EXAMPLE VI. THE SECOND ESSAY CONTINUED FROM THE TWENTY-SECOND COUPLET.
Reading edition
COUPLET 23.
W. The queen at her knight’s 3d square.
B. The knight at his rook’s 3d square.(a)
24.
W. The bishop at the black queen’s 4th.(b)
B. Queen’s knight’s pawn 1 square.(c)
25.
W. King’s bishop’s pawn 1 square.(d)
B. Queen’s rook’s pawn 2 squares.
(a) His standing before the pawns on this side is of no consequence, as their only use will be to obstruct the white ones: those on the other side are what this player must expect to promote. The only other way of preserving this knight, moving the black queen to the 1st rank, would have been a bad step.
(b) He would have been safe before the black queen; but by thus threatening check-mate he gains a move, and is in a better position.
(c) The king must not only not move into check himself, but no piece must move so as to expose him to it; therefore, if, instead of this, the bishop’s pawn had moved a square, the white bishop might have taken his assailant with security.
(d) To keep the black knight from checking the king. Had this pawn been moved further, the black knight, at the white knight’s 4th house, supported by the black queen and rook’s pawn, would have totally obstructed him and his companions.
26.
W. Queen’s rook’s pawn 2 squares.
B. Rook at his king’s bishop’s square.(e)
27.
W. The king at his rook’s 3d square.(f)
B. Knight at his bishop’s 2d square.(g)
28.
W. King’s knight’s pawn 1 square.
B. Knight at his king’s 4th square.
(e) As, from the impendence of the white queen and bishop, the protection of both the knight and the rook is necessary to the pawns on the other side, moving forward with safety, this player is about to transfer them there.
(f) To sustain the rook’s pawn when that of the knight advances.
(g) He could not get to the square he is going to without first coming here: to protect him in this first stage of his gambit[24], was the chief reason of placing the rook where he is.
29.
W. Knight at the black king’s knight’s 4th square.(h)
B. King’s rook’s pawn 1 square.
30.
W. Knight at the black king’s 3d square.
B. Rook at the queen’s bishop’s 1st square.
31.
W. King’s bishop’s pawn 1 square.(i)
B. Knight at his queen’s 2d square.
(h) He moved to save the king’s bishop’s pawn, now amply protected. The pieces are so arranged, you see, that if the black player was to begin exchanging, the white one would have the last capture. At the time of observing (g) the reverse was the case.
(i) Pawns, as they are pushed on, increase in value. Of a set of pawns, one at least of which you are striving to promote, neither should, if possible, be moved without having a piece as guardian, should no enemy at the moment be at hand; for a sudden occurrence, the same which may prevent you from providing for his safety, may bring an adversary in a position to command him. But though this pawn, as thus moved, is in the predicament of having no support, it would have been still worse to have stirred any other; if the rook’s pawn had advanced a square, the knight’s pawn of the blacks, by advancing two squares, might have completely blockaded all three. A circumspect resiler from enterprise, instead of moving either, would have placed the king behind the knight’s pawn.
32.
W. Knight at his queen’s 4th square.(k)
B. Queen at the king’s bishop’s 3d square.(l)
33.
W. The knight gives check.
B. The king at the rook’s square.
34.
W. The knight at the black king’s 2d square discovering check.
B. The bishop’s pawn covers the check.
35.
W. The knight takes the rook.
B. The pawn takes the bishop.
36.
W. The queen takes the pawn and gives check.
B. The king removes.
(k) This more than prevents the black pawn’s being advanced upon the bishop.
(l) She could not do better. If the black bishop’s pawn had been moved against the bishop, the white knight would have taken him. If the rook had taken the knight, the bishop would then have taken the rook. Combinations, such as these, may be carried to a great extent, and very much try the skill of the player.
37.
W. Queen takes the knight.
B. Queen at the white queen’s bishop’s 3d square, giving check.(m)
38.
W. King at his rook’s 2d square.
B. The queen takes the knight.
39.
W. The queen takes the queen.
B. The king takes the queen.
40.
W. King’s bishop’s pawn 1 square.
B. Queen’s knight’s pawn 1 square.(n)
Variation.
(m) This queen takes the king’s bishop’s pawn.
38.
The white knight takes the pawn.
The black queen at the white king’s 3d square, giving check.
39.
The white king removes.
The black queen takes the knight.
40.
The white queen takes the pawn—and so on.
The result is, as it will be of the present way
of moving, that the black king is check-mated.
(n) Nothing better could be done than to offer this. Paradoxical as it may seem to the unpractised reader, if the three pawns on the queen’s side of the board were entirely away, the player of the blacks would be better off. By moving his king to intercept the white ones, and by judiciously managing his own, he might then, and the other could not help it, so exchange one for one, that to the white king and single pawn left, his own would at length stand opposed in the manner described at the end of Section xxx; the consequence of which would be, that the adversary, to avoid a stale, would resign his pawn, content neither to beat nor be beaten. But, circumstanced as he now is, the player of the blacks would be soonest check-mated on the interception plan. We will suppose him to have gone upon it, and to have arrived at the point just mentioned. The white king instead of surrendering his pawn, closely supports him, leaving the black king without a move, and, but for having other pieces, in a stale. Then follows the move at which we are pausing. The white pawn takes the pawn, and leaves the black queen’s rook’s a free passage. The white pawn gets to the promotion line a move before his rival, and at the moment of doing so, gives check-mate.
41.
W. King’s knight’s pawn 1 square.(o)
B. The queen’s knight’s pawn takes the pawn.
(o) It is better now to lose a pawn than a move. If the queen’s rook’s pawn were to take the black one, the other player would make a queen first; for the black queen’s rook’s pawn having then nothing to interrupt him, would be virtually a move before either of the other white ones; and as to the capturing pawn, then in the knight’s file, the black king need not lose the time of one step to keep him from promotion.
42.
W. King’s bishop’s pawn 1 square.
B. The king’s knight’s pawn takes the pawn.
43.
W. The pawn takes the king’s rook’s pawn.
B. The queen’s knight’s pawn 1 square.
44.
W. The king’s knight’s pawn 1 square.
B. The queen’s knight’s pawn 1 square.
45.
W. The pawn becomes a queen, and gives check.
B. The king at his queen’s knight’s 2d square.
46.
W. The queen takes the pawn.
B. The queen’s rook’s pawn 1 square.
47.
W. The queen at her knight’s 2d square.
B. The king moves obliquely to his right.
Though at the risk of dividing the reader’s attention, we have been fuller on the part just preceding, in order that it may serve as a precedent for cases not exactly similar. The moves after this, however, will require no remark from us.
48.
W. The queen takes the pawn.
B. The king moves to support his remaining pawn.
49.
W. The queen at her rook’s 3d.
B. The king where he can support the pawn without being checked.
50, &c.
When the queen made the last capture, the game was virtually ended. If, however, the player of the blacks is obstinate enough still to continue it, the following is the most summary way of mating him.
From 50 to 54, the white king crosses toward his queen, the black king in the mean time regrading in the same two squares, so as to prevent the queen, who remains inactive, from taking his pawn: 55, (the white king being at his queen’s bishop’s 3d square) the queen gives check; the king removes: 56 to the end, the queen takes the pawn, and in concert with her king, effects the check-mate.
EXAMPLE VII.
A SECOND BACK-GAME TO EXAMPLE V. TAKEN UP AFTER THE 24th COUPLET OF EXAMPLE VI. pa. 85.
COUPLET 25.
W. King’s bishop’s pawn 1 square.
B. The knight at the bishop’s 4th square.
26.
W. The king at his rook’s 3d square.(a)
B. The knight at the white queen’s 4th.(b)
27.
W. Queen at her own 3d square.(c)
B. Queen at her king’s 4th square.(d)
28.
W. Knight at his queen’s bishop’s 3d.(e)
B. Queen’s bishop’s pawn 1 square.
(a) Combining with his knight’s, in support of his rook’s pawn.
(b) Instead of supporting his right hand pawns from behind, as he did in the last game, in order to advance them against the white queen and bishop—a plan that was found unsuccessful—this player is now endeavouring to remove the white queen and bishop in the first instance.
(c) To save herself and the pawn.
(d) Chiefly to preserve her knight.
(e) To protect the bishop.
29.
W. King’s bishop’s pawn 1 square.
B. Queen at her king’s bishop’s 3d.
30.
W. The bishop at his king’s 4th square.
B. King’s rook’s pawn 1 square.(f)
31.
W. Queen at the square of her king’s bishop.(g)
B. Queen’s knight’s pawn 1 square.
32.
W. King’s bishop’s pawn 1 square.
B. The king at his queen’s knight’s 2d.(h)
33.
W. Queen at her king’s bishop’s 4th.
B. The king at his queen’s knight’s 3d.
(f) Pawns, whose only use is obstruction, can seldom promote their object by moving forwards[25]—and therefore, while there is any thing to do in another quarter, they should in general only be moved, as this has been now, for self-preservation.
(g) To support the bishop’s pawn in his next move.
(h) In employing only the king to escort his pawns, to which he is at present adequate—and reserving his rook as an ambuscaded check to the advancement of the white ones—this player pursues an eligible policy.
34.
W. Queen at her king’s knight’s 4th.(i)
B. Queen’s rook’s pawn 2 squares.
35.
W. Queen at the black king’s rook’s 4th square.
B. Queen’s rook’s pawn 1 square.
36.
W. King’s knight’s pawn 1 square.
B. The king at his queen’s rook’s 4th.
37.
W. King’s knight’s pawn 1 square.
B. The same.(k)
(i) The white pawns are very critically situated, for they can hardly move without committing themselves. Had the knight’s advanced a square, and his immediate opponent two squares, an uncompensated loss would have been inevitable; so that this move of the queen, though not the most obvious, is, perhaps, the best that could be made.
(k) This is far better than moving the queen away. When one is sure of promoting a pawn before the adversary—if an occasion of exchanging queen for queen does not offer, it ought to be sought—that the preponderance which the promoted pawn will give, may be as great as possible.
38.
W. Queen takes the pawn of the black knight.(l)
B. The queen takes the queen.
39.
W. The pawn takes the queen.
B. The king’s rook’s pawn takes the knight’s.
40.
W. The bishop at his queen’s 3d square.(m)
B. Queen’s knight’s pawn 1 square.
41.
W. The knight at his king’s 4th.
B. Queen’s knight’s pawn 1 square.
42.
W. Queen’s rook’s pawn takes the pawn.
B. Queen’s rook’s pawn 1 square.(n)
(l) This, and not the reverse, that his pawns may not be doubled, or two in a file—which, had this player taken the queen, would have been the case. Doubling pawns is chiefly to be avoided, when, as here, there would be no pawn in an adjoining file: when there are others to support them, it is an evil so evanescent, that no sacrifice ought to be made to prevent it.
(m) To make way for the knight.
(n) If he had taken the pawn, the critical square would have been within the range of the white bishop.
43.
W. Knight at the black king’s bishop’s 3d.
B. Queen’s rook’s pawn 1 square.
44.
W. King’s knight’s pawn 1 square.
B. Rook takes the pawn of the white rook, and gives check.(o)
45.
W. The king at his knight’s 3d square.
B. The pawn becomes a queen.
46.
W. The pawn becomes a queen.
B. The queen at the white king’s knight’s square,
giving check-mate.
(o) The rook’s forbearing this capture thus long, is an exemplication of rule 21. If it had been material to prevent the white player from having a queen, this player would have detached the rook along his own rank to a square out of the knight’s reach; and on the white pawn’s becoming a queen, would have exchanged the rook for the queen.