The King Helps With the Mate

The game, move by move

A Four Knights English

1. 1. c4 c4 — the English
2. 1… Nf6 The knight out
3. 2. Nc3 And White’s
4. 2… e5 e5, taking the middle
5. 3. Nf3 The second knight
6. 3… Nc6 And Black’s — four knights out
7. 4. g3 g3, for the bishop
8. 4… Bb4 The bishop to b4
9. 5. Bg2 The bishop to g2 On the long diagonal, and everything White does for the next twenty moves is on it or about it.
10. 5… O-O Black castles
11. 6. O-O And White
12. 6… Re8 The rook to e8
13. 7. Nd5 The knight to d5
14. 7… e4 e4, at nothing yet
15. 8. Ne1 The knight back to e1
16. 8… d6 d6
17. 9. d3 d3, at the pawn
18. 9… Bxe1 The bishop takes the knight
19. 10. Rxe1 The rook recaptures
20. 10… exd3 The pawn takes d3

Everything traded on e2

1. 11. Bg5 The bishop to g5
2. 11… dxe2 And the pawn takes e2
3. 12. Rxe2 The rook takes back
4. 12… Rxe2 The rooks come off
5. 13. Qxe2 And the queen recaptures Three captures on one square in three moves. What is left is a queen, two bishops and a rook each, and the bishops are what matter.
6. 13… Be6 The bishop to e6
7. 14. Nxf6+ The knight takes f6, with check
8. 14… gxf6 Recaptured with the g-pawn And that is the pawn structure the whole finish depends on: pawns on f7, f6 and h7 with holes between them.
9. 15. Bh4 The bishop to h4, at f6
10. 15… Ne5 The knight to e5
11. 16. Bxb7 The bishop takes b7
12. 16… Bxc4 The bishop takes c4

Three pieces given for the king

1. 17. Qh5 The queen to h5
2. 17… Rb8 The rook to b8
3. 18. Be4 The bishop back to e4
4. 18… Ng6 The knight to g6, defending
5. 19. b3 b3
6. 19… Ba6 The bishop to a6
7. 20. Re1 The rook to e1 Onto the file it comes down at the end: e1, e3, g3.
8. 20… Rb5 The rook to b5
9. 21. Bd5 The bishop to d5, at f7
10. 21… Kg7 Kg7
11. 22. a4 a4, at the rook
12. 22… Rb4 The rook to b4
13. 23. Bxf7 The bishop takes f7 The first of three pieces given in five moves. Each one takes a pawn off the squares around the king.
14. 23… Qd7 The queen to d7
15. 24. Bxg6 And the bishop takes g6 Given for a knight, so that the h-pawn has to take and h7 is empty.
16. 24… hxg6 Taken
17. 25. Bxf6+ And the second bishop takes f6, with check The third piece. Now the king has to come out — and out means up the board.
18. 25… Kxf6 Kxf6

Kf2, and mate

1. 26. Qh8+ Check from h8
2. 26… Kg5 Kg5
3. 27. f4+ f4, with check
4. 27… Kg4 Kg4 — the fourth rank
5. 28. Re3 The rook lifts to e3
6. 28… g5 g5, making a square
7. 29. Qh6 The queen to h6
8. 29… Rxf4 The rook takes f4
9. 30. gxf4 Recaptured
10. 30… Kxf4 And the king takes the pawn on f4 A black king on f4 with a white king on g1. On the count Black is a rook and a pawn to the good.
11. 31. Kf2 Kf2 — the king joins in Not a defensive move and not a waiting one. From f2 the king covers g3, and g3 is one of the two squares the mate needs.
12. 31… Qc6 The queen to c6
13. 32. Qf6+ Check from f6
14. 32… Kg4 Kg4
15. 33. Rg3+ The rook to g3, with check Held by the king on f2 and the pawn on h2. There is one square left.
16. 33… Kh4 Kh4
17. 34. Qxg5# Checkmate, on g5 The queen takes the pawn on g5, held by the rook on g3. She covers g4, h5 and h3 with the rook; and g3 is covered three times over — by the rook, by the pawn on h2, and by the white king standing on f2.