… Ng4 Ng4 — the first of four Black does not take the knight and does not defend. The knight comes to g4, and c5, e5, d4 and g4 all arrive in the next five moves.

Four pieces in five moves

1. 14. f4 f4, holding e5
2. 14… cxd4 The pawns come off on d4
3. 15. exd4 Recaptured
4. 15… Bc5 Bc5 — the second piece Onto the diagonal that ends at d4 and e3. It takes on d4 next move and lands on e3 at the end.
5. 16. Be2 Be2, at the knight
6. 16… Nde5 Nde5 — the third The second knight, offered on e5, and taking it is answered by the bishop on d4.
7. 17. Bxg4 The bishop takes g4
8. 17… Bxd4+ The bishop takes d4, with check Now the diagonal runs from d4 to g1, and White’s king has to step into the corner.
9. 18. Kh1 Kh1
10. 18… Nxg4 The knight takes the bishop on g4 — the fourth Every black piece is now on the board and in play, and White has a knight on f8 and a queen on c2.
11. 19. Nxf8 The knight takes the rook on f8
12. 19… f5 f5 — and Black still does not take it A rook down on the count, and the pawn move is a threat. Anand has not taken a single white piece worth anything.

The bishop to e3

1. 20. Ng6 The knight to g6, trying to come back
2. 20… Qf6 The queen to f6, at it
3. 21. h3 h3, at the knight on g4
4. 21… Qxg6 The queen takes the knight on g6 And the material is nearly level again, with three black pieces around the white king and none of White’s anywhere near it.
5. 22. Qe2 The queen to e2
6. 22… Qh5 The queen to h5
7. 23. Qd3 The queen to d3, the last try
8. 23… Be3 Be3 — and White resigned Not a check. The bishop steps to e3 where nothing can take it, and Qxg2 is mate along the diagonal the bishop on b7 has held since move ten. Thirty-six legal moves, and Aronian played none of them. Twenty-three moves, between the world champion and the world number three.