The World Champion, Mated on g2

The game, move by move

The Danish Gambit

1. 1. e4 King’s pawn
2. 1… e5 The same claim
3. 2. d4 d4, offered at once
4. 2… exd4 Taken
5. 3. c3 c3 — the Danish A second pawn offered, and then a third. It is the most open thing White can play and it is a strange choice for Lasker, who normally did the opposite.
6. 3… d5 d5 — declined Rather than taking a second pawn, Black gives one back and opens the middle himself. Breyer is not going to be attacked for twenty moves.
7. 4. exd5 Taken
8. 4… Qxd5 The queen recaptures
9. 5. cxd4 The pawn back at last
10. 5… Nf6 The knight out
11. 6. Nf3 The second knight
12. 6… Bb4+ Check, and development
13. 7. Nc3 The knight blocks
14. 7… O-O Black castles

The bishop to f5

1. 8. Be2 The bishop to e2
2. 8… Ne4 The knight to e4 Into the middle, where it sits for eight moves. It is finally taken by a bishop on move seventeen.
3. 9. Bd2 The bishop to d2
4. 9… Bxc3 The knight on c3, taken
5. 10. bxc3 Recaptured — the pawns are doubled
6. 10… Nc6 The last knight out
7. 11. O-O White castles
8. 11… Qa5 The queen to a5
9. 12. Qc2 The queen to c2
10. 12… Bf5 Bf5 — the square that decides it The bishop comes to f5 and never moves again. Twenty-six half-moves later it is what covers h3, and h3 is where the mate is given.
11. 13. Bd3 The bishop to d3, facing it
12. 13… Rfe8 The rook to e8

Both knights come off on f3

1. 14. Be1 The bishop back to e1
2. 14… Qd5 The queen to d5
3. 15. c4 c4, at the queen
4. 15… Qd6 Qd6
5. 16. d5 d5, shutting the knight out
6. 16… Ne5 The knight to e5, at f3
7. 17. Bxe4 The bishop takes the knight on e4
8. 17… Nxf3+ The other knight takes f3, with check Given for a pawn, and taking it puts a white pawn on f3 and leaves g2 and h2 to the king alone.
9. 18. gxf3 Recaptured
10. 18… Qg6+ Check from g6
11. 19. Kh1 Kh1 — into the corner
12. 19… Rxe4 The rook takes the bishop on e4
13. 20. Qc3 The queen to c3
14. 20… Rh4 The rook swings to h4 Onto the h-file, aimed at a pawn on h2 with a king behind it. That is the whole of Black’s attack: one rook, one queen, one bishop on f5.

A rook given on h2

1. 21. Rg1 The rook to g1, holding g2
2. 21… Rxh2+ The rook, given on h2 A rook for a pawn. It cannot be declined — the pawn is the only thing between the queen and the king — and taking it pulls the king out onto h2.
3. 22. Kxh2 He has to take
4. 22… Qh5+ Check from h5
5. 23. Kg3 Kg3 — forwards
6. 23… Qg5+ Check from g5
7. 24. Kh2 Kh2
8. 24… Qh4+ Check from h4
9. 25. Kg2 Kg2 — the last square Four checks in a row, each on a square next to the last. The king has nowhere he has not already been.
10. 25… Qh3# Checkmate, on h3 The queen steps to h3 beside the king and cannot be taken: the bishop on f5 has covered that square since move twelve. She holds h2, g3, h1 and f1; f2 and f3 are White’s own pawns; and g1 is White’s own rook.