Two Rooks on One Square

The game, move by move

Two pawns for two bishops

1. 1. e4 King’s pawn
2. 1… e5 The same claim
3. 2. d4 The Danish Gambit
4. 2… exd4 Taken
5. 3. c3 c3 — and another The second pawn, offered before a piece has been developed.
6. 3… dxc3 Taken
7. 4. Bc4 The bishop to c4
8. 4… cxb2 And a third, on b2 Black takes everything, which is the honest way to answer a gambit and, here, three tempi spent on pawns.
9. 5. Bxb2 The second bishop Two pawns down, two bishops on the two long diagonals, and the black king on the square where they cross.
10. 5… d6 d6, shutting one of them

The bishops take aim

1. 6. Ne2 The knight to e2
2. 6… Nc6 Developing
3. 7. O-O White castles
4. 7… Be6 The bishop to e6
5. 8. Bd5 The bishop to d5, facing it
6. 8… Nf6 The knight out
7. 9. Qb3 The queen to b3 Behind the bishop, so that both of them look at f7.
8. 9… Qc8 The queen defends
9. 10. Nf4 The knight to f4
10. 10… Nd8 The knight retreats to d8 Black’s pieces are all on their first two ranks on move ten, and the king is still on e8.
11. 11. Bxf6 The bishop takes the knight A bishop for a knight, to break the pawns in front of a king who has not castled yet — and after this he never does.
12. 11… gxf6 Recaptured

The king walks to b8

1. 12. Nh5 The knight to h5
2. 12… c6 c6, hitting the bishop
3. 13. Re1 The rook to the open file
4. 13… Be7 The bishop out
5. 14. Qf3 The queen to f3
6. 14… Rg8 The rook to g8
7. 15. Nxf6+ The knight takes f6, with check
8. 15… Bxf6 Taken
9. 16. Qxf6 And the queen takes it back
10. 16… cxd5 The bishop, taken at last
11. 17. exd5 Recaptured, and the file opens
12. 17… Rg6 The rook to g6
13. 18. Qh8+ Check, from the corner The queen goes to h8 and the king has one square, which is forwards.
14. 18… Kd7 Kd7
15. 19. Nc3 The last piece out
16. 19… Bxd5 The pawn on d5, taken
17. 20. Qe8+ Check, from e8
18. 20… Kc7 Kc7
19. 21. Nxd5+ The bishop taken, with check
20. 21… Kb8 Kb8 — the corner The king has walked e8, d7, c7, b8, and every square of it was forced. He is now on the b-file with his own rook on a8 and his own queen on c8.

A rook for the b-file

1. 22. Rac1 The rook to c1
2. 22… Nc6 The knight comes back to defend
3. 23. Rxc6 The rook, on c6 Given to the b-pawn, which is the only piece that can take it, and which has to — otherwise the rook takes the knight and mate follows anyway.
4. 23… bxc6 Taken, and the file opens
5. 24. Rb1# Checkmate The other rook drops onto b1. It covers b7; the knight on d5 covers c7; and a8, c8 and a7 are Black’s own rook, queen and pawn. Two pawns given away in the first four moves, and the mate is delivered by the rook that never left home.