A Rook Given on f2

The game, move by move

A Philidor, and a pawn thrown forward

1. 1. e4 King’s pawn
2. 1… e5 The same claim
3. 2. Nf3 The knight out
4. 2… d6 d6 — the Philidor
5. 3. d4 d4
6. 3… f5 f5 — a pawn thrown at the centre On move three, and it is the move the whole game is about: it opens the f-file, and the f-file is where the rook is given.
7. 4. Nc3 The knight out
8. 4… fxe4 Taken
9. 5. Nxe4 The knight recaptures
10. 5… d5 d5, at it
11. 6. Ng3 The knight to g3
12. 6… e4 e4, pushing on
13. 7. Ne5 The knight to e5
14. 7… Nf6 The knight out
15. 8. Bg5 The bishop to g5
16. 8… Bd6 Bd6
17. 9. Nh5 The knight to h5
18. 9… O-O Black castles Onto g8, and the rook lands on f8 — which is the rook that is given on f2 eleven moves later.

The queen to h3

1. 10. Qd2 The queen to d2
2. 10… Qe8 The queen to e8
3. 11. g4 g4, at the knight
4. 11… Nxg4 The knight takes it
5. 12. Nxg4 And the knight takes back
6. 12… Qxh5 The queen takes the knight on h5 A piece for a piece, and the queen is now out on the kingside where the white king is not.
7. 13. Ne5 The knight to e5
8. 13… Nc6 The knight out
9. 14. Be2 Be2
10. 14… Qh3 The queen to h3 Onto the square she spends four moves on. From h3 she covers f1 and the diagonal to c8, and that diagonal is the reason the rook can be given.
11. 15. Nxc6 The knights come off on c6
12. 15… bxc6 Recaptured with the b-pawn Opening the b-file for a rook, which arrives two moves later and is given away four moves after that.
13. 16. Be3 The bishop to e3
14. 16… Rb8 The rook to b8

A rook given on f2

1. 17. O-O-O White castles long Away from the open f-file, and onto the wing where Black’s rook and queen are already pointed.
2. 17… Rxf2 Rxf2 — the rook, for a bishop Not a check, and it wins nothing back. What it buys is the f-file and the second rank, and eleven half-moves of checks that never let the king settle.
3. 18. Bxf2 The bishop takes it
4. 18… Qa3 The queen to a3, all the way across
5. 19. c3 c3, propping the king up
6. 19… Qxa2 The pawn on a2, taken
7. 20. b4 b4, blocking
8. 20… Qa1+ Check from a1
9. 21. Kc2 Kc2
10. 21… Qa4+ Check from a4
11. 22. Kb2 Kb2
12. 22… Bxb4 The bishop takes b4 — the second offer A bishop for a pawn, so that the rook on b8 has a file with nothing on it.

Checks to the end

1. 23. cxb4 Taken
2. 23… Rxb4+ The rook takes b4, with check
3. 24. Qxb4 The queen takes the rook
4. 24… Qxb4+ And the queens come off, with check Material is nearly level again and it does not matter: White’s king is on the second rank with a bishop and a queen still to come.
5. 25. Kc2 Kc2
6. 25… e3 e3, opening the diagonal
7. 26. Bxe3 The bishop takes it
8. 26… Bf5+ Bf5, with check — from the other side
9. 27. Rd3 The rook blocks on d3
10. 27… Qc4+ Check from c4
11. 28. Kd2 Kd2
12. 28… Qa2+ Check from a2
13. 29. Kd1 Kd1 — the last square
14. 29… Qb1+ Qb1+ — and White resigned The queen steps to b1 beside the king. There are two legal moves in the position and both of them lose the queen at once. Bird did not pick one.