1 Rd8+ Kf7 (or 1 ... Kh7 2 Rh8#) 2 Rf8# is a typical mating pattern well worth remembering.
Anastasia’s Mate
1 Ne7+ Kh8 2 Rxh7+ Kxh7 3 Rh5#
(The name comes from W. Heinse’s novel Anastasia and chess (1803), in which this mate is recorded.)
Here the continuation ends with a typical mating pattern with a rook and pawn.
1 Qg5 Kh8 2 Qh6 Rg8 3 Qxh7+ Kxh7 4 Rh1#
‘Blind swine’
If it is White’s move, he mates with 1 Rg7+, 2 Rh7+, and 3 Rbg7#. If Black is to move and plays 1 ... Rfd8, White can neither force mate or even win. That is to say, after 2 Rg7+ Kh8 3 Rh7+ Kg8 4 Rbg7+ Kf8 5 Rb7, Black simply plays 5 ... Kg8, ‘questioning’ the white rook and countering the threat of mate. (It depends of course on the distribution of the other pieces whether White can in fact win. In this position he can easily mate if he has a pawn on h4, for he plays 6 h5 followed by 7 h6, 8 Rbg7+, and 9 Rh8# – a mate which is worth remembering. In this line Black’s pawn on f6 is actually a help to White. If it were not there, Black could get a draw after 6 h5 by playing 6 ... Ra6!.
The pair of rooks which ‘grunt out check’ on the seventh rank but cannot get a sight of mate were once nicknamed ‘blind swine’ by Janowski.
An acquaintance with typical mating patterns is extremely useful when making a quick survey of the board in an actual game. The addition of further material to the position can be especially useful, for then one can see which changes help to prevent mate and which enrich the mating patterns in new situations.
Less usual mating patterns
Of the large number of less usual, and even exotic, mating patterns, I have chosen ones which bear some nickname or which can easily be given one.
Epaulette Mate
The epaulettes are, of course, the two black rooks on the king’s shoulders. The next mate also gets its name from its outward appearance.
‘Swallow’s tail’
Pawn Mate
1 g6 Bg8 2 g7#. On 1 g6 Kg8 2 Qxh7+ Kf8 we get yet another mating pattern with 3 g7+ Kf7 4 g8Q# (mate with two queens).
1 Nxf7+ Kg8 2 Nh6# or 1 Ng6+ Kg8 2 Ne7#
Mate with Two Bishops
1 Be6 d4 2 Bh2 and 3 Be5#
This could also be called Rubinstein’s mate, after the famous game Rotlewi-Rubinstein, in which mate with two bishops was the basic motif of the attack.
‘Boden’s Mate’
This position is from the game Schulder-Boden, London 1853, in which the following mate with two bishops was recorded for the first time; it is not uncommon after castling queenside. Black plays: 1 ... Qxc3+! 2 bxc3 Ba3#
JN: In the original book this example was incorrectly given as Macdonell-Boden, 1869, and Black’s rook on e8 was missing.
‘Pillsbury’s Mate’
1 Rxg7+ Kh8 2 Rg8+! Kxg8 3 Rg1+ and mate.
This is really a variation on Morphy’s mate, contrived in such a way that it is the rook which mates and not the bishop, which is under attack from Black’s rook.
‘Legall’s Mate’
Legall was Philidor’s teacher and this position arose in the game Legall-St Brie, Paris 1750. The moves leading up to the diagram were 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 Bc4 Bg4 4 Nc3 g6? and Legall now played: 5 Nxe5! Bxd1? (5 ... Be6 would have been better) 6 Bxf7+ Ke7 7 Nd5#. (This is of course a case of an attack before castling, but the example is given here for purely practical reasons.)
The next mate is similar to Greco’s, but differs in that the attacker (here Black) opens the h-file not only for his opponent but also for himself. It arose in the game Anderssen-Max Lange, Breslau 1859, after 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nd4 4 Nxd4 exd4 5 Bc4 Nf6 6 e5 d5 7 Bb3 Bg4 8 f3 Ne4 9 0-0 d3 10 fxg4?
JN: 10 Qe1! would have favoured White.
‘Max Lange’s Mate’
Play proceeded as follows: 10 ... Bc5+ 11 Kh1 Ng3+ 12 hxg3 Qg5 13 Rf5 h5! and now if 14 Rxg5, then 14 ... hxg4+ and mate; in the game White played 14 gxh5 but resigned after 14 ... Qxf5 15 g4 Qf2 0-1
The next position arose in the game Réti-Tartakower, Vienna 1910, after 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nf6 5 Qd3 e5 6 dxe5 Qa5+ 7 Bd2 Qxe5 8 0-0-0 Nxe4
‘Réti’s mate’
The game concluded: 9 Qd8+ Kxd8 10 Bg5+ Kc7 (or 10 ... Ke8 11 Rd8#) 11 Bd8#
‘Blackburne’s Mate’
For this mate the attacker needs three minor pieces (two bishops and a knight) and usually a queen as well, which is sacrificed.
1 Qh1 h5 2 Qxh5! gxh5 3 Bh7#. This mating pattern is named after Blackburne, who was the first to mate in this way.
5 Focal-points
The series of examples examined in the chapter on mating patterns has given us a good idea of the difficulties a defender encounters when his forces (especially the pawns in front of his castled king) are poorly placed and when the attacker’s one aim is to fill the various ‘holes and cracks’ in the weakened enemy defences with his own pieces and thus obtain an even tighter grip. It follows from this that the squares in the immediate vicinity of the king, where the drama of the mating attack usually reaches its climax, play a special role. If the attacker threatens mate or actually mates on these squares, they are mating focal-points, but if he only harries the king from them or uses them as points from which to break into the castled position, they are called strategic or auxiliary focal-points. It may be that there is more than one mating focal-point, and in that case we speak of compound focal-points. It there are many focal-points (both mating and strategic) on squares of the same colour, we speak of a network of weak squares.
Generally speaking, every focal-point is a weak square in the defender’s territory and a potentially strong one for the attacker. In addition to the focal-points there are also other squares in the castling area which have a specific function, e.g. blocked squares, particularly those occupied by the defender’s pawns, and also any weak squares on which the attacker can safely post his pieces.
As an illustration of this, take the following position (which we have already seen earlier). Here we have the following scheme:
* mating squares: g8 and f8;
* mating focal-points: h7 and h8;
* auxiliary focal-point: h7 (after Black parries mate by ... Be7)
* attacker’s strong squares: f7, g6 and h7;
* blocked squares: g7 and later e7.
The focal-point at g7
As usual, when referring to specific squares we assume that White is the attacker. It is understood that if Black is the attacker, then the discussion applies equally to the square g2.
The most important focal-points where castling kingside is concerned are g7 and h7, since these squares are more accessible to the attacker than the others in the castling area. Of the two, h7 is the more frequent object of attack (since it comes under fire from the bishop operating from d3, a natural point of development, while the king’s knight can reach g5, for example, more easily than f5 or h5). However, attacks against g7 are the more dangerous. The reasons for this are very simple: the queen can mate more easily from g7 than h7 (owing to the king’s ability to flee to f8), but as well as this, a weakness on g7 usually brings with it two more on f6 and h6, while one on h7 generally only entails a single extra one at g6. Every player of any experience is well acquainted with this fact and knows that ... g6 involves a greater weakening than ... h6. On the other hand, h7 is usually harder to defend than g7, which the king’s bishop can support in two ways (from f8 or f6).
The next position illustrates a typical example of an action against the square g7:
White, to play, has excellent prospects for an attack on g7. His knight is already observing the square, while his queen and bishop are in a position to threaten it in one move. An extremely useful point is the fact that the queen has the choice of attacking from either c3 or g3. Nevertheless, the situation is not quite as simple as that, and White must be prepared to sacrifice his bishop on h6 if he is to obtain a winning position; by simply playing 1 Qg3 White would only gain a relatively small advantage, e.g. 1 ... g6 2 Bg5 Q
c5 3 Nf6+ Bxf6 4 Bxf6, when Black can counter with 4 ... h6 followed by ... Kh7. Only 1 Bh6! guarantees complete success; the main reason why it is better to move the bishop rather than the queen is that in order to attack g7 the bishop has only the one move to h6, whereas the queen has a choice between c3 and g3. Thus the bishop enters the fray first, while the queen waits to see which will be better, depending on Black’s reply. Thus:
1 Bh6! g6
If 1 ... gxh6, then 2 Qc3 f6 (if 2 ... Bf8, then 3 Nf6+ leads to a quick conclusion) 3 Qg3+ Bg4 (otherwise the queen mates on g7) 4 Qxg4+ Kf7 5 Qg7+ Ke6 6 Nf4+ Kd7 7 Nd5 followed by 8 Nxf6+. In this variation the queen is most effective if it goes first to c3 and then to g3.
If 1 ... Bf8, then White plays 2 Bxg7 Bxg7 3 Qg3 Kf8 4 Qxg7+ Ke7 5 Qg5+ Kf8 6 Rd3 or 6 Nf6.
2 Qc3 f6 3 Nxf6+ and White wins, for after 3 Nxf6+ Bxf6 4 Qxf6 Black has no defence against mate on g7.
In order not to be unfair to Black, who tends to suffer in books such as this, here are some actual cases where White came to grief on the analogous square g2.
This position arose in the game Coria-Capablanca, Buenos Aires 1914. Black, to move, attacks g2:
1 ... Bh3! 2 Ne3 Bxg2 3 Nf5
White played this in desperation; if 3 Nxg2 Qg5 4 f3, Black plays 4 ... Nh3+ and wins White’s queen – a typical trick in positions such as this.
3 ... Bxe4 4 Ng3 Nh3#
This position is taken from Field-Tenner, New York 1933. It is Black’s move.
1 ... Nf4 2 Nxe4 Qh3! 0-1
The attack on g2, with its threat of mate, is carried on regardless. White resigned since he sees that 2 ... Qh3 3 gxh3 is followed by 3 ... Nxh3#
JN: It is interesting to note that White cannot save himself, even with another second move, e.g. 2 Nd3 Ne2+ 3 Kh1 Bxg2+ 4 Kxg2 Qf3+ 5 Kh3 exd3 6 Qd2 g5 or 2 Qe3 Nxg2 3 Qd2 Nf4.
The following position arose in the game
Boleslavsky-Ufimtsev, Semi-finals USSR Championship, Omsk 1944 .
The Soviet master and geologist Ufimtsev, playing Black, overcame his great opponent as follows:
1 ... Ne4! 2 Qa5
After 2 Bxb6 Nxd2 White cannot play 3 Nxd2 because of the attack on g2, so he would lose either his bishop on b6 or his knight on f3.
2 ... Rhg8 3 Ne1
Not 3 Bxb6 because of 3 ... Rxg2+ 4 Kh1 Rxh2+ 5 Nxh2 Nxf2#.
3 ... Rxg2+ 4 Nxg2 Nd2! 5 Qd5
Black threatens 5 ... Rxg2+ 6 Kh1 Rxh2+ 7 Kg1 Rh1#. If 5 f3, then 5 ... Qxe3+ wins.
5 ... Bxd5 6 cxd5 Qxb2 7 Bxd2 Qxa1 8 Bf3 Bxh2+ 0-1
White has escaped being mated, but has to surrender owing to the great material losses he has suffered.
The next two games illustrate the attack on the castled king, with g2 (or g7) as the focal-point.
Vygodchikov - Alekhine
Correspondence Game, 1908/9
Ruy Lopez
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Bc5
The Møller Variation, against which White can gain a slight advantage by playing 6 c3. In continuing 6 Nxe5, as he does here, White makes the defence somewhat easier for Black.
6 Nxe5 Nxe5 7 d4 Nxe4! 8 Re1 Be7 9 Rxe4 Ng6 10 Nc3?!
10 c4 is stronger.
10 ... 0-0 11 Nd5 Bd6 12 Qf3 f5?
Instead of this weak move, correct is 12 ... b5! 13 Bb3 Bb7 with the better prospects for Black.
13 Bb3! Kh8
Alekhine now has an inferior position. 13 ... fxe4 is impossible because of 14 Ne7+ Kh8 15 Nxg6+ and 16 Qh3+.
14 Re2 f4
15 c4?
The beginning of a bad plan. It admittedly brings White material gains but at the same time exposes him to a relentless attack on his castled position. Correct was 15 Bd2 c6 (after 15 ... Nh4 16 Qh5 f3 White can happily reply 17 Re4) 16 Bb4! Bxb4 17 Nxb4 d5 18 Rae1 and White has the advantage.
JN: Vuković’s line loses a piece after 17 ... a5 18 Nd3 a4 19 Bc4 d5, so the move actually played is probably best.
15 ... c6 16 c5?
A further mistake. 16 Nc3 would have been preferable.
16 ... Bb8 17 Nb6 d5!
Now all Black’s pieces come into play except the rook, and this Alekhine logically gives up, for he does not need it.
18 Nxa8 Nh4
19 Qc3
If 19 Qh5 then 19 ... g6 20 Qh6 Bg4 threatening both 21 ... Bxe2 and 21 ... Nf5.
JN: Alekhine gave 19 Qh5 g6 20 Qh6 Nf5 followed by 21 ... Nxd4 in his notes. Indeed, after Vuković’s 20 ... Bg4, White may play 21 Re5! Bxe5 22 dxe5, threatening 23 ... Bxf4, when Black’s attack collapses.
19 ... f3 20 Re5
In an attempt to contain Black’s attack, White gives back some of the extra material, but there is no longer any way out.
20 ... Bxe5 21 dxe5 Nxg2
Naturally, Black takes on g2 with the knight and not the pawn, 21 ... fxg2 for he does not want to block the square g2, which is to be the focal-point of the attack.
22 Qd4 Qd7 23 e6 Qxe6 24 Bd2 Qg6 25 Bc2
White gives up still more, but the destruction is not halted!
25 ... Qxc2 26 Kh1 Qg6 27 Rg1 Bh3 28 Nb6
28 ... Nf4
Black no longer plays for mate but instead simplifies to obtain a winning position.
29 Rxg6 Bg2+ 30 Rxg2 fxg2+ 31 Kg1 Ne2+ 32 Kxg2 Nxd4 0-1
Alekhine - Lasker
Zurich, 1934
Queen’s Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defence
1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Nf3 Be7 5 Bg5 Nbd7 6 e3 0-0 7 Rc1 c6 8 Bd3 dxc4 9 Bxc4 Nd5 10 Bxe7 Qxe7 11 Ne4
Alekhine’s move; it is equally as good as 11 0-0.
11 ... N5f6 12 Ng3 e5
12 ... Qb4+ 13 Qd2 Qxd2+ is sounder, with a queenless middlegame, which Capablanca drew as Black in seven games against Alekhine in their 1927 World Championship Match.
13 0-0 exd4
14 Nf5
This move is slightly weaker than the straightforward 14 exd4, which poses Black problems.
14 ... Qd8 15 N3xd4 Ne5 16 Bb3 Bxf5 17 Nxf5 Qb6
Unnecessarily misplacing the queen. Correct was 17 ... g6 18 Nd6 (or 18 Qd6 Re8) 18 ... Qe7, when Black can put up a good defence.
18 Qd6 Ned7 19 Rfd1 Rad8 20 Qg3
The decisive battle for the focal-point g7 begins.
20 ... g6 21 Qg5 Kh8
White threatened 22 Rd6; if 21 ... Qb5, then 22 Ne7+ Kg7 23 Qxb5 cxb5 24 Rc7 is in White’s favour.
22 Nd6 Kg7 23 e4!
A strong move, which not only prepares e5 but also clears the third rank so that White can bring a rook into the attack.
23 ... Ng8
This hastens the end, but 23 ... Ne8 was just as inadequate in view of 24 Nf5+ followed by 25 Qe7.
JN: 23 ... Ne8 24 Nxb7, winning a piece, is even more convincing.
24 Rd3! f6
If 24 ... h6, there follows the other variation of Alekhine’s elegant combination: 25 Nf5+ Kh7 26 Nxh6 f6 (or 26 ... Nxh6 27 Rh3) 27 Nf5! fxg5 28 Rh3+ mating.
25 Nf5+ Kh8 26 Qxg6! 1-0
Since 26 ... hxg6 is answered by 27 Rh3+ and mate.
A pointed end to a game which contained some typical manoeuvres in the struggle by the queen and knight for the focal-point g7.
Further examples of play against the focal-point g7 are contained in the chapter on fianchettoed positions.
The focal-point h7
While the attacker cannot easily target g7, the square h7 is often exposed to danger even in the opening stages of a game, although attacks based on h7 as a focal-point are generally not so dangerous as those aimed at g7. This important point has already been noted, together with the reason for it, i.e. the fact that the king can escape from g8 to f8, whereas to avoid the threat of the queen on g7 the king has to travel further (to e8 or e7). Because of this, the main task involved in attacks on the focal-point g7 is the ‘clearing’ of that square, while the possible escape of the king is a minor worry. In attacks on h7 the ‘clearing’ is usually the easier task, while the attacker’s main preoccupation is to stop the king escaping; this means essentially that be should have a new focal-point
in view, if the attack is to be successful. In other words, the possible escape of the king turns the primary focal-point h7 into a secondary one, so that a new, real focal-point becomes necessary. It is worth keeping this important fact in mind, since in practice the majority of possible attacks on h7 founder precisely on the king’ s use of the simple defensive expedient of running away.
These factors, which apply to most attacks on h7, are well illustrated by the following example.
White, to move, begins with 1 Qb1!. Black’s queen has to guard the square e8, and so has only two replies:
1) 1 ... Qd7 2 Re7! (after 2 Rxe8+? Qxe8 3 Qh7+ Kf8 White’s attack comes to a dead end, since the black king has e7 to escape to) 2 ... Qxe7 (2 ... Rxe7 has the same effect; while if 2 ... Qd8, then 3 Qh7+ followed by 3 ... Kf8 4 Rxf7#) 3 Qh7+ Kf8 4 Qh8#;
2) 1 ... Qc6 2 d5 Qc8 3 Rxe8+ (this is all right now, but 3 Re7? would not do because of 3 ... Bxg5) 3 ... Qxe8 4 Qh7+ Kf8 5 d6, and Black cannot avoid mate next move by 6 Qh8#.
White’s combination, then, has two variations, and the point of each is to deprive Black’s king of an escape to e7, either by blocking it or playing d6. The square h7 appears here as a secondary focal-point, while the crucial factor in the combination is the mate when the king reaches f8.
Art of Attack in Chess Page 7