Keres, at Twenty-One

The game, move by move

The Scotch Gambit

1. 1. e4 King’s pawn
2. 1… e5 The same claim
3. 2. Nf3 The knight out
4. 2… Nc6 And Black’s
5. 3. d4 d4, at once
6. 3… exd4 Taken
7. 4. Bc4 The bishop at f7 White does not take the pawn back. The bishop goes to c4 instead and the whole game is about the square it is looking at.
8. 4… Nf6 Developing
9. 5. O-O White castles
10. 5… d5 d5, the standard break
11. 6. exd5 Taken
12. 6… Nxd5 Recaptured with the knight The knight on d5 blocks the bishop’s diagonal — for exactly two moves, because the bishop takes it.

The knight on f7

1. 7. Ng5 The knight to g5 Both minor pieces on f7, and the black king has not castled.
2. 7… Be7 The bishop to e7
3. 8. Nxf7 The knight, on f7 Given for a pawn, to pull the king out. It is the same sacrifice as in `zukertort-anderssen` seventy-two years earlier and it works the same way.
4. 8… Kxf7 Taken

Mated on f6

1. 9. Qh5+ Check, from h5
2. 9… g6 g6, blocking The only way to answer it that does not lose immediately — and it leaves h6 empty, which is the square the bishop uses.
3. 10. Bxd5+ The bishop takes the knight, with check The diagonal is open again and the check comes with a piece.
4. 10… Kg7 Kg7
5. 11. Bh6+ The bishop to h6, with check Its first move of the game, onto a square where the pawn that would have taken it is standing on g6 instead.
6. 11… Kf6 Kf6 — the only square
7. 12. Qg5# Checkmate, on g5 The queen steps up beside the king. She covers f5 and e5; the bishop on h6 covers g7 and g5, so she cannot be taken; the bishop on d5 covers e6 and f7; and g6 and e7 are Black’s own pawn and bishop.