Both Rooks, on c7 and c6

The game, move by move

A Four Knights English

1. 1. c4 c4 — the English
2. 1… e5 e5
3. 2. Nc3 The knight out
4. 2… Nf6 And Black’s
5. 3. g3 g3, for the bishop
6. 3… d5 d5, the centre
7. 4. cxd5 Taken
8. 4… Nxd5 The knight recaptures
9. 5. Bg2 Bg2 — the diagonal to c6 It goes to g2 on move five and it is still aimed at c6 when the second rook is given there sixteen moves later.
10. 5… Be6 Be6
11. 6. Nf3 The second knight
12. 6… Nc6 And Black’s
13. 7. O-O White castles
14. 7… Nb6 Nb6
15. 8. d3 d3
16. 8… Be7 Be7
17. 9. a3 a3
18. 9… a5 a5
19. 10. Be3 The bishop to e3
20. 10… O-O Black castles

Three pieces to the c-file

1. 11. Na4 The knight to a4, offering the trade
2. 11… Nxa4 Taken
3. 12. Qxa4 The queen recaptures — on a4 On the far side of the board, and from a4 the diagonal runs to c6 and e8. Both squares matter within ten moves.
4. 12… Bd5 Bd5
5. 13. Rfc1 The rook to c1
6. 13… Re8 The rook to e8
7. 14. Rc2 Rc2, doubling
8. 14… Bf8 Bf8
9. 15. Rac1 And the second rook to c1 Two rooks on the c-file against a pawn on c7. Neither of them takes anything for four moves and then both of them are given away on the same square.
10. 15… Nb8 Nb8 — defending c7 with the last piece And the knight never moves again. At the end it is on b8 with the king mated on the other side of the board.

Both rooks given

1. 16. Rxc7 Rxc7 — the first rook A rook offered to a knight. Taking it is answered by the queen on a4 and the bishop on g2, so Black interposes instead.
2. 16… Bc6 Bc6, blocking
3. 17. R1xc6 R1xc6 — and the second one Both rooks, on two moves, for one bishop. What is left is a queen, a knight, a bishop and one rook — and all four of them check in the next six moves.
4. 17… bxc6 Taken

Four pieces, four checks

1. 18. Rxf7 The rook takes f7 The pawn in front of the king, and the rook is on the seventh with nothing able to reach it.
2. 18… h6 h6
3. 19. Rb7 The rook to b7
4. 19… Qc8 The queen to c8
5. 20. Qc4+ Check from c4
6. 20… Kh8 Kh8
7. 21. Nh4 The knight to h4, heading for g6
8. 21… Qxb7 The queen takes the rook
9. 22. Ng6+ The knight to g6, with check The rook is gone and it does not matter: a knight on g6 with a queen on c4 and a bishop on g2 is enough.
10. 22… Kh7 Kh7
11. 23. Be4 The bishop to e4, the third piece
12. 23… Bd6 Bd6, blocking
13. 24. Nxe5+ The knight takes e5, with check
14. 24… g6 g6, the last block
15. 25. Bxg6+ The bishop takes it, with check
16. 25… Kg7 Kg7
17. 26. Bxh6+ Bxh6+ — and Black resigned The second bishop takes the last pawn with check. Portisch has three legal moves and every one of them loses the queen or the king. Two rooks given on the c-file and the mate is coming on the h-file.