The King Taken to h3

The game, move by move

A French Sicilian

1. 1. e4 King’s pawn
2. 1… c5 The Sicilian
3. 2. Nf3 The knight out
4. 2… e6 e6
5. 3. Nc3 The second knight
6. 3… a6 a6
7. 4. Be2 Be2
8. 4… Nc6 The knight out
9. 5. d4 d4
10. 5… cxd4 Taken
11. 6. Nxd4 The knight recaptures
12. 6… Qc7 The queen to c7
13. 7. O-O White castles
14. 7… Nf6 Nf6
15. 8. Be3 The bishop to e3
16. 8… Be7 Be7
17. 9. f4 f4 — the pawn that opens it It goes to f4 and then f5, and everything after that happens on the file it leaves behind.
18. 9… d6 d6
19. 10. Kh1 Kh1, tucking away
20. 10… O-O Black castles Onto g8, and twenty-two moves later this king is standing on h3.

f5 and the queen to h3

1. 11. Qe1 The queen to e1
2. 11… Nxd4 The knights come off on d4
3. 12. Bxd4 The bishop recaptures
4. 12… b5 b5
5. 13. Qg3 The queen to g3
6. 13… Bb7 Bb7 — the long diagonal It takes on g2 at the very end and it is the one piece Black gets any use out of.
7. 14. a3 a3
8. 14… Rad8 The rook to d8
9. 15. Rae1 The rook to e1
10. 15… Rd7 Rd7
11. 16. Bd3 The bishop to d3
12. 16… Qd8 The queen to d8
13. 17. Qh3 The queen to h3 Onto the diagonal that ends at c8 and the file that ends at h7. She checks on h7 nine moves later and the king cannot go back.
14. 17… g6 g6, holding f5
15. 18. f5 f5 anyway
16. 18… e5 e5, blocking the bishop
17. 19. Be3 The bishop back to e3
18. 19… Re8 The rook to e8
19. 20. fxg6 The pawns come off on g6
20. 20… hxg6 Recaptured — and the file is open

A rook on f7, and the king comes out

1. 21. Nd5 The knight to d5 — offered
2. 21… Nxd5 Taken
3. 22. Rxf7 The rook takes f7 — the first piece A rook for a pawn on a square the king must take: everything else loses the queen on d8.
4. 22… Kxf7 Kxf7 — one
5. 23. Qh7+ Check from h7
6. 23… Ke6 Ke6 — two
7. 24. exd5+ The pawn takes d5, with check
8. 24… Kxd5 Kxd5 — three, and a pawn taken
9. 25. Be4+ The bishop to e4, with check — the second piece A bishop offered on e4 so that the king has to take it and stand in the middle of the board on move twenty-five.
10. 25… Kxe4 Kxe4 — four A black king on e4. He has taken a rook, a pawn and a bishop, and Wei Yi has a queen, a rook and a bishop left.
11. 26. Qf7 The queen to f7
12. 26… Bf6 Bf6, trying to cover

From e4 to h3

1. 27. Bd2+ Check from d2
2. 27… Kd4 Kd4
3. 28. Be3+ Check from e3
4. 28… Ke4 Ke4 — back again
5. 29. Qb3 The queen to b3
6. 29… Kf5 Kf5
7. 30. Rf1+ The rook to f1, with check
8. 30… Kg4 Kg4
9. 31. Qd3 The queen to d3
10. 31… Bxg2+ The bishop takes g2, with check Black takes a pawn with the bishop that has stood on b7 since move thirteen. It is the only counterplay he gets in the whole game.
11. 32. Kxg2 The king takes it back
12. 32… Qa8+ Check from a8
13. 33. Kg1 Kg1
14. 33… Bg5 Bg5
15. 34. Qe2+ Check from e2
16. 34… Kh4 Kh4
17. 35. Bf2+ Check from f2
18. 35… Kh3 Kh3 — the third rank A black king on h3 on move thirty-five, with a white king on g1 two squares away.
19. 36. Be1 Be1 — and Black resigned Not a check. The bishop steps back to e1 and covers g3 and h4, which are the only two squares the king on h3 has, and there is no way to stop mate next. Bruzón had forty legal moves in the position, which is what a king hunt looks like when it finishes rather than mates.