The Bishop From Move Five

The game, move by move

A Modern Defence

1. 1. e4 King’s pawn
2. 1… g6 g6 — the Modern Black gives White the whole centre and plans to shoot at it from the flank. It is the most provocative sound opening there is.
3. 2. Nc3 The knight out
4. 2… Bg7 Bg7, on the long diagonal
5. 3. d4 d4 — the full centre
6. 3… d6 d6
7. 4. h4 h4, at once A pawn thrown up the board on move four. At one minute a game there is not time to be careful and both players know it.
8. 4… h5 h5, stopping it
9. 5. Nf3 The knight to f3
10. 5… Bg4 Bg4 — remember this bishop It comes to g4 on the fifth move and does not move again. Twenty-two half-moves later it is the piece defending the queen that gives mate.
11. 6. Be3 The bishop to e3
12. 6… c6 c6, preparing b5

b5 and b4

1. 7. Bc4 The bishop to c4, at f7
2. 7… Nf6 The knight out
3. 8. Qd2 The queen to d2
4. 8… b5 b5, at the bishop
5. 9. Bb3 The bishop steps to b3
6. 9… b4 b4 — a pawn offered It attacks the knight on c3 and it opens the diagonal from a5 to e1. Both halves are the point, and the second one is what mates.
7. 10. Ng5 The knight to g5, at f7
8. 10… bxc3 The knight taken on c3

The knight on c3, taken

1. 11. Bxf7+ The bishop takes f7, with check
2. 11… Kf8 Kf8 — and White’s king is the one in trouble
3. 12. Qxc3 The queen recaptures on c3 She takes the pawn back and steps off the e-file, which is the file her own king is standing on with nothing in front of him.
4. 12… Nxe4 The knight takes e4
5. 13. Qb3 The queen to b3
6. 13… Nxg5 The knights come off on g5
7. 14. hxg5 Recaptured with the h-pawn
8. 14… Qa5+ Check from a5 — the diagonal The one the pawn on b4 was given for. It runs a5–b4–c3–d2–e1, and there is a white king at the end of it.

Mated on e1

1. 15. c3 c3, blocking
2. 15… Qb5 The queen to b5, keeping the diagonal
3. 16. Bxg6 The bishop takes g6 A second pawn, and a threat of its own. It is one move too slow.
4. 16… Qe2# Checkmate, on e2 The queen steps to e2 next to the king, and she cannot be taken: the bishop that came to g4 on the fifth move is holding the square. She covers f1, d1 and d2 herself, and f2 is White’s own pawn.