Thomas, Mated Again

The game, move by move

A Ruy Lopez, and knights everywhere

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. Bb5 The Ruy Lopez
6. 3… a6 a6 — the Morphy Defence
7. 4. Ba4 The bishop steps back
8. 4… Nf6 The knight out
9. 5. Nc3 The second knight
10. 5… b5 b5, gaining space
11. 6. Bb3 The bishop to b3
12. 6… d6 d6, solid
13. 7. Ng5 The knight to g5, at f7
14. 7… d5 d5 — a pawn given for the middle Rather than defending f7, Black opens the centre and lets a knight be taken there. Keres is playing for the position, not the pawn.
15. 8. Nxd5 Taken
16. 8… Nd4 The knight to d4, at the bishop
17. 9. Ne3 The knight to e3
18. 9… Nxb3 The bishop on b3, taken
19. 10. axb3 Recaptured — the pawns are doubled
20. 10… h6 h6, at the knight

Black castles long

1. 11. Nf3 The knight back to f3
2. 11… Nxe4 The pawn on e4, taken The knight lands on e4 and it goes on from there to g5 and then to h3, where the game is decided.
3. 12. Nxe5 The knight takes e5
4. 12… Qf6 The queen to f6, at it
5. 13. Nf3 Back to f3
6. 13… Bb7 The bishop to b7 — the long diagonal It never moves off it, and on move twenty-three it takes on g2 to open the way to the king.
7. 14. Qe2 The queen to e2
8. 14… O-O-O Black castles long Onto the other wing, away from everything. Both rooks come to the middle and neither is needed for defence.
9. 15. O-O White castles short
10. 15… Bd6 The bishop to d6

The knight to h3

1. 16. Ng4 The knight to g4, at h6
2. 16… Qf5 The queen to f5
3. 17. d3 d3
4. 17… Ng5 The knight to g5 — one square to go
5. 18. Nh4 The knight to h4
6. 18… Qd5 The queen to d5
7. 19. c4 c4, at the queen
8. 19… Nh3+ The knight to h3, with check It is never taken and it never moves again. From h3 it covers g1 and f2, and g1 is the square that makes the last move a mate.
9. 20. Kh1 Kh1 — the corner The only square, and the one he is mated on twelve half-moves later.
10. 20… Qh5 The queen to h5

Mated on h1

1. 21. c5 c5, at the bishop
2. 21… Rhe8 The rook to e8
3. 22. Qc2 The queen to c2
4. 22… Qxh4 The knight on h4, taken
5. 23. cxd6 The pawn takes the bishop on d6 White wins a bishop back and it makes no difference: nothing on that side of the board can reach the corner in time.
6. 23… Bxg2+ The bishop takes g2, with check A bishop for the pawn in front of the king. It is the piece that has been aimed at that square since move fourteen.
7. 24. Kxg2 He has to take
8. 24… Qxg4+ The queen takes the knight, with check
9. 25. Kh1 Kh1 — back into the corner
10. 25… Qf3# Checkmate, on f3 The queen steps to f3 and covers g2. g1 is covered by the knight that came to h3 twelve half-moves ago; h2 is White’s own pawn. Two pieces, and one of them has not moved since move nineteen.