Five Moves, in a Tournament

The game, move by move

A Caro-Kann, and Qe2

1. 1. e4 King’s pawn
2. 1… c6 c6 — the Caro-Kann One of the soundest defences there is. Nothing that follows is a criticism of it.
3. 2. Nc3 The knight out
4. 2… d5 d5, the point of the Caro-Kann
5. 3. Qe2 Qe2 — the whole game It blocks the bishop on f1 and develops nothing. What it does is put a queen on the e-file, behind the pawn on e7 and the king on e8. Remember it: in three half-moves it is the only reason this is a mate.

Mated on the fifth move

1. 3… dxe4 Taken
2. 4. Nxe4 The knight recaptures And from e4 it can go to d6 — a square defended by the pawn on e7, which is why nobody worries about it.
3. 4… Nd7 Nd7 — the losing move A perfectly natural developing move, and it is mate next. It takes away the only square the king would have had.
4. 5. Nd6# Checkmate, on d6 The knight steps to d6. f8 is Black’s own bishop, d8 his queen, e7 and f7 his own pawns, d7 the knight he has just played. The pawn on e7 attacks d6 and cannot take — it is pinned to the king by the queen that went to e2 on the third move.