The Windmill

The game, move by move

The Torre Attack

1. 1. d4 Queen’s pawn
2. 1… Nf6 The knight out
3. 2. Nf3 The second knight
4. 2… e6 e6
5. 3. Bg5 Bg5 — the Torre Attack The bishop out before the c-pawn, and it is named after the man playing it here. This bishop ends up on f6, which is where the game is won.
6. 3… c5 c5, at the centre
7. 4. e3 e3
8. 4… cxd4 Taken
9. 5. exd4 Recaptured
10. 5… Be7 Be7
11. 6. Nbd2 The knight to d2
12. 6… d6 d6
13. 7. c3 c3
14. 7… Nbd7 The last knight out
15. 8. Bd3 The bishop to d3
16. 8… b6 b6
17. 9. Nc4 The knight to c4
18. 9… Bb7 Bb7 On the long diagonal — and it is one of the pieces the windmill collects, taken on b7 with check on the third pass.
19. 10. Qe2 The queen to e2
20. 10… Qc7 The queen to c7
21. 11. O-O White castles
22. 11… O-O And Black

The bishop to f6

1. 12. Rfe1 The rook to e1
2. 12… Rfe8 The rook to e8
3. 13. Rad1 The second rook to d1
4. 13… Nf8 The knight back to f8
5. 14. Bc1 The bishop steps back to c1
6. 14… Nd5 The knight to d5
7. 15. Ng5 The knight to g5, at h7
8. 15… b5 b5, on the other wing
9. 16. Na3 The knight to a3
10. 16… b4 b4
11. 17. cxb4 Taken
12. 17… Nxb4 The knight takes b4
13. 18. Qh5 The queen to h5 Onto the square she is taken on. The whole combination is built on Black being able to take her — and on him not being able to keep her.
14. 18… Bxg5 The bishops come off on g5
15. 19. Bxg5 Recaptured
16. 19… Nxd3 The knight takes the bishop on d3
17. 20. Rxd3 The rook recaptures
18. 20… Qa5 The queen to a5
19. 21. b4 b4, at her
20. 21… Qf5 The queen to f5
21. 22. Rg3 The rook swings to g3 Onto the g-file, where it does nothing for eight half-moves and then takes on g7 with check.
22. 22… h6 h6, at the bishop
23. 23. Nc4 The knight back to c4
24. 23… Qd5 The queen to d5
25. 24. Ne3 The knight to e3, at the queen
26. 24… Qb5 The queen to b5
27. 25. Bf6 Bf6 — the move the windmill needs The bishop steps to f6, where it is attacked by a pawn and defended by nothing, and it does one thing: it covers g7. As long as it stands there the king cannot take a rook on that square.
28. 25… Qxh5 The queen takes the queen on h5 Lasker takes a whole queen. That is the price of the position, and it is paid back over the next twelve half-moves with interest.

The windmill

1. 26. Rxg7+ The rook takes g7, with check — the first pass A rook for a pawn, on a square the king cannot take because the bishop on f6 covers it. The king has one square.
2. 26… Kh8 Kh8 — forced
3. 27. Rxf7+ The rook takes f7 — with check again This is the mechanism: the rook steps off the seventh, the DISCOVERED check comes from the bishop on f6, and Black has to answer it. The rook takes a pawn on the way.
4. 27… Kg8 Kg8
5. 28. Rg7+ Back to g7, with check
6. 28… Kh8 Kh8
7. 29. Rxb7+ And the bishop on b7, with check The third pass and the biggest one: a bishop, taken with check, three files from where the rook started.
8. 29… Kg8 Kg8
9. 30. Rg7+ Back to g7 once more
10. 30… Kh8 Kh8
11. 31. Rg5+ Rg5+ — and off the rank at last The last pass. The rook leaves the seventh for good, and what it is going for is the queen on h5.
12. 31… Kh7 Kh7

A piece up, and converting

1. 32. Rxh5 The queen, taken back A queen, two pawns and a bishop for a queen. Torre is a piece and two pawns up and the windmill is over.
2. 32… Kg6 Kg6, at the rook
3. 33. Rh3 The rook steps to h3
4. 33… Kxf6 The king takes the bishop on f6
5. 34. Rxh6+ The pawn on h6, taken with check
6. 34… Kg5 Kg5
7. 35. Rh3 The rook back to h3
8. 35… Reb8 The rook to b8
9. 36. Rg3+ Check from g3
10. 36… Kf6 Kf6
11. 37. Rf3+ The rook to f3, with check
12. 37… Kg6 Kg6
13. 38. a3 a3, holding the pawn
14. 38… a5 a5
15. 39. bxa5 Taken
16. 39… Rxa5 The rook recaptures
17. 40. Nc4 The knight to c4, at the rook
18. 40… Rd5 The rook to d5
19. 41. Rf4 The rook to f4
20. 41… Nd7 The knight to d7
21. 42. Rxe6+ The pawn on e6, taken with check
22. 42… Kg5 Kg5
23. 43. g3 g3 — and Black resigned A pawn going one square, twelve moves after the windmill stopped. Lasker is a piece down with his king on g5 and no way to stop the h-pawn or the knight. Twenty-seven years a world champion, and he played this out to the point where nothing was left.