The Pawn That Became the Mate

The game, move by move

The Evans 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. Bc4 The bishop at f7
6. 3… Bc5 Facing it
7. 4. b4 The Evans Gambit
8. 4… Bxb4 Accepted
9. 5. c3 c3, asking
10. 5… Ba5 Ba5, keeping the pin
11. 6. O-O White castles
12. 6… Nf6 The knight out
13. 7. d4 d4, the centre at last
14. 7… Nxe4 The knight takes on e4 Black is now two pawns up and about to be three. Nothing that happens for the next twenty moves is about the count.
15. 8. Ba3 The bishop to a3
16. 8… d6 d6, holding e5
17. 9. d5 d5, past the knight
18. 9… Nxc3 The pawn on c3, taken
19. 10. Nxc3 Recaptured
20. 10… Bxc3 And taken again by the bishop

A pawn arrives on c6

1. 11. Rc1 The rook comes to c1, at the bishop
2. 11… Bb4 Bb4, holding
3. 12. Bxb4 The bishops come off
4. 12… Nxb4 The knight takes back
5. 13. Qa4+ Check from a4, at the knight
6. 13… Nc6 Nc6, blocking Forced — and it puts the knight on the square the pawn is about to take.
7. 14. dxc6 The pawn takes on c6 — remember it A white pawn on c6, deep in Black’s half and past everything. It does not move again for fifteen moves and it is the piece that gives mate.
8. 14… b6 b6, shutting it in

Every rook traded on d6

1. 15. Rcd1 The rook to d1
2. 15… Qf6 The queen to f6
3. 16. Rfe1 The other rook to e1
4. 16… a6 a6
5. 17. Qa3 The queen to a3
6. 17… O-O Black castles at last
7. 18. Qb3 The queen to b3
8. 18… b5 b5, taking the queen’s diagonal
9. 19. Bd5 The bishop to d5, at f7
10. 19… Bg4 The bishop to g4
11. 20. h3 h3, asking
12. 20… Be6 Be6, offering the trade
13. 21. Re3 The rook lifts to e3
14. 21… Rae8 The rook to e8
15. 22. Nd2 The knight to d2
16. 22… Qh6 The queen to h6
17. 23. Ne4 The knight to e4, at d6
18. 23… Kh8 Kh8 The king steps into the corner, where he is mated twenty half-moves later by a pawn arriving on the eighth rank.
19. 24. Qa3 The queen back to a3
20. 24… f5 f5, at the knight
21. 25. Bxe6 The bishops come off on e6
22. 25… Rxe6 The rook takes back
23. 26. Nxd6 The knight takes d6 The pawn in front of the passer is gone. Everything from here is about the file the pawn is standing on.
24. 26… Rxd6 Taken
25. 27. Red3 The rook doubles on d3
26. 27… Rfd8 And Black’s second rook to d8
27. 28. Rxd6 The rook takes d6
28. 28… Rxd6 Taken back
29. 29. Rxd6 And the second rook takes Three captures on d6 in three moves. Every rook on the board comes off, and what is left is a queen each and a pawn on c6.
30. 29… cxd6 Recaptured by the pawn

A pawn promotes to mate

1. 30. c7 c7 — one square from the end The pawn moves for the first time since move fourteen. It is one square from d8 and from a queen, and d8 is Black’s back rank.
2. 30… Qe6 The queen to e6
3. 31. Qxd6 The pawn on d6, taken
4. 31… Qc8 The queen back to c8, holding d8
5. 32. Qd8+ The queen offered on d8 She steps in front of the pawn, onto the square she is going to be taken on. Black has no choice: the queen on c8 is the only piece holding d8.
6. 32… Qxd8 Taken — she has to be
7. 33. cxd8=Q# Checkmate, promoting The pawn takes the queen on d8 and becomes one. From d8 she covers g8 along the rank; g7 and h7 are Black’s own pawns. A capture, a promotion and a mate in one move, by a pawn that crossed the board on move fourteen.