Chess Moves Explained

8/1/2019 Chess Moves Explained

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Edward Scimia, About.com Guide

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Opening Moves

All diagrams Ed Scimia, created

with Rybka 3In 1858,Paul Morphywas in the midst of his whirlwind tour of Europe, during which he woulddefeat nearly all of the greatest European players of the day. However, his most famous game

came against two amateurs working together against the American.

The game in question happened during an opera (many say it was The Barber of Seville), attendedby Morphy along with Duke Karl and Count Isouard in Paris. Morphy had White, with the

consultants taking Black.

1. e4

This was by far the most popular opening move of the 19th century, and remains extremelypopular today. White stakes a claim to the center, while opening lines of development for hiskingside bishop and queen.

1. ... e5
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While Black has many good responses to 1. e4, this classical move is simple and effective. Blackreestablishes symmetry, shows he plans to fight for the center, and opens lines for his pieces.

2. Nf3

This is White's best and most logical try for an advantage with the second move. White develops apiece with a threat -- if Black does nothing, White can capture the pawn on e5. Thus, Black mustrespond, rather than beginning his own plans. White has also moved closer to castling, andcontinued to fight for control of the center.

2. ... d6

Black defends the e5 pawn with another pawn. This particular opening is known as the PhilidorDefense. It is solid, but also passive -- which explains why it is rarely seen today. The e5 pawn issecure, but Black's kingside bishop is now hemmed in. More commonly, Black will develop a pieceby playing 2. ... Nc6, which also defends the e5 pawn.

3. d4

Morphy opens a fight for the center by creating tension between the pawns on d4 and e5. This alsoopens more lines for White's pieces -- this time, the queenside bishop has been activated.

3. ... Bg4

This brings us to the diagrammed position on the next page.

The First Mistake

White to move after 3. ... Bg4
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3. ... Bg4?

Black's third move is often cited as the first mistake in this game, though it was commonly playedat the time. Black will lose time in order to avoid losing a pawn, which allows White to gain theinitiativeand a lead indevelopment.

4. dxe5

White happily grabs a pawn, knowing that Black cannot recapture with 4. ... dxe5, as this loses apawn due to 5. Qxd8+ Qxd8 6. Nxe5. Black has another option, however.

4. ... Bxf3

By first capturing the knight, Black threatens White's queen, forcing an immediate response ifWhite doesn't want to lose material.

5. Qxf3

White finishes the trade of knight for bishop. Taking with the queen develops a piece and issuperior to gxf3, which would ruin White's kingside pawn structure without developing anything.

5. ... dxe5

Black now recaptures the pawn, bringing back material equality.

6. Bc4

White develops another piece, giving him two developed pieces to Black's none. In addition, Whiteis developing with threats; he is threatening to play Qxf7#, a threat Black must answer.

6. ... Nf6?

This seems like a logical way to defend against the checkmate threat. Black develops a piece whilepreventing the White queen from being able to reach the f7 square. However, White has a verystrong reply.

7. Qb3

This takes us up to our next diagrammed position.

White Develops With Threats
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Black to move after 7. Qb3

7. Qb3

White moves the queen a second time in the opening. While it's usually not advisable to move thesame piece repeatedly in the first few moves, this maneuver creates two strong threats: the b7

and f7 pawns are both under attack, and Black has no way to defend both!

Both of these attacks threaten much more than a pawn, which makes them very dangerous.Losing the f7 pawn could lead to a mating attack; meanwhile, after Qxb7, Black's rook on a8 ishanging. Black must find a way to minimize the potential damage.

7. ... Qe7

The best move in a tough position (although the computer program Rybka 3 also gives thesurprising Bc5 as an option). This queen move directly protects f7, while also limiting White's gainsagain the b7 pawn. Should White play Qxb7, Black can reply with Qb4+, forcing a queen trade.

Unfortunately for Black, Qe7 prevents the bishop on f8 from moving, which in turn stops Blackfrom castling at a time when he'd prefer to get his king away from the center.

8. Nc3

Yes, Morphy could have won material by playing Qxb7 or Bxf7 (in the latter case, Black cannotplay Qxf7, as White's reply of Qxb7 now would win the a8 rook), and this material would havebeen sufficient to win the game.

However, Morphy preferred to concentrate on development, coordinating his pieces for a directassault on Black's king. White's better piece coordination and faster development forces Black to

stay on the defensive.
http://0.tqn.com/d/chess/1/0/f/0/-/-/After-White-7.jpg


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8. ... c6

Black uses his pawn to prevent White's knight from jumping into the b5 or d5 squares. This is thebest way to defend against an advancing knight -- use pawns to take away its potential forwardsquares.

9. Bg5

Pinningthe knight, which continues to keep Black's pieces undeveloped and badly coordinated.

9. ... b5

Black attempts to dislodge the White bishop, and brings us to our next diagram.

A Mistake by Black

White to move after 9. ... b5

9. ... b5?

Black was likely trying to relieve pressure on the f7 pawn by forcing White to retreat the bishop onc4. Moreover, White's retreat would cost atempo, allowing Black to begin catching up indevelopment.

Unfortunately for Black, Morphy instead found a way to continue his attack.

10. Nxb5!

A nice sacrifice that allows White to continuously keep the Black king under attack. The next

diagram shows the results of this sacrifice.
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The Black King Under Attack

Black to move after 10. Nxb5!

10. Nxb5!

Rather than find a safe square for his bishop, Morphy finds a way to continue his attack and open

lines to the Black king. If Black accepts the knight, White has a powerful attack.

10. ... cxb5?

This is the most logical move, but Qb4+ was better, as it forces the queens to come off the board.Of course, even without the queens, White would have a winning advantage; however, cxb5 ismuch worse for Black, as it exposes his king to attack.

11. Bxb5+

White claims a second pawn for his knight, while also forcing Black to respond to a check.

11. ... Nbd7

The most reasonable way to block White's check. Kd8 was also possible, but it's hard to justify

moving your king into an area where so many pieces will be able to attack it.

12. 0-0-0

Building Pressure
http://0.tqn.com/d/chess/1/0/h/0/-/-/After-White-10.jpg


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Black to move after 12. 0-0-0

12. 0-0-0

Whilecastlingis normally seen as a defensive move, White's king was in no danger here. Instead,Morphy used castling as an offensive weapon, as he now has a rook placed on the open d-file,

placing even more pressure on Black's d7 knight.

It's worth noting that this move is stronger than playing Rd1. While the moves initially looksimilar, castling has the advantage of connecting White's rooks. If White had played Rd1, his kingwould still prevent the h1 rook from moving to the d-file. This small difference actually has asignificant impact on White's attack.

12. ... Rd8

Black tries his best to hold the position, protecting his vulnerable knight.

13. Rxd7

White captures the knight. Weaker players often take with the least valuable piece they havewithout taking the position into consideration, but in this case, capturing with the rook is a farbetter move than Bxd7+. By leaving the bishop on the board, White will continue to apply pins andpressure the Black king after Black recaptures.

13 ... Rxd7

Black's only reasonable move is to take the rook and hope his defense holds up.

14. Rd1
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This move shows why 12. 0-0-0 was much better than 12. Rd1. Now White can continue to beardown on Black's position and tie up his pieces.

A comparison of the two armies is telling. Every White piece is in an attacking position, whileBlack's pieces are pinned, blocked, or otherwise immobile.

14. ... Qe6

Black attempts to free his pieces somewhat, and brings us to our next diagram.

Black Gets Desperate

joWhite to move after 14. ... Qe6

14. ... Qe6

This move is an attempt to free the f6 knight and the f8 bishop. Black is desperate to get someactivity for his pieces, which have been trapped nearly the entire game.

While White may appear to be down a rook, the fact that Black's kingside rook and bishop haven'tentered the game effectively means that White is playing with more material than Black, not less.

15. Bxd7+

A 0clearly winning move for White, as Black's defense crumbles.

15. ... Nxd7

This move leads to our next diagram, and a stunning conclusion to the game. First, though, we

should look at what happens after Black's other try.
http://0.tqn.com/d/chess/1/0/j/0/-/-/After-Black-14.jpg


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If Black plays Qxd7, he avoids getting mated, but will find himself in a completely lost position.White's best line is 16. Qb8+ Ke7 17. Qxe5+ Kd8 18. Bxf6+ gxf6 19. Qxf6+ Ke8 20. Qe5+ Kd821. Qxh8 Qxd1+ 22. Kxd1, with a simple win. It's a long line, but one worth playing out on aboard if you cannot follow it in your head. Notice how Black's moves are all nearly forced; if Black

isn't careful, he can easily be mated.

A Stunning Mate

White to move after 15. ... Nxd7

15. ... Nxd7

Black attempts to hold on to his material advantage, but he misses a beautiful sacrifice that leadsto mate.

16. Qb8+!

Normally, sacrificing your queen is not recommended! On the other hand, the king is a muchbigger target than the queen, and this move leads to a forced checkmate.

16. ... Nxb8

Capturing the queen is the only way to avoidcheckmate.

17. Rd8#

Black is checkmated; the king cannot capture White's rook, which is protected by the bishop on

g5. The final position can be seen on the next page.

The Final Position
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Final position

The Opera House Game's final position leaves a strong impression. By a simple material count,White is "losing" badly, but his remaining two pieces are perfectly coordinated to delivercheckmate.

This is a microcosm of the game as a whole. Morphy skillfully developed and coordinated his army,while simultaneously preventing Black from ever mobilizing his army through the use of pins andconstant threats.

It is common for beginners to dismiss the importance of concepts such as development, initiativeand piece coordination in favor of seeking a material advantage. However, players of all levelsshould try to keep these factors in mind, as they can easily be worth more than a pawn or two. Infact, grabbing the initiative and gaining a lead in development to start a strong attack is often an

even better strategy for amateur players than for professionals; weaker players are less likely toproperly defend against a riskygambit, making the attack worth far more than a pawn or two.
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