Ep. 7: The Championship

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Real Chess Corner

Edward Lasker vs George Thomas, London 1912: 1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 f5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Bxf6 Bxf6 6.e4 fxe4 7.Nxe4 b6 8.Ne5 O-O 9.Bd3 Bb7 10.Qh5 Qe7 11.Qxh7+!! Kxh7 12.Nxf6+ Kh6 13.Neg4+ Kg5 14.h4+ Kf4 15.g3+ Kf3 16.Be2+ Kg2 17.Rh2+ Kg1 18.Kd2#. One of the most famous king hunts ever: the black king walks from g8 all the way to g1!

Why it works: After the queen sacrifice, almost every White move is a check, so Black never gets time to defend. The king is dragged out of its shelter and into White's camp. (Some books give the last move as 18.O-O-O# - that's mate too.)

Lesson: Count the checks! A long run of checks can be worth more than a queen - so keep some defenders near your king.

Second place at a championship is still a big W. But Maya can't shake a funny feeling...

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