Both Rooks, and a Knight on f3

The game, move by move

The Scotch, and both kings away

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 The Scotch White breaks in the middle on move three, which in 1855 was the sharpest way to play the position.
6. 3… exd4 Taken
7. 4. Bc4 The bishop at f7
8. 4… Bc5 Facing it
9. 5. Ng5 The knight to g5 Two pieces on f7 before either side has castled. This is what an 1850s opening looks like.
10. 5… Nh6 Nh6, holding f7
11. 6. O-O White castles
12. 6… d6 Propping up the centre
13. 7. c3 Preparing to recapture
14. 7… O-O And Black castles

Knights traded on f7

1. 8. cxd4 Taking back
2. 8… Bxd4 The bishop takes the pawn Black is a pawn up and his bishop sits in the middle of the board. It is the last quiet moment of the game.
3. 9. Nc3 The last piece out
4. 9… Ng4 The knight to g4 Aiming at f2 and h2, which is where every black piece ends up pointing.
5. 10. h3 Asking the question
6. 10… Nge5 Both knights on e5
7. 11. Qh5 The queen to h5 Hitting h6 and f7 at once, and starting the sequence that trades everything off around Black’s king.
8. 11… h6 h6, blocking her out
9. 12. Nxf7 The knight takes f7
10. 12… Nxf7 Taken back

White collects

1. 13. Qg6 The queen to g6
2. 13… Ne5 The knight steps back to e5 It is attacked by nothing, defends nothing in particular, and stands there for the next twelve moves. It gives mate.
3. 14. Bxf7+ The bishop takes with check
4. 14… Rxf7 The rook recaptures
5. 15. Qg3 The queen retreats
6. 15… Rf6 The rook to f6
7. 16. Nd5 The knight to d5 Hitting the rook and the e7 square. White has been winning material for six moves and has not put a piece anywhere near the black king.
8. 16… Rg6 The rook slides to g6 Onto the file the white king lives on, where it will be given away.
9. 17. Qb3 The queen swings to b3
10. 17… Be6 The bishop comes out at last
11. 18. Qxb7 The pawn on b7, taken
12. 18… Bxh3 And the pawn on h3 Black is not counting. The bishop takes the pawn in front of the white king and offers itself to the g-pawn.
13. 19. Ne7+ A knight fork, with check
14. 19… Qxe7 The queen takes it
15. 20. Qxa8+ And the rook in the corner White is a whole rook up with check. Black has a bishop on h3, a rook on g6, a knight on e5 and a queen on e7, and they are all looking at the same three squares.
16. 20… Kh7 The king steps out of check

The king in the corner

1. 21. Kh2 Kh2, to hold g2 The last quiet move White gets, and it walks the king onto the file the rook is already on.
2. 21… Rxg2+ The rook, given away Rxg2+ is a rook for a pawn, and it is the move that opens the corner. Taking it is not obligatory; every other reply loses faster.
3. 22. Kxh3 The king takes the bishop Kxh3 declines the rook and eats the other piece. The king is now on the third rank with nothing in front of him.
4. 22… Qe6+ Check, from e6
5. 23. Kxg2 Now he takes the rook Kxg2 — a rook, a bishop and a rook, all of them taken legally, and the king is a square worse off each time.
6. 23… Qg4+ Check, from g4
7. 24. Kh1 Into the corner
8. 24… Qh3+ Check, from h3
9. 25. Kg1 The only square
10. 25… Nf3# Checkmate The knight that stepped back to e5 twelve moves ago comes to f3. The queen on h3 holds h1, g2 and h2; the knight holds h2 as well; and f1 and f2 are White’s own rook and pawn. He finishes the game a rook and a bishop ahead.