Mated by the a-Pawn

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 Taken
9. 5. c3 c3, building
10. 5… Ba5 The bishop to a5
11. 6. d4 The centre, at once
12. 6… exd4 Taken

A queen left hanging

1. 7. O-O White castles Two pawns down and every piece pointed at the middle. This is what the gambit was for.
2. 7… Nf6 Developing
3. 8. Ba3 The bishop to a3 It takes castling away from Black for the whole game, which is why the king ends up walking.
4. 8… Bb6 The bishop steps back
5. 9. Qb3 The queen to b3 Two pieces on f7, and the king with no way to get off the middle file.
6. 9… d5 d5, in the centre
7. 10. exd5 Taken
8. 10… Na5 The knight goes for the queen
9. 11. Re1+ Check, down the file
10. 11… Be6 Blocked with the bishop The only piece that can interpose, and it is now the only thing standing between the pawn on d5 and f7.
11. 12. dxe6 The pawn takes the bishop And leaves the queen on b3 to be taken. The pawn on e6 is worth more than she is: it is one square from f7 and it comes with check.
12. 12… Nxb3 The queen, taken

The king walks

1. 13. exf7+ The pawn takes f7, with check A pawn on the seventh rank, giving check, with the king unable to take it because the bishop on c4 is watching f7.
2. 13… Kd7 The king steps out
3. 14. Be6+ Check, from e6
4. 14… Kc6 Kc6
5. 15. Ne5+ Check, from e5
6. 15… Kb5 Kb5 — the fifth rank
7. 16. Bc4+ Check, from c4
8. 16… Ka5 Ka5
9. 17. Bb4+ Check, from b4 The bishop that stopped Black castling on move eight, still doing it — this is its first move since.
10. 17… Ka4 Ka4 — the last square Five moves ago this king was on e8 with a full set of pieces around him. Every one of them is still on the other side of the board.

Double check by a pawn

1. 18. axb3# Checkmate, by the a-pawn It takes the knight on b3, and the rook that has stood on a1 since the first move gives check down the file it just left. Two checks at once: the bishops cover b5, b3, a5 and a3, and there is nothing that answers both.