CHE S S

Easy Steps to Play Your Best Game

CH E S S
Claire Summerscale
 London, new yorK, Munich,
Melbourne, and Delhi

Senior editor Claire Nottage

Senior art editor Stefan Podhorodecki
Designer Spencer Holbrook
Illustrator Nikid Design Ltd
Managing editor Linda Esposito
Managing art editor Diane Thistlethwaite
Publishing managers Caroline Buckingham
and Andrew Macintyre
Category publisher Laura Buller
Production controller Katherine Thornton
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Jacket editor Mariza O'Keeffe
Jacket designer Stefan Podhorodecki
Consultant Aaron Summerscale

First published in Great Britain in 2006 by

Dorling Kindersley Limited,
80 Strand,
London WC2R 0RL

2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1

Copyright © 2006 Dorling Kindersley Limited, London

A Penguin Company

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the
prior written permission of the copyright owner.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is
available from the British Library.

 ISBN-13: 978-1-4053-1326-1
ISBN-10: 1-4053-1326-9

Colour reproduction by Icon Reproduction, London

Printed in China by Hung Hing Offset Printing Co. Ltd

Discover more at
www.dk.com
Contents
The game of chess 4

1 Introduction
The object
of the game
6

8
Starting positions 10

2 The pieces
The rook
The bishop
12
14
16
3 winNING your
first games
Piece value
28 4 tactics
Forks, pins,
and skewers
44

46
The queen 18 and exchanging 30 Fried Liver 48
The knight 20 Developing Sacrifice 50
The pawn 22 your pieces 32 Back rank checkmates 52
The king 24 Attack and defence 34 G- and H-file
Special moves 26 Four Move Checkmate 36 checkmates 54
Two Rook The Greek Gift 56
Checkmate 38 Removing the
Drawn games defender 58
and stalemate 40 Seventh Heaven 60
King and Queen Discovered attacks 62
Checkmate 42
The Duke of
Brunswick game 64
Glossary 68
Solutions 70
Index 72


The game of chess

Many countries, including China, India, and Persia, claim to have invented chess, but
noone knows for certain where the game originated. Over the centuries its popularity
grew, and the game spread around the globe. In 1866, Wilhelm Steinitz won the first
official world championships held in London. Since then, there have been many world
champions, and today chess is still the oldest and most popular game of skill in the world.

, The origin of the pieces

Originally, the chess set contained an
elephant instead of a bishop and a prime
minister instead of a a queen. Later, the
Europeans changed the names and
designs of the pieces to reflect their
own lives. Similarly, in some
places in the world today,
the rook is referred to as
“the elephant” and the
bishop as “the camel”.

Persian painting
depicting a
chess game

, The Lewis chess set

In 1831, on the coast of the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer
Hebrides, a very old chess set was discovered. The
pieces are considered to be the earliest examples
of a European set and are thought to have been
made in Norway in about ad 1200. They are
now on display in the British Museum in London.

The king from the

Lewis chess set

. The Staunton set

Differences in language, culture, and wealth meant
that chess sets became very varied, so much so that
when players from different countries competed
against each other, they were confused by the
pieces. Then, in the 1840s, John Jaques of
London became the first company to produce a
universally recognizable chess set. It became
known as the Staunton set, named after
Howard Staunton, an English chess master.
 The game of chess 

. Computer chess
Computers have changed the way chess is played
dramatically. The earliest chess computer programs
developed in the 1950s were very basic. By 1996, a
powerful supercomputer named Deep Blue defeated
the then world chess champion Garry Kasparov.
Today, computers can help players analyse any chess
position or game. They also enable chess enthusiasts
in different countries to play each other online.

Garry Kasparov plays Deep Junior,

the successor of Deep Blue

. DK chess set
This book features specially
commissioned, computer-generated
pieces, based on the traditional
Staunton set. The pieces are
animated throughout the book
to reflect their situations.

Silver king from

the DK set

Chess is a game
for all ages

. A game for everyone

Chess is a game of infinite possibilities,
and has captured the imagination and
attention of millions of players since
its invention. This book will teach
you all you need to know about
learning to play chess, and you
will quickly discover how to
outwit your opponent every time!

The traditional Staunton chess set

kb|183865|1330915232
1
C HAP T E R one :

Introduction

CONTENTS
t h e o b j ect o f
t h e g a m e 8
Starting
p os i t i ons 10
 The object of the game 

, Capturing pieces
As you advance towards your opponent’s king
you should try to capture enemy pieces to
weaken his army. Captured pieces are taken
off the board. Here the white queen is about
to capture the black queen.

. Checkmate
The king is checkmated when he has
nowhere to escape and can no longer
defend against your attack. Here the
white rook has trapped the king,
who cannot escape.

Pawn
The pawns are your
foot soldiers. They
can form a wall to
protect the king.

KEY TO MOVES
Throughout this book the following arrows and
colours are used to show the movement of the
pieces on the board.
move about to be made by white

move just made by white

potential move for white/area

under control of a white piece

move about to be made by black

move just made by black

potential move for black/area

under control of a black piece

white forking or skewering

black pieces
10 Introduction

Starting positions
Chess is played on a board with eight columns
called files, each containing eight squares, and
eight rows, or ranks, also containing eight
squares. So in total, there are 64 squares
on every chess board. You need to set up the
pieces in their correct positions before you start.

u SETTING UP YOUR PIECES�

The back row is always set up like this,
with the king and queen in the middle, a
bishop on either side of them, then the
knights, then the rooks.

, READY TO PLAY
This is how your board will look when you are
ready to start. The board must always have the
white square in the bottom right-hand corner.
Remember, white must be on the right! Also
remember that the queen always starts on her
own colour – the white queen on a white
square, the black queen on a black square.

Queenside kingside
squares running
from top to bottom
8  are called files

The centre squares

7  squares running
diagonally are
are important since,
called diagonals
if occupied, they 6
enable a piece to
have control over 5 squares running
the whole board from left to right
are called ranks
4
, HOW THE BOARD WORKS
3
This is how the board looks when
it is presented in notation form (see
2        opposite). The board is divided into two
1  sides – queenside and kingside. You
will come across these terms
a b c d e f g h
later in the book.
 Starting positions 11

Chess notation
Every square on a chess board has its identity. Each piece has its own outline shape which you will see
used in chess quizzes on computers and in newspapers. Each piece is also represented by a letter,
which is used when the moves are written down.

Writing down moves

8 h8 When you start to play proper chess games, you
7 g7 will need to write your moves down on a score
6 f6 sheet. When you do this, you have to indicate
A chess board
has a grid 5 e5 which piece has moved to which square and
system for
writing down
also show extra information
4 d4
moves such as check and castling. White
3 c3 Black
You will learn about these 1 e4
2 b2 2 Qh5 e 5
moves later on in this book.
3 Bc4 N c6
1 a1 White always moves first.
4 Qf3 g6
a b c d e f g h
5 Qxf7 Qh4
+
u Grid system� SCORE SHEET
Every square is named according to its
position on the board. The ranks are
named a-h and the files 1-8.
m as t e r T I PS

Advanced notation
K Q B Different types of moves are written down in
a specific form. Kingside castling is written
as 0-0 and queenside castling is written as
King Queen Bishop 0-0-0. Capturing is indicated by an “x” and
if the move puts the king in check, a “+”
is added. Look at this example below.

R N
If the white
bishop took the 8   
black pawn on
f7 it would be
7  
written as 6  
Bxf7+. This
Rook Knight Pawn
5 
shows that the
bishop captured
4 
 
(x) a piece on f7 3 
u Identifying pieces� and that he has
Each piece is usually represented in outline on a chess board. put the black
2 
 
 
 

When moves are written down, each piece is identified by a king in 1  
check (+). a b c d e f g h
letter, apart from the pawn which has no letter. For example, a
rook moving to d3 is written as Rd3, whereas a pawn moving to
d3 would just be written as d3.
 Starting positions 11

Chess notation
Every square on a chess board has its identity. Each piece has its own outline shape which you will see
used in chess quizzes on computers and in newspapers. Each piece is also represented by a letter,
which is used when the moves are written down.

Writing down moves

8 h8 When you start to play proper chess games, you
7 g7 will need to write your moves down on a score
6 f6 sheet. When you do this, you have to indicate
A chess board
has a grid 5 e5 which piece has moved to which square and
system for
writing down
also show extra information
4 d4
moves such as check and castling. White
3 c3 Black
You will learn about these 1 e4
2 b2 2 Qh5 e 5
moves later on in this book.
3 Bc4 N c6
1 a1 White always moves first.
4 Qf3 g6
a b c d e f g h
5 Qxf7 Qh4
+
u Grid system� SCORE SHEET
Every square is named according to its
position on the board. The ranks are
named a-h and the files 1-8.
m as t e r T I PS

Advanced notation
K Q B Different types of moves are written down in
a specific form. Kingside castling is written
as 0-0 and queenside castling is written as
King Queen Bishop 0-0-0. Capturing is indicated by an “x” and
if the move puts the king in check, a “+”
is added. Look at this example below.

R N
If the white
bishop took the 8   
black pawn on
f7 it would be
7  
written as 6  
Bxf7+. This
Rook Knight Pawn
5 
shows that the
bishop captured
4 
 
(x) a piece on f7 3 
u Identifying pieces� and that he has
Each piece is usually represented in outline on a chess board. put the black
2 
 
 
 

When moves are written down, each piece is identified by a king in 1  
check (+). a b c d e f g h
letter, apart from the pawn which has no letter. For example, a
rook moving to d3 is written as Rd3, whereas a pawn moving to
d3 would just be written as d3.
2
C H A PT ER t wo:

The pieces

CONTENTS
t h e r oo k 14
the bishop 16
t h e q u een 18
t h e k n i g h t 20
t h e p a w n 22
the king 24
s p ec i a l m o v es 26
14 The pieces

The rook 
When you first start playing chess you will sometimes hear other people
say that the rooks are also called castles. Although they look like castles,
more experienced players will always call them rooks. Rooks are very
valuable in a game of chess, so they are referred to as major pieces.

 How does the rook move?

Rooks move in straight lines, up and down
the files or side to side across the ranks.
They can move as many squares as
they want to in a straight line.

. Capturing
Rooks can never jump over any other pieces, so if an
enemy soldier is in their way, they must either stop,
or capture it. This white rook can move straight
up the board and capture the black rook on d8.

m a st e r t i ps

Using open lines Do

capture as many of your
A line can be described as 8
opponent’s pieces as you can
open when it is not blocked by 7
either friendly or enemy pawns. during the course of a game.
6
Rooks are in their element in 5 Don’t
these situations – they love open 4
take your own pieces, because
lines. On this board, the power 3
this would be an illegal move.
of the rook on b1 is severely 2 

reduced by the b2 pawn, but 1  

a b c d e f g h


the g1 rook is not blocked and DID YOU KNOW?
The g1 rook is far superior to the Italians call the rook rocco
is free to roam up and down rook on b1 due to the open g-file. (“small fortress”), a version of the
the board to his heart’s content! Persian name for the piece, rukh.
 The rook 15

m a st e r c h a l l e n g e

Capturing practice
It is essential that you get used to 8  8
the way each of the pieces moves 7 7
and captures. The best way to do 6 6  
this and become a chess expert 5  5
is to practise on your own board. 4  4 
Have a look at these two diagrams. 3 3 
Can you set up these positions 2 2

on your board and work out the 1 1 


a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h
answers to these tricky questions?
1. Which black piece can the white 2. Your rook can capture these pawns
Remember that your rooks move rook capture? Is it the black rook in five moves. Don’t worry if it takes
up and down and side to side. on b5 or c8? more moves at first. Keep practising!

Rooks
resemble
castle turrets
which is why
they are
sometimes
called castles

Double trouble .
Your rooks can move
around the board quickly
and can be particularly useful
if you use them in pairs.
16 The pieces

The bishop i
The piece we now know as the bishop originated in India and would have
appeared as an elephant in an Indian chess set. When chess arrived in the
west, European players remodelled the piece to represent a member of the
church clergy, who used to hold positions of great power in royal courts.

The bishop is
clearly identified
by his mitre –
the hat worn by
church bishops

u How does the bishop move?

Bishops move diagonally, as many squares as they
want to at a time, both forwards and backwards.
They always stay on their starting colour.

u Capturing
Bishops can’t jump over any other pieces.
If another piece is in his way, the bishop
must either stop before he reaches that
piece, or capture it. Here, the white bishop
can capture the black rook.
 The bishop 17

m a st e r t i ps

Stay on your squares

At the start of the game, you 8  
have two bishops. One moves 7
on the light squares, the other 6
on the dark squares. Bishops 5
always stay on the colour that 4

they started on. If you end up 3

Do
with both of your bishops on the 2 concentrate on sticking
same coloured square, you know 1 
  to your diagonals.
a b c d e f g h
that something has gone wrong
and that you have moved one of Your bishops must always stay on Don’t
the same coloured squares that they
block your bishops in
your bishops like a banana! start the game on.
with your pawns.

m a st e r c h a l l e n g e

Diagonal dilemma
Remember that the bishops have to stay on the
same diagonal and have a look at these boards.

1. Which black
rook can the 8 
white bishop
capture?
7 
u Good bishop, bad bishop
6 
5
If a bishop is blocked in by his own
pawns, he is described as a bad bishop. Here 4 

the white bishop is limited by the white pawns, but the 3

black bishop can move easily all around the board. 2

1 

a b c d e f g h


DID YOU KNOW?
kb|183865|1330915903

The bishop was originally 2. How many

known as Pil, which means squares can the 8 
“elephant” in Arabic. white bishop
move to? Which
7 

piece can the 6 
white bishop 5
capture?
4 

, Strong teamwork 3 

Your light- and dark-squared bishops are 2

a great double act – together they can 1

a b c d e f g h
control large areas of the board.
18 The pieces

The queen 
The queen is extremely powerful and the only chess piece that represents a
woman. At the start of the battle she stands next to her king and although
it may be tempting to leave her to protect the king, it is better to use her
strength to attack the enemy forces.

, How does the queen move?

The queen moves like the rook and bishop
combined. She can move in straight lines
like the rook and diagonally like the bishop.

. Capturing
The queen can move forwards and backwards, but
she can never jump over any other pieces, so if an
enemy soldier is in her way, she must either stop
before she reaches that piece, or capture it.

m a st e r t i ps

Look after your queen

At the start of the game, the queen 8    8 
usually controls her army from the 
7  7
back of the board – it’s important to 6  6 
develop your other pieces before 5    

 5
launching an attack with your queen. 4   4 
She is a very strong piece but she 3   3

needs to be supported by the other 2   2

troops. Remember that she always 1   1 

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h
has the advantage over other pieces
1. It is sensible to leave the queen 2. If the queen captures the rook,
because she can move both in on her starting square until most of the bishop will take her, so she
straight lines and on diagonals. your pieces have been developed. should capture the bishop instead.
 The queen 19

Do
remember that your queen is
the most powerful piece on the board.

Don’t
develop your queen too early
on in the game.


DID YOU KNOW?
The queen was introduced to the
game in 1475. Elsewhere in the
world she is called “The Lady”.

m a st e r c h a ll e n g e

Queen of carnage
The queen is
the only female
piece in your
army, but she is
also the most Remember to pay special attention whenever
powerful piece you move this very important lady, as without
the strength of his queen, the king can often
end up in serious trouble!

1. Which black
piece can the 8 
queen safely 7
take here?
6

5 
4

3  
2

1
a b c d e f g h

2. The queen needs

to be careful. 8  
Which black piece 7
can she capture
6
safely this time?
5 
4

3 
Beware the lady u 2
The queen moves quickly and ruthlessly around 1
the board and can obliterate any pieces in her a b c d e f g h

path, so always be aware of her position.

20 The pieces

The knight 
On a chess board, the knight is often depicted as a horse’s
head. The knight represents the medieval professional soldier,
who protected people of higher rank, like the king and the queen.
Just as knights held a special place in the court of King Arthur,
knights are also special in the game of chess.

, How does the knight move?

The knight is the only piece that is allowed to
jump over other pieces. He moves in an
L-shape. Two squares in one direction
and then one square to the side.

Knights in action .
At the start of the game, your two knights
are brilliant enough to be able to control
all four central squares.

. Capturing
Hippedy-hippedy-hop is another way to describe
how the knight moves, as he can hop or jump
over other pieces, just as a horse would.
He can only capture a piece on the
hop, when he finally lands.


DID YOU KNOW?
The horses ridden by medieval
knights wore armour on their
bodies to protect them in battle.

, Getting stuck
Although the knight has the magic power to
jump over other chess men, sometimes he
can still get stuck. Here, the white knight
has been blocked in by other white
pieces. As you can never land on or
capture one of your own pieces, the
knight will have to wait patiently
until they move out of his way.
 The knight 21

m a st e r ti ps

Dim knights
We know that a knight can move to eight different
squares from the centre of the board, but if he sits
on the edge, he loses half of his power.

Here, the knight

8
on a5 can only
make four 7
possible moves 6
rather than his
usual eight so he 5 

is half as
powerful. This is
4 
3
why we say,
knights on the 2
rim are dim!
1
a b c d e f g h

Knights can leap

over other pieces
and make captures
Do
when you might not remember your knights have the useful
be expecting it!
skill of jumping over other pieces.

Don’t
put your knights in the corners
or on the side of the board.
m a st e r c h a l l e n g e

Get to know your knights

Your knights can be very useful 8  8
but it can be tricky getting used 7 7 
to the way they move because 6 
 6
they are very different from the 5 
  5
other pieces. Once you have 4  4

mastered their moves, you will 3  3

begin to see quite how useful 2 2

they can be and start to outwit 1 

 1 
a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h
your opponent with some crafty
1. On which square is the piece the 2. See if you can capture both black
moves and captures. Have a knight can capture? Remember you pawns with your knight in six moves.
look at these two boards. cannot capture your own pieces. It might take you longer at first.
22 The pieces

The pawn 
Your pawns are your infantry, or foot soldiers. Because
they are on foot, they move slowly and can’t escape
easily from more powerful pieces. There are more
pawns on the board than any other piece and they
can be sacrificed to open up lines of attack.

 How does the pawn move?

In general, pawns can only move one square
straight forwards, except on their first move,
when, if they wish, they can move two
squares straight forwards.

. Capturing
Unlike the other pieces, the pawn does not
capture in the same way as it moves. Pawns
can only capture other pieces by moving one
square diagonally forwards, to the right or the left.
The white pawn is moving up the board and the
black pawn is moving down the board.
This pawn can capture
the black knight or the
black pawn. Equally, if
it was black’s move,
m a st e r t i ps the black pawn could
capture the white pawn

Pawn practice Do
remember that pawns can never
It is always a good idea to play 8
move or capture backwards.
the pawn game with a friend so 7 
you can practise moving and 6 Don’t
capturing with the pawn. Start 5 move more than two or three
with the pawns in this position. 4 pawns in the opening stages
The winner is the player who 3
of the game.
captures all of their opponent’s 2 


pieces or gets a pawn to the end 1
a b c d e f g h
of the board. White always


DID YOU KNOW?
Remember the white corner square The name of the pawn comes
moves first – you can toss a must be on your right! from padati, the Indian word used
coin to decide who plays white. for a foot soldier in the game.
 The pawn 23

Queening a pawn
White can queen this
If a pawn reaches the other side of the board, something d7 pawn by moving
magical happens. Your foot soldier is rewarded by being it to d8

promoted. He can transform himself into another

piece: knight, bishop, rook, or queen.
We know how valuable the queen
is and therefore most players White could also
queen this pawn on
choose to change their f7 by capturing the
black bishop on g8
pawn into another queen.

There are more pawns

than any other piece in
m a st e r c h a l l e n g e
your chess set

Working your soldiers

Work those foot soldiers! What do you think
is white’s best move in these positions?

1. What would be
white’s best 8
capture here?
7

5  
4 
3

1
a b c d e f g h

2. What should
white’s next 8 
move be in this
Army of pawns . situation?
7  
6
Your army of
5 
pawns may move 4
slowly but if they 3

perform their 2 
duties well, they 1 

a b c d e f g h
can be promoted
to a higher rank.
24 The pieces

The king 
The king is the most important piece on the board, as the object of the
game is to trap your opponent’s king. This means that you must protect
your king at all times. The downfall of the king, as in days of old, means
your opponent has won the battle.
. How does the king move?
Although the king is the most important
piece on the board, he moves very
slowly. He can only move one square in
any direction: forwards, backwards,
left, right, or diagonally.

d Check
When the king is attacked by an enemy piece we
say that he is in check. The king can never stay on
or move to a square where he could be captured
by an enemy piece.

u Capturing
The king captures pieces in the same way
that he moves – he can take any enemy
piece that is standing next to him. Here the black
rook is attacking
the white king

m a s t e r t i p s

The three rules of check

There are just three ways that you can 8 8
escape from check – make sure you 7 7
remember them! 6  6

1. Capture the checking piece. 5 5 

4  4
2. Block the check. Put one of 3 3 
your pieces between the checking 2 
  2  
piece and your king. 1 
  1  

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h
3. Move your king out of
1. The white king cannot move to a 2. The white rook can block the
the way and out of check. safe square but the e4 bishop can check by moving to d1.
capture the checking rook.
 The king 25

The king is easy d Checkmate

to recognize by
the cross on top If you cannot escape from check using any of
of his crown the three rules of check (see below, left), then
you are in checkmate and the game is over.
The word checkmate comes from the Persian
words shah mata which mean “the king is
dead”. Here the white king cannot escape
from the black queen and so the game is over.

The checking
The king is the piece cannot
tallest and most be taken
imposing piece
on the board

The check cannot None of the squares

be blocked the white king could
move to are safe


DID YOU KNOW?
Until the 13th century, all the
squares on the chess board
were the same colour.

m a st e r c h a l l e n g e

Lead white to victory

Can you find the checkmating move for white
in this game? White needs to find an immediate
checkmate, as black has the deadly threat of
queen to g2, checkmate.
The white knight
plays a vital part in
8 
this checkmate 7 
 
6  
 
5

3 
2  
 
1 
King and commander u a b c d e f g h

Because he moves so slowly the king is not very White can deliver checkmate by
moving the queen on c7, but
powerful. He cannot escape the enemy quickly and where should she move to?
relies on his loyal army to protect him against attack.
26 The pieces

Special moves
There are two special moves in chess which you must master.
Castling can only be done once in a game and involves moving
the rook and the king for the king’s protection.
En passant is an alternative method of capturing
with a pawn. Both are very useful moves.

Castling your king

1 When you castle,
your king first has to
move two squares
towards the rook. Here
the white king is going
Your king is
castled in order to castle kingside
to protect him (on the king’s side
behind a wall of the board).
of pawns

Once the king has moved,

2
the rook flies over him and
lands next to him. The white
king has castled kingside,
whereas the black king
has castled queenside
(on the queen’s side
of the board).

m a st e r t i ps

When can you not castle?

Always bear these five rules in mind. 8  8 
You cannot castle if you: 7 7
1. Have already moved your 6 6
king or the involved rook. 5 5 
2. Are in check. 4 4

3. Have to move your king into 3  3

check when you castle. 2 

 2

4. Have to move through check 1 

 1 
 

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h
when you castle.
1. Here, the white king cannot 2. Here, the white king can’t castle
5. Have any pieces in between castle because he is in check and as he would be moving through
the king and involved rook. the white rook has already moved. check from the black f5 rook.
 Special moves 27

The black pawn is

waiting to capture
the white pawn
Capturing en passant
1 En passant is French for “in passing” since
although your opponent’s pawn has passed the
square where you would usually make a
capture, you are still able to take it. Here,
white has just moved his pawn two
squares forward and has landed
next to the black pawn.

2 Black has now taken this pawn

on d4 but actually lands one square forward
on d3. The white pawn has been captured
en passant. Remember, an en passant move
has to be made as soon as your opponent’s
pawn has moved two squares forward.

One pawn can

capture another Black captures the white
using the en pawn next to it but lands
passant move one square forward

Do
castle your king as soon as possible. He
is much safer on the side of the board.

Don’t
leave your king in the centre of the
board – he must always be protected.

Don’t
forget that although you will not capture
en passant very often, it is still an
important move to master.
3
C H A PT ER three :

Winning your first games

CONTENTS
P i ece v a l u e a n d
e x c h a n g i n g 30
d e v e l op i n g
y o u r p i eces 32
a tt a c k
a n d d e f ence 34
four move
c h ec k m a te 36
t w o r oo k
c h ec k m a te 38
d r a w n g a m es
a n d st a l e m a te 40
k i n g a n d q u een
c h ec k m a te 42
30 Winning your first games

Piece value and exchanging

As your game progresses, you will find opportunities to capture your opponent’s
pieces. However, your opponent may well recapture your men – this is known
as exchanging. Therefore it is vital that you know the value of each piece, so
you can ensure that you exchange wisely.

 The King  The Queen  Rooks

The king cannot be (9 points) (5 points each)
exchanged, but if he is The queen is your Because they can
checkmated, the game most valuable piece. cover so many
is lost, so we could say You should always squares, rooks are
that the king is worth guard her carefully more valuable
an infinite number and ensure she than knights
of points. stays out of danger. and bishops.

 Knights
 Bishops (3 points each)  Pawns
(3 points each) Knights have the (1 point each)
Bishops can move special talent of If you have to
quickly across the being able to jump make a sacrifice,
whole board, but they over other pieces, you would lose the
are only worth three but they are only least by sacrificing
points each. worth three points. a pawn.

Because rooks are

worth more than
bishops, white is
happy to capture
the black rook
A good exchange .
Here, white will gain five
points if he captures the rook
on a8 and will only lose
three points if his bishop is
recaptured by the other
rook on f8. This is a good
exchange for white.
 Piece value and exchanging 31

The black queen is

protecting the black
knight on f6

A bad exchange .
In this situation, if the white queen
captures the black knight on f6, white
will gain three points, but will lose
nine points when his queen is swiftly
recaptured by the black queen on d8.

This rook is
defending the rook
on e8 and is ready
to recapture This black rook will
be captured by the
white rook

, A fair exchange
If white decides to capture the black
rook on e8 with his white rook on e1,
black can easily recapture using his rook
on a8. This is a fair exchange – a rook for
a rook – as both rooks are worth five points.

m a st e r c h a l l e n g e

To exchange or not to exchange?

It’s good to get used to looking ahead 8   8 
when you are playing a game and 7    7  
being aware of the position of your 6 6 
opponent’s pieces. If your opponent 5   5 
has a sneaky reply, then capturing a 4 4 
valuable piece can sometimes lead 3 
 3 

to disaster. Have a look at these two
2  
  2
 
 
1 
  
  1
 
 

boards and see if you can work out a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

whether the next move will lead to a 1. Is it a good idea for the white 2. Should the white knight capture the
rook to capture the queen on e5? rook on c5 or on f6? Which capture
good, bad, or fair exchange for white. Or will white end up worse off? will gain the most points for white?
32 Winning your first games

Developing your pieces

At the start of a game when you first move your pieces, you are said to be “developing”
them. The four central squares are extremely important in this development and you
should always try to attack or occupy these squares, as this allows your pieces to
control a large area of the board.
l
 Controlling the centre of the board
The white bishop in the centre of the board can
 move to 13 different squares covering every part
 of the board, whereas the black bishop on the
edge of the board can only move to seven
different squares on his right. The white bishop is Black needs to bring out
almost twice as powerful as his black counterpart. his d7 or e7 pawns to
release his back row pieces
l

Developing to control the centre

1 In the starting position, the pawns block
in the two bishops. So on your first move, you
should push the pawn in front of the king two
squares forward, freeing the f1 bishop and
giving the queen some space.

This bishop is now free

to move into action
m a st e r c ha l l e n g e

Develop like a demon

Developing well is an essential skill 8    8    
to learn since it sets your army up 7    7  
well for the game ahead. It can 6  6     
also give you the edge over your 5  5 
opponent, who may not be as quick 4  4  

as you to develop his pieces. Also 3  3  
remember that you are in a better 2 
 
  
 2 
 
 

position to confront your enemy if 1 

  1  
a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h
you have a multitude of pieces either
1. Should you move your white 2. Black has not developed his
occupying or attacking the central knight to a3 or c3? Remember pieces well. Can you name three
squares. Remember to centralize! that knights on the rim are dim! things he has done wrong?
 Developing your pieces 33

m a st e r t ips

Play it safe
It is important to make sure that your 8    8   
pieces are safe. No one wants to lose 7      7  
their pieces because they’ve made 6   6  
a silly move. Examine carefully where 5   5  
you opponent’s pieces are before you 4   4  
make your move. Always try to make 3  
 3  
a safe move to a square where you 2 
 
 
 2 

 
 

cannot be captured or where you  
1     1  
a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h
are protected by your army. It is
1. White has just played d3. He 2. White moved his bishop to g5
important to develop your pieces, didn’t play d4 because his pawn and not f4, so as to avoid capture
but not at the expense of losing them. would have been chopped off. by the black e5 pawn.

2 White has now developed both of his knights and one

bishop, which are either attacking or occupying the central
squares. The bishop on c1 is still stuck behind the pawns,
so the next step is to move the d2 pawn to bring him
into the game.

Both players have

only had to move two
pawns to achieve this
development

3 When you have developed all

your knights and bishops it is important
to castle to secure the safety of your king.
Your position should now look like this,
with all knights and bishops safely and
centrally developed and your king
castled to safety. If you have reached
this position then you have played
like a chess Grandmaster!
34 Winning your first games

Attack and defence

When you play chess you should always have a plan. You should always be able to
give reasons for the moves that you make. Developing your pieces well is just the
first stage in controlling the centre of the board, which in turn puts you in a strong
position to launch some fierce attacks on your opponent.
 An attacking plan
Knights on the
If you wish to capture an enemy piece, you
rim are dim!
must first attack it. Here, when white moves
a pawn from b2 to b4 to attack the black
knight on a5, the knight is trapped and
cannot move to any safe squares.
The queen is
defending the
knight

If the black knight

captured this pawn, white
would recapture with the
d3 bishop

. Successful attacks
It is often a good idea to attack your
opponent with a piece of less value than the piece
you are attacking. Here, if white moved his queen to a4 to
attack the black knight, he would not have been successful, because if
white captured the knight, black would then recapture with his queen.

Another successful attack

The rook is
trapped – he
Here, the black rook is helpless against
cannot escape the queen’s attack. He cannot move
from the attacking
queen to any safe squares and cannot be
defended by his own pieces. When the
queen captures the rook, white will
have made an advantageous capture
since the queen cannot be recaptured.
Remember that the queen is worth nine
points – more than any other piece.
 Attack and defence 35

m a st er t i ps

Loose pieces drop off

A wise man once said, “Loose 8   8  
pieces drop off”, or LPDO for short. 7   7    
If your piece is loose, then it is not 6  6 
being defended by any of its army 5 5
colleagues. Attacking loose pieces 4  
 4 
can be a very effective winning 3 
 3

strategy and you should watch out 2 

  
 
 2 
 
 
 

for opportunities to chop off loose 1  1 
a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h
pieces at all times. You should also
1. The white queen has moved to 2. In this position, Qe4 or Qd3
ensure that your pieces protect each g4. She is threatening the loose threatens both the loose bishop on
other so that they are not loose. knight on b4 and checkmate on g7. d4 and checkmate on h7.

Black needs to
move his rook ma st e r c ha l l e n g e
to defend the
knight

Defend or die
You must protect your king against checkmate at
all costs. How can you defend your monarch?

1. White is
u Defending a piece threatening Qg7 8  
checkmate. If you
Here, the white bishop is attacking the undefended knight were black, how
7    
on f6. If the knight moves, the bishop will capture the rook would you stop 6 
on d8. Black can defend the knight by moving her rook to the checkmate 5 
and launch a
d6. If white then captures the knight, black can recapture 4

vicious attack
with her rook – a fair exchange. of your own? 3 
 
2 
  
 
1 
a b c d e f g h

2. Here, black
is threatening 8  
Qg2 checkmate.
How can white
7
 
defend his most 6  
valuable piece? 5

u Defending your king 3  

The most important piece to defend is, of course, your king. 2 
Here, the white queen is threatening checkmate on h7. 1  
Black can defend her king by moving her knight to f6 (Nf6). a b c d e f g h
After which, capturing on h7 would lead to disaster for the
white queen, as the knight would be able to take her.
36 Winning your first games

Four Move Checkmate

Scholar’s Mate, which is also known as the Four Move Checkmate, is a great
way to win some of your first games and it will really impress your friends.

1 First, move the pawn in front of your king two squares

forward to open up lines for your queen and f1 bishop. Then
bring your queen out diagonally as far as she can go – to h5.
Next develop your bishop to c4. The queen and bishop are
now both attacking the black pawn on f7.

The white queen is able to deliver

checkmate because of the backup
from the c4 bishop

The white king simply 2 Black ignored the deadly threat to

watches as his queen and
f7 and allowed the white queen
bishop go on the attack
to capture the pawn, giving a
swift and deadly checkmate.

m a st e r t i ps

Bash!
“Queen out, bishop out, bash!” is a 8    8   
quick and easy way to remember this     
7 7 
checkmate. If you follow each step, 6  6 
you’re bound to catch some people 5  
 5  

out with Scholar’s Mate. However, it 4  4 
is vital that you develop your pieces 3 3

accurately. If you miss out a move, 2 

  
 
 2 
  
 

or advance your queen or bishop to 
1   
 
1    

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h
the wrong squares, your chance for a
1. White is not yet ready for the 2. Here the b5 bishop has gone a
quick victory will be lost. You might checkmate. He has not developed square too far and can’t protect his
even lose your queen. his backup bishop. queen. He should be on c4.
 Four Move Checkmate 37

Defending against Scholar’s Mate

If you are being attacked by the Four Move Checkmate, you need to know how to
stop it, as you don’t want to become a victim of this cunning strategy. It’s really very
simple to prevent, as long as you pay close attention to your opponent’s moves.

, Which pawn is the white queen attacking?

Your immediate answer might be f7, but think carefully.
Capturing the f7 pawn would spell disaster for the white
queen as she is not yet defended by her bishop. You
could simply take her with the black king. In fact, the
queen is attacking the e5 pawn, which is why you
should develop your b8 knight to defend it.

. How can you stop the deadly mate threat?

You know that the white queen wants to
capture on f7, so you have to stop her.
The answer is to move the g7 pawn
one square forward, blocking the
path of the attacking queen and
forcing her to retreat or die.

, Some players can be persistent

This time white is attacking f7 from a
different angle. All black needs to do is
block the threat by moving his g8
knight to f6. As long as you
remember to block the queen,
you will never fall for the
Four Move Checkmate.
38 Winning your first games

Two Rook Checkmate

Once you’ve chopped off all of your opponent’s pieces, you will often find yourself in a
position like this one, but how do you checkmate from here? You will quickly discover
that in positions like these, it’s almost impossible to checkmate the king in the middle of
the board. It’s much easier if you can force him on to one of the edges. All you have to
remember are these three important rules.

1 Form your barrier

This rook has formed a barrier. The
king now cannot move forward as
he would be moving into check.

The king is under

attack and must
move out of check

2 Check with the other rook

If your barrier is in place, then you should check
with the other rook, cutting off more squares
from your opponent’s king. The king must now
move backwards to escape from check.
 Two Rook Checkmate 39

m a st e r ch a l l e n g e

Trapped! . Two rook teamwork

Because the rooks
Don’t forget to look at the three rules while
can move quickly
you complete this challenge. See if you can
across the board
find white’s best moves on the boards below.
the king is too
slow to escape
1. It looks like
from them.
the end is in 8 
sight for black.
What should
7 
white do next? 6 
5

1 

a b c d e f g h

2. Have you
formed your 8
barrier yet? 7 
6 
5 
4

1 

a b c d e f g h

4 Checkmate!
This process of forcing the king backwards will
always lead to a checkmate like this. The black
king is in check and cannot move to a safe
square so it is checkmate.

3 Zoom your rook out of danger!

If your opponent’s king ever attacks one of
your rooks, you must move him out of danger.
Make sure that your barrier is still in place
and zoom him far away from the enemy king –
if possible so he is diagonal to the other rook.
40 Winning your first games

Drawn games and stalemate

When you play a game of chess, you can win, lose, or draw a game. There are
several ways in which a game is automatically declared a draw, but players can
also decide to agree that their game is drawn, at which point they award themselves
a half point each onto their score.

 Stalemate
The game is drawn and you are in stalemate when it is
your move, you are not in check, but have no legal
move. In this position it is black to move. The white
queen prevents the black king from moving to
any of the surrounding squares, but he is not
in check. He also has no other legal move,
so it is stalemate.

Not stalemate .
This is an almost identical position, except
that black now has a pawn on a6. It is
black’s turn. The black king is not in check
but is still unable to move. This time black
can make a legal move. His pawn can
advance one square forwards and
it is therefore not stalemate.

m a st e r t i ps

It has to be check for checkmate

Always keep your eyes peeled for 8  8
stalemate traps, otherwise you may 7 7 

end up throwing away a winning 6 6
position. Remember that if your 5 5 
opponent only has their king left 4 
 4 

on the board or if their other pieces 3 
 3

cannot move, you should either 2 2

make sure he can move to a safe 1 1

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h
square or that you have checked
1. If the white queen moves to d7 2. The black king is almost out of
or checkmated him, otherwise a it would be checkmate. Qe6 would, moves, but he can move to f5. Always
stalemate disaster may occur. however, be a stalemate disaster. remember to check all your options.
 Drawn games and stalemate 41

The black king has no

escape from the
perpetual check

 Three-fold Repetition
Simply put, a game is drawn if exactly the same position is
reached three times. A common example of this is perpetual
check. Here, black wants to play Qg2 checkmate. White’s only
hope of escape from this is to force a draw by perpetual check.
Queen f8 check forces the black king to move to h7. Then
Qf7+ forces the black king to move back to h8. If white plays
the same moves again, the black king has no option
but to repeat his moves, thus white avoids being
checkmated and forces a draw.
The white king is safe
from the g2 checkmate due
to the perpetual check

, Backwards and forwards

The black king is constantly being
forced to move out of check from
the attacking queen. As a result,
the game is drawn.

d Insufficient checkmating material

If neither player has enough pieces to
force checkmate, then the game is drawn.
It can never be checkmate with these
three pieces, wherever they are on
the board.

THE FIFTY-MOVE RULE


If both sides have made 50
consecutive moves without a
capture being made or a pawn
being moved, then either
player can claim a draw.
42 Winning your first games

King and Queen Checkmate

The queen is a very powerful piece, but when she is left alone, even she isn’t able to
checkmate without the help of her king. Once you’ve mastered the King and Queen
Checkmate, the number of games that you win will shoot through the roof.
Just follow these three steps. The queen is
a knight’s
move away
from the
enemy
king

2 Move your queen so she is a knight’s move away

from your opponent’s king, making sure your barrier is
still in place and then pursue him. Here, the black king
1 Form a barrier with the queen, just as you would is moving one square diagonally, so that is precisely
in the Two Rook Checkmate, to cut off the escape what the queen should do.
squares for the king.

m a st e r t i ps

Avoid stalemate
It is very important to keep your queen more than
a knight’s move away from the king once he has
moved into the corner. Here it is black’s move.
He is not in check but has no legal move, so it
is stalemate and the game is drawn.

8 
7 

The queen has
6
stayed too close
to the king and 5
as a result it is 4
now stalemate
3

1 

a b c d e f g h
 King and Queen Checkmate 43

m a st e r ch a l l e n g e

Checkmate the king!

With practice, this checkmate
8  8 
will become second nature to 7 
 7 

you. As long as you follow the 6 6 
three simple rules and avoid 5 5
dangers of stalemate, you will 4 4
never go wrong. 3 3

2 2
1. Form the barrier.
1 
 1
2. Follow the enemy king. a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

1. The black king has just moved 2. There are three checkmates in
3. Move in for the kill. from e8-d8. Where should the white this position. How many can
queen move next? you find?

3 The instant your opponent’s king moves into

the corner of the board, it’s time to bring your
king into action. You must leave your queen
where she is or risk a stalemate disaster. The
queen has the black king trapped and the white
king has moved up to the crucial square, to back
up his queen. White now has the option of
delivering five different checkmates, none of
which would have been possible without the
aid of the king.

The black
king is now
trapped by
the white
king and
queen

, The pursuing queen

The queen is always a powerful piece but
in this instance she needs the backup of
her king to checkmate her opponent.
4
C H A PT ER four:

Tactics

CONTENTS
f o r k s , p i ns ,
a n d s k e w e r s 46
fried liver 48
s a c r i f i ce 50
back rank
c h ec k m a tes 52
g- and H-file
c h ec k m a tes 54
t h e g r ee k g i f t 56
removing the
d e f en d e r 58
se v ent h h e a v en 60
d i sco v e r e d
a tt a c k s 56
46 Tactics

Forks, pins, and skewers

Forks, pins, and skewers are some of the sneakiest tricks you can use against your
opponent. These tactics can lead to winning one, and sometimes several,
enemy pieces. Your tactical ability is important in your strength as a
player because ultimately tactics will lead to winning the game.

, The fork
Where one piece attacks two
or more pieces at the same
time it is called a fork. When you
fork pieces it can be difficult for
your opponent to defend all
of their men. Every
piece on the board
can fork – even
the pawns.

m a st e r T I PS

Absolute pin
The absolute pin is a really powerful tactic,
as it paralyses the attacked piece. Here, if
the d2 rook moves to a2, the black queen
is lost, as she is unable to move away from
the attack. She is absolutely pinned to her
king on a8.

Notice that the

d2 rook is
8 
backed up by 7
the e2 rook. 6

5 
4

2 
1
a b c d e f g h
 Forks, pins, and skewers 47

The checked king must

move after which the h8
The white c8 rook is rook will be captured
skewering the black
king and h8 rook
, Kingpin
The black bishop attacks,
pinning the white knight to
the king – the knight
cannot move or the
white king will be
in check.
. The skewer
The skewer involves
threatening a valuable piece
which, if it then moves to safety,
leaves a second piece along the
same line open to capture.

ma st e r c ha l l e n g e

Fork or skewer?
White is on the attack and can effect a fork or
skewer in these situations. Can you tell which?

1. To where should
the bishop move? 8 
Is this a fork, a pin,
7
or a skewer?
6 
5

3  
2 
1 

a b c d e f g h

2. Where should
the white g5 8   
knight move? Is
this a fork, a pin,
7  
or a skewer? 6   
5   
4  

u The pin 3
Another effective tactic is the pin. It is an attack on a piece 2 
 
 

which, if it tries to move, leaves a more valuable piece 1 
  

open to capture. Sometimes this can leave the opponent a b c d e f g h
completely paralysed. The pinned piece is forced to stay
where it is until the attacking piece moves or is captured.
48 Tactics

Fried Liver
The strange name of this tactic actually comes from an Italian
saying, “dead as fried liver”, which perfectly describes the lethal
result of this move if it is played correctly. Just like the Four Move
Checkmate, it takes advantage of the weak square on f7.

1 How do we reach Fried Liver?�

It’s really very simple. If you are
playing white, you start with three
sensible developing moves (e4,
Nf3, Bc4). If black now plays
Nf6, white can launch the
fabulous Fried Liver attack.

It’s vital that black

has played this move,
otherwise disaster
strikes, as the black
2 Threatening a fork
queen can simply White is now threatening Nxf7,
chop your knight off capturing a pawn and forking
two of black’s major pieces –
the d8 queen and the h8 rook.

m a st e r t i ps

Do
We love that liver! watch for an opportunity
to use this effective tactic.
A common question is “Why not take
on f7 with the bishop instead of the
8  
  Don’t
7     launch the Fried Liver if your
knight?” Some people are tempted to 6  
capture with the bishop, because it opponent has not developed
5   
will be check. However, when the his knight to f6.
4 
king moves out of check, your attack 3

is over and you have only won a   


pawn. In contrast, taking with the
2
Successful attack .
1 
  
 
a b c d e f g h The white knight has
knight leads to winning a rook or
a queen. Would you prefer to be Remember, a check on its own manoeuvred himself into the
doesn’t achieve anything, the king
a pawn or a rook ahead? will just move out of the way.
position where he is forking the
black queen and the black rook.
 Fried Liver 49

Defence against Fried Liver

If you are playing black in this
game, you have a simple
  
defence. After white has played
 
Ng5, black should reply with
 
pawn to d5. White will normally
capture this with his e4 pawn,  
after which your best move is  
Na5, which will force the white
c4 bishop off the diagonal where 
  
he is waiting to back up the   
attacking knight on g5.
3 Fried Liver
When you first learn this trap, success
is almost 100% guaranteed! The knight
on f7 is now attacking two pieces and black only
has time to save one. Notice that the c4 bishop is m a st e r c h a ll e n g e
backing up the knight’s position.

Attack and defence

Can you work out the answers to these two
tricky Fried Liver questions?

1. It is white to
move. Should he 8    
launch the fried
liver with Ng5?
7    
Should the black 6 
knight still be 5  
on g8 in the
Fried Liver?
4  
3 
2  
   

1 
  
 
a b c d e f g h

2. Black has
successfully 8    
blocked the path 7   
of the white
bishop. What 6  
should black 5  
play now?
4 
3

2 
 
 

1 
  
a b c d e f g h
50 Tactics

Sacrifice
A chess sacrifice can be described as a deliberate loss of material in return for an
expected advantage. When you start playing chess, you are always aware of the points
value of your pieces. However, in some very specific circumstances, it can be in your
best interest to “sacrifice” or give away a piece. It’s important to remember that chess
is about checkmating your opponent’s king, not hoarding pieces.

. An opening gambit White Black

The Danish Gambit is a well known
1 e4 e5
opening, which includes the sacrifice
2 d4 exd4
of two pawns. If you play these moves
3 c3 dxc3
on your board at home, you will reach
4 Bc4 cxb2
the position shown. Although white
5 Bxb2
has given away two pawns, he has
developed both bishops and has good
control over the centre of the board,
whereas black has lost just one pawn
but the rest of his pieces remain
on their starting squares.

A checkmating sacrifice
1 Here white gives up his queen in order
to deliver a brilliant mate with his
one remaining piece. White plays
Qg8+, which forces Rxg8.

2 Now that the queen has

diverted the black rook with a
self-sacrifice, the white knight can
safely deliver checkmate on f7.
 Sacrifice 51

. Anastasia’s Mate
Another checkmating sacrifice is known as
Anastasia’s checkmate. Here, the h5 queen,
the e7 knight, and the e4 rook are involved.
White performs the daring sacrifice Qxh7+, when
black’s only option is to recapture the queen with
his king. Then Rh4+ is actually checkmate, as the
king has been trapped by the rook and knight.

The rook is vital in this

The rook’s move
checkmate. Once the
forces the white
queen has been captured,
king to capture it
he can move to h4 and
and ends the game
checkmate the enemy king
in stalemate

 A defensive sacrifice
Here, white is threatening three
different checkmates – Qe7, Qf7, and
Qh8. The situation looks hopeless for
black, but Rd6+ saves the game. If the
white king captures the rook, the black
king is not in check, but has no legal
move. It is stalemate. If the white king
moves out of check, then the black rook
can gleefully take the queen and the game
is drawn, through a lack of mating material.

m ast e r t i ps

Deflection
When you distract a piece away 
8  8 
from defending another piece or 7 7   
square, this clever tactic is known 6   6  
as deflection. There are two different 5 
  
 5
types of deflection shown here. 4  4

The first one is a material-winning 3 

 3 
 

deflection where white will gain 2 
 
 2 
  

points from black. The second 1 1 
  

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h
board demonstrates a cunning
1. Here the a4 white rook attacks 2. Rd8 forces the black e6 knight to
checkmating solution that will the a8 rook and deflects the h8 capture it, which allows the white
win white the game. rook from defending the h4 knight. queen to deliver checkmate on g7.
52 Tactics

Back rank checkmates

In chess, a rank is a row of squares across the board. Your back rank is the row
on which you place your king at the start of the game. Watch out, as a great many
checkmates are delivered on the back rank of the board.
. Don’t get trapped
When we castle, we like to keep our king safe behind
a wall of pawns. However, here the pawns have
become a death trap for the white king. It is
checkmate and the king cannot escape. He
This time the rook
has no pieces defending the back rank.
cannot deliver
checkmate as the
king can escape
from the back
rank to h2

This rook has

checkmated the king
because the king is
trapped by his pawns

 The escape square �

Here, the h-pawn has moved forward
to allow the white king an escape square.
It is therefore not checkmate and the game
can continue.

m a st e r t i ps

Back rank blunders

Back rank checkmates can be 8  8  
delivered either by queens or rooks 7   7  
and can occur at any time during the 6   6 
game. So you should always be aware 5  5

of the serious threat of a checkmate 4 4 

known as the submarine – or back
3   3 
 
2 
 2 

rank checkmate – even if you think
1  
  1 
 

you’ve got it covered. Sometimes a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

your opponent can cunningly 1. White rook to e8 would be 2. The black king’s escape square on
checkmate, as the d3 rook has h7 is covered by the white bishop
block off your escape route! blocked off the d7 escape route. on e4.
 Back rank checkmates 53

 A wise investment�
If you can checkmate your opponent, does it matter
that they capture your queen in the process? Of
course not! Here white thinks ahead and forces
the black b8 rook to capture his queen so
he can give a back rank checkmate by
recapturing with his e1 rook.

This rook backs up the queen

and is able to recapture the
rook and deliver checkmate

The king is
trapped behind
his pawns

. Don’t get deflected�

It is crucial that your pieces
are not deflected away from their
defence of the back rank. Here, it
would be a catastrophe if the black
rook was tempted to capture the
seemingly loose bishop, as white can
deliver an immediate checkmate
The way is open
with the c1 rook.
for this rook to
deliver checkmate

m a st e r ch a l l e n g e

Deflection or destruction?
In these seemingly innocent and 8   8   
equal positions, it is white’s turn 7   7  
to move. Can you find the best 6  6

continuation for white and cause 5 5

devastation, either by winning 4 

 4  

material or checkmating black?
3  3 
2  
 2 

Think about where your back
1  
  1 
 

rank mates are, which piece is a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

stopping checkmate, and then 1. White is just moments away from 2. White has sensibly given himself
achieving a back rank mate. What an escape square on h2, but black
deflect it (or them) away. should be white's next move? has not been so clever.
54 Tactics

G- and H-file checkmates

It is no exaggeration to say that the powerful queen
8  gives the majority of checkmates. If your opponent
7  has castled kingside, your queen’s checkmating
6
attack will usually be launched down the g- or
5
h-files, directly towards the enemy king.
4
The queen can
3 safely checkmate
the king
2

1
a b c d e f g h

u Using the g- and h-files

You should attack black down these files. The
f-file is easier for black to defend. In this typical
castling position, the rook already defends f7.

. Backup
As you can see, the c2 bishop is providing
the backup the queen needs to deliver
checkmate. Without the backup of the
bishop, the black king could capture the
queen. He cannot capture the queen now
because he would be moving into check.

m a st e r t i ps

Choose your checkmate

If your backup is missing or your 8  8  
opponent has defended against your 7
    7
  
attack, your checkmate will fail. It’s 6   6  
 
always important to plan ahead in a 5 5

game of chess and make sure you 4  4

have backup for any moves you have 3 

  3 

planned, otherwise it could all go
2 
   
  2 
  
 
1 
 
 
 1 
 
 

wrong if your opponent outwits you. a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h

Look at these positions carefully and 1. Here, the backup for the h7 2. The black e6 knight currently
checkmate is missing, so white prevents checkmate on g7, so white
find white’s best moves.
should play Ng5. should simply chop it off. Rxe6.
 G- and H-file checkmates 55

Defending against the queen’s attack

Recognizing when your king is in peril This black knight is
fiercely defending The queen’s plans
and knowing how to protect against his king to checkmate the
king are foiled
this type of attack is crucial for chess
success, as one tiny mistake can lead
to your doom. Black’s f6 knight is
cleverly defending h7 against the
queen’s attack. If the knight had
instead landed on g6, the game
would be over, as the black queen
could safely capture on h7 and deliver
checkmate. Planning is everything and
this time black has outwitted white.

The black king

must now
m a st e r ch a l l e n g e
move to h8

Good defending
Identifying weak squares and defending
correctly is vital. Choose black’s best move.

1. In this scenario,
Delivering g-file checkmate what should black 8 
1 Here, the f6 bishop is defending the g7 pawn, do next to improve
his defence?
7  
foiling our plan of checkmate. So let’s remove him
Should he play 6 

with the d5 knight. Nh5 or Bh5? 5

4 
3

1 

a b c d e f g h

2. What move
should black 8 
play here –
Ng6 or Bf5?
7

6 
5  
4

3
2 Now that the g-file defence has been removed, the 2
white queen can play Qxg7 checkmate, as the white 1 

rook on g3 provides vital backup. a b c d e f g h
56 Tactics

The Greek Gift

The Greek Gift is a chess sacrifice that is frequently deadly.
It refers to the tale of Troy, in which the Greek army left a giant
wooden horse outside the gates of the city of Troy. Thinking it was a
gift from the gods, the Trojans took
the horse into their city and the
Greeks then launched their
surprise attack.

Fallen for the trap .

The black king has been
1 Remove the defender tricked into accepting
White’s first task is to remove the defender of the
black kingside – the f6 knight. Unless he wants to
the sacrifice of the
be captured by the e5 pawn, the knight is forced to white bishop.
move (Nd5).

2 Offer the gift

Now white offers the Greek Gift and sacrifices a
bishop for the pawn on h7 (Bxh7+). If the black king
accepts the gift, then the race to checkmate him is on!

3 Attack quickly
White is a bishop down and therefore vulnerable,
so she has to move quickly and attack before the
black king realizes his plan.
 The Greek Gift 57

5 The Queen arrives

The queen has come to join the fun (Qh5). In just a few
moves, the position has changed dramatically. White is
now threatening Qh7 checkmate and black must struggle
to survive.

4 Black retreats
White moves her knight (Ng5+) and the black king
hurriedly retreats back behind his pawns where he
thinks he will be safe (Kg8).

6 Black gets desperate

In an attempt to stay in the game, black has chopped off
the white g5 knight (Bxg5). White now has a choice of
three different recaptures: Qxg5, hg5, or Bxg5.

7 Bring in the backup

White recaptures with the
h-pawn (hxg5). The h1 rook is
now backing up the queen’s
h7 and h8 attacks. Black’s
only hope of survival is to
move his f7 pawn to f5 to
create an escape square
for his king.

8 Checkmate!
To block off the black king’s last
chance of escape, white advances
her g-pawn to g6. Black is now
powerless to prevent the
checkmate.
58 Tactics

Removing the defender

Your army is too valuable to leave in unprotected situations. Therefore it is
important to keep your pieces defended. However, there are ways of removing
your opponent’s defending pieces that leave others open to attack.

Removing the defender of a piece

1 Here, the black c6 knight is defending the
d4 rook. When the white g2 bishop captures on
c6, the black king must escape from check.

2 The black b-pawn has captured the

white bishop, but now that the defending
knight has been removed, the white d1 rook
can simply chop off black’s d4 rook.

Removing the defender of a position

1 The f6 knight prevents Re8 check, but here,
the c3 bishop can remove the annoying
defender with check (Bxf6+).

2 The g7 pawn has recaptured the

white bishop in retaliation, but now, as the e8
square is undefended, the white rook can move
straight to it and skewer the black king and
This white rook is
queen. The black king must move, after backing up the rook
which white will take the black queen. on e8
 Removing the defender 59

Removing the defender of the king

1 Without his defensive forces, the king
is frequently in serious trouble and here, it
will lead to immediate checkmate. The
white bishop takes the defending
black f6 knight with check.

The white bishop

moves to capture
the knight

The white king is

protected behind
his pawns

2 The black queen immediately retaliates

and captures the bishop. However, the
white queen can now take the pawn on h7.
The queen cannot be captured, the check
cannot be blocked, and the king has no safe
squares – it is checkmate.

m a st e r c h a l l e n g e

Bash black into submission

It’s time to get tough with black and 8  8  
remove his defending pieces. Here 
7 7    
are two boards representing different 6  6 
types of removing the defender. Can 5 5
you find the brilliant move in each 4   4

position? Removing the defender is 3  3 


an extremely useful tactic, which, 2  2 
 
 
 
once you have mastered it, can be 1 
 1 
 

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h
used with lethal results on your
1. White would love to be able to 2. Have a good look at the white
powerless opponent. You have to capture the black rook – but how knight. Which square would he like
be quick to see the possibilities. to get rid of the black knight? to move to? Who must he remove?
60 Tactics

Seventh Heaven
The seventh rank is deep in your opponent’s territory and is where
your opponent’s pawns begin their slow journey. If you can get both
your rooks on to that seventh rank you will gain a lot of power, as
they can work together and gobble up any other piece in their path!

. Dual control
Here, the white rooks are
able to zoom up and down
the seventh rank and chop
off all the pawns.

Pawn carnage .
All in all, rooks on
the seventh rank give
you much greater
chances to win.

m ast e r c h a l l e n g e

Creating chaos
The white rooks are 8   8  
ideally placed on  
7    7
the seventh rank 6 6  
and are poised to 5 5  
chop off the enemy 4  4 
pieces. Even in such 3  3  
a powerful position, 2   2 
you still have to be 1 
 1 

a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h
careful about the
1. If white wants to win a pawn, 2. Black is about to get a shock.
position of your what should his next move be? How can white now checkmate
opponent’s pieces. in three moves?
 Seventh Heaven 61

The rooks protect

The white rooks force these
each other from
black pieces to defend
capture
frantically and therefore
reduce their effectiveness

They can easily get behind

and capture pawns like this
They trap the enemy
one, which have advanced
king and provide
numerous back rank
checkmating
opportunities

They threaten
pawns on both
sides of the board

. Seventh rank power

Are there really that many benefits to
rooks in seventh heaven? One rook on the 7th
rank is an advantage, but two are virtually unstoppable!
They radiate strength and it is often worth sacrificing a
pawn to get both of them on to the seventh rank.

m ast e r T I PS

Double trouble
If you put both your rooks on the same file
(up and down the board), or on the same
rank (sideways across the board), you often
double their strength, as they back each
other up and can chop off a lot of pieces.
If you manage to reach the seventh rank
your opponent is in for trouble!

Here,
because of
8  
the valuable 7  
backup from
6
the e1 rook,
white is able 5
to play Re7+. 4

2  
1
a b c d e f g h

When white moves to the seventh

rank he can attack both the king
and the c7 pawn.
62 Tactics

Discovered attacks
When you hit your opponent with a discovered attack, it is as if you have
ambushed them. One of your own soldiers leaps out of the way to reveal that
an attacking piece has been craftily hiding behind him all along.

Double discovered attack .

The piece that leaps out of the way is often able to pose a
threat itself. Here, Bh6 discovers a near fatal attack on the
black position. White threatens both Qg7 checkmate
and the capture of the black queen by the rook on e2.
Black cannot halt both of these threats and must
immediately lose his queen or the game.

 Double discovered attack with check

Double discovered attacks often involve discovered checks.
Bishop to b5 is a discovered check. It reveals a powerful
attack on the undefended black queen by the white queen.
Black must get out of check, after which, white will simply
chop his queen off. Beware that Loose Pieces Drop Off!

m a st e r t i ps

Double discovered checks

These can be the most vicious of 8  
 8   
all onslaughts. When your opponent 
7    7 
finds himself in double discovered 6    6  
check he must attempt to move his 5  5  
king. Sometimes it can be checkmate 4 4 

immediately, but more often this type 3 
 
 3 
  

of assault allows you to zoom in for 2 
 
  2 
  

the kill! Look at these great examples 1  
 
 1  
  
a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h
of double discovered checks and
1. Look how the rook and the bishop 2. White has sacrificed his queen for
checkmates and see how cleverly are lined up against the black king. a forced checkmate. Ne6 forces black
white has positioned himself. Bc5 is a double discovered checkmate. to play Ke8, then Rd8 is checkmate.
 Discovered attacks 63

m a st e r c h a l l e n g e
Conquering the copycats
1 Here, black has copied white’s first two moves but
now it all starts to go wrong. The white knight has just Discover your potential
captured black’s e5 pawn. If black continues to mirror
with Nxe4, his position will fall apart. When your pieces are lined up against the
enemy forces a discovered attack can frequently
be on the cards. Can you find the best move for
white in these two positions?

1. Black has
blocked the 8   
discovered check
by playing Qe7.
7 
Would you capture 6  
her with your 5
queen or your
knight and why? 4

2 
 



1 
  
a b c d e f g h

2. Can you find

the discovered 8   
2 Black has moved his knight and white has now played attack white can
7  
launch to win the

Qe2. If black copies again with Qe7, white can capture the
black queen? 6 
black knight and protect the white knight on e5. If the black
knight suddenly realizes that things aren’t going his way and
5 
retreats to f6, white has a fantastic discovered attack, 4  
which wins the black queen. 3 
 

2 
 
 
1 
  
 
a b c d e f g h

3 Nc6+! This reveals a discovered

check on the black king by the
white queen. The knight on c6 also
attacks the black queen on d8. Black
must get out of check immediately, after
which his queen will be captured either
on d8 or e7 when she blocks the check.
64 Reference section

The Duke of Brunswick game

This unusual and briliant game was played in the Grand Opera House in Paris in 1858.
Paul Morphy, an American chess genius, had been invited to the opera by the Duke of
Brunswick and Count Isouard. During the interval, they challenged him to a game of
chess and he politely accepted. Try playing this game on your own board and look out
for the tactics and themes covered in this book as you play.

Black's bishop is trapped

8  by the d6 pawn

7   1 The opening moves

6 
 Morphy (playing white) makes his opening moves
by bringing out a pawn (e4) and a knight (Nf3).
5 
 The Duke (playing black) responds with two
pawns (d5 and e6).
4 
3 

2     The black bishop had The f4 bishop is
a clear path into pinning the f3 knight
1   the game to the queen

a b c d e f g h

White has opened a

path for his queen
8   
and his bishop
7    
6 
5 
4  
White moves his
pawn to d4 before
3 
capturing on e5
2  
1  
a b c d e f g h

2 Controlling the centre of the board

Morphy advances his d4 pawn and continues with
his sensible policy of controlling the centre of the
board. The Duke develops his bishop (Bg4) which
Morphy follows by capturing the e5 pawn (dxe5).
 The Duke of Brunswick game 65

3 A sequence
of captures
The Duke retaliates 8  
by capturing the f3
knight, but Morphy 7  
is too quick and
6
recaptures by
bringing out his
queen (Qxf3). The
5 
Duke then takes 4 
Morphy’s d5 pawn
(dxe5). Material 3 
gains are level at
this point. 2  
1   
a b c d e f g h

White brings his

Black cannot allow queen into battle
white to take this pawn
or it will lead to
checkmate

4 An early checkmate threat

8    Morphy was keen not to miss the second half of the
opera so he threatened a sneaky checkmate. He
7   brings out his white bishop (Bc4) but the Duke
blocks this with his knight (Nf6). Morphy now
6  brings out his queen (Qb3) launching a double
attack on b7 and f7.
5  This pawn is now

4 
  protected by the queen

3 

2    8   
1    7   
a b c d e f g h 6  
Both the f7 and b7
White brings out
his other knight
5 
pawns are under
attack by the queen 4  
5 Deepening development
3 

The Duke hastily moves his queen to defend f7 2 
  
against the checkmate threat (Qe7). But instead
of capturing the b7 pawn, Morphy continues 1    
to develop and brings out his other knight (Nc3).
a b c d e f g h
The Duke then brings out another pawn (c6).
 66 Reference section

6 The start of a devastating attack

Morphy brings out his other bishop (Bg5). The Duke
8    launches an unwise attack with another pawn (b5) which
is immediately captured by Morphy’s c3 knight (Nxb5).
7  
6   Black’s pieces are not well
The bishop is pinning the developed and squeezed into
5     f6 knight to the e7 queen the corner

4 
 
3  8   
2    7  
1    6 
a b c d e f g h
5   
4 
White on the attack
The Duke now takes the b5 knight with his c6 pawn. But the
7
3 
victory is short-lived as Morphy confidently recaptures the pawn
2  
with his bishop, putting the king into check (Bxb5+). The Count is
forced to defend with his other knight (Nd7). White is now fully 1   
on the attack. Notice how white is attacking both of black’s
a b c d e f g h
knights with his bishops.

Black’s rook and bishop

are still trapped
8  
7  
6 
5   
4 
kb|183865|1330916925

3 
2  
1 
  This rook is
free to move along
a b c d e f g h the back rank

8 Castle and attack

Morphy castles queenside (0-0-0), immediately
attacking down the d-file with his rook. The
Duke is forced to defend his knight with his a8
rook (Rd8).
 The Duke of Brunswick game 67

9 White launches a clever sacrifice…

Morphy bravely sacrifices another piece by capturing the
8   black knight with his rook (Rd7), which he knows the Duke

7   will immediately recapture with his d8 rook (Rd7).

10 …and then another…

6  Morphy brings his other rook in to action (Rd1). The
5    Duke, keen to release his f6 knight from his pin, offers
an exchange of queens (Qe6). Morphy turns down the
4  offer and instead captures the rook (Bxd7+).

3 
2    8  
1   7   

a b c d e f g h
6 
This rook is waiting
for his chance 5  
to pounce
4 
3 
8   2   
7    1 
6  a b c d e f g h

5   The knight was

forced to capture
4  the queen

3 
   8   
2

 7  
1
a b c d e f g h 6 
11 ...and yet another!
5  
Black must recapture the bishop with his f6 knight 4 
(Nxd7). The white queen then moves straight to b8
in a daring sacrifice, forcing a brilliant 3
checkmate (Qb8).
12 Checkmate!
2  
The Duke has no option but to capture the queen
with his knight (Nxb8). This now leaves the d-file 1 
open for the d1 white rook to deliver
a swift checkmate on (Rd8+). a b c d e f g h
68 Reference section

Glossary
Adjudication Castling Discovered attack
A way of deciding the result of When you castle, your king When a piece moves and
an unfinished game. A strong, moves two squares towards your uncovers an attack on an
impartial player evaluates the rook and the rook then jumps enemy piece.
final position and assigns a win, over and lands next to the king.
draw or loss depending on best En passant
play by both players. Central Squares A special move that is an
The four squares in the very alternative method of
Adjust or j’adoube centre of a chess board are capturing with a pawn.
If your piece is not in the centre described as the central squares.
of a square you may wish to En prise
adjust it’s position, without Check A French phrase meaning that a
being forced to move it because When the king is attacked by piece is unprotected or loose.
of the “touch move rule”. You an enemy piece, we say that
should say “I adjust” before he is in check. Exchanging
touching the piece. When you capture a piece and
Checkmate your opponent recaptures, you
Backup If your king cannot escape have exchanged pieces.
Your pieces are said to back from check, then you are
each other up when they in checkmate and your Files
protect each other. opponent has won. There are eight files on a
chess board, running up
Barrier Chop off and down the board.
Normally formed with a Another way to describe
queen or rook. It serves to capturing a piece. Fork
block off squares from your When one piece attacks two
opponent’s king. Deflection or more enemy pieces at the
When you distract a piece same time.
Blunder away from defending another
A very bad move. piece or square. Gambit
A gambit is a chess opening
Capturing Developing where one player sacrifices
When you capture your When you first move your material (usually a pawn) for
opponent’s pieces, you land on pieces at the beginning of another type of advantage.
their square and they are then a game, you are said to be Gambits may either be
removed from the board. developing them. accepted or declined.
 Glossary 69

Grandmaster Piece value using chess notation to record

An expert chess player. Every piece is allocated a value, your progress in the game.
which depends on its strength.
Knights on the rim The more powerful a piece is, Skewer
The rim is the edge of the higher its points value. An attack on a valuable piece,
the board. which when it moves leaves a
Pin second piece open to capture.
Loose pieces An attack on a piece which, if
A piece is loose, and likely it tries to move, leaves a more Stalemate
to be captured, if it is not valuable piece open to capture. If you are not in check, but
protected by another piece. have no legal move then you
Queening are in stalemate and the game
Major pieces Also known as promoting. is drawn.
Rooks (worth five points) and When your pawn reaches the
queens (worth nine points). other side of the board you Tactics
can immediately change it The science and art of
Material (or queen it) into a knight, effectively manoeuvring
If you have captured more bishop, rook, or queen. your chess pieces.
valuable pieces than your
opponent, you are said to Ranks Tempo
have “a material advantage” There are eight ranks on a chess If you take two moves to
or be “material up”. board, running side to side accomplish what can be done
across the board. in one move (or three moves
Minor pieces where two moves are enough,
Knights and bishops (each Sacrifice etc.) you are said to have
worth three points). A deliberate loss of material lost a tempo, or time.
in return for an expected
Open lines advantage over your opponent. Touch move
A line (rank or file) can be If it is your move and you
described as open when it is Scholar’s Mate touch one of your pieces,
not blocked by either friendly Another name for the you must move it (if you
or enemy pawns. Four Move Checkmate. can). If you touch one of your
opponent’s pieces, you must
Opponent Scoresheet take it. When you take your
The person that you are You can “score” or write down hand away from your piece,
playing against. your moves on a scoresheet, you must leave it there.
70 Reference section

Solutions
Where moves are listed in p.25: The king the rim – h6.
notation form, white always 1. b) He has moved four pawns
moves first, for example: in the opening.
8 
White Black c) The king has moved to e7
7 
 
1. Rxa4 Rxa4 for no reason.
6  
 
5
p.15: The rook 4
p.35: Attack and defence
1. c8. 3  1. Rg8 protects g7 and attacks
2. The white rook should move 2  
  the white queen and the
from a1-a6-e6-e3-c3-c4. 1  vulnerable g-file. Black can now
a b c d e f g h hope for a checkmate on g2.
p.17: The bishop Qxf7 is checkmate, as the 2. Pawn to f3 blocks the path of
1. The rook on a7. knight backs up the queen. the backup bishop and prevents
2. The bishop can move to Qb8+ allows the black king the checkmate.
seven squares and capture an escape square on e7.
the black rook on f6. Qd8+ can be blocked by p.39: Two Rook Checkmate
Ne8, but does lead to 1. Rg8 is checkmate, whereas
p.19: The queen checkmate. Rh8 removes the barrier and
1. The rook on c3. Qc8+ leads to disaster for allows the king to escape.
2. The bishop on d8. white, as the black queen 2. The rook on a6 is in danger,
can capture on c8. so you should zoom him away
p.21: The knight from the king to g6.
1. g5 – a black rook. p.31: Piece value and
2. The knight has many different exchanging p.43: King and Queen
routes to capture the pawns. 1. Rxe5 is a good exchange for Checkmate
One route is Nb1-c3-b5-c7-e8- white. He would gain 9 points 1. Qf7 follows the king and is a
f6-d7. but only lose 5 points when knight’s move away from the d8
black recaptures, Rxe5. king.
p.23: The pawn 2. Nxc5 is the best capture 2. Qg7, Qe8 and Qd8 are all
1. The best capture is exd5, (5 points), as Nxf6 can be checkmate.
taking the black queen and recaptured by the g-pawn
gaining 9 points. If you capture (5-3=2 points). p.47: Forks, pins and
the bishop on f5, you only gain skewers
3 points. p.32: Developing your pieces 1. If the bishop moves to e4 he
2. You should queen your 1. Centralize your knight to c3. will pin the black queen to
pawn by moving to b8. 2. a) The kingside knight is on the king.
 Solutions 71

2. The white knight should 2. ... Kg8

capture the pawn on f7 where
8   3. Rxg7 checkmate
he will fork the black queen
7  
6
and the h8 rook.
8  
5 7 

4
p.49: Fried Liver
6  
3  5  
1. Here, Ng5 would be the
2 
 4 
incorrect option, as black 1 
 3  
could simply capture the a b c d e f g h
2 
knight with his queen, Qxg5.
p.55: G- and h-file checkmates
1 

2. Black should play Na5, a b c d e f g h
forcing the backup bishop off 1. Nh5 defends against the
the important diagonal. checkmate on g7. Bh5 allows p.63: Discovered attacks
Qg7 checkmate. 1. White should capture the
p.53: Back rank 2. Bf5 defends against the queen with the knight on c6. This
checkmates checkmate on h7. Ng6 does not. wins 6 points – a knight (3 points)
1. Qxd2 wins the black rook for a queen (9 points). Qxe7+
or leads to checkmate. If black p.59: Removing the defender would be a mistake, as the black
recaptures Qxd2, then Re8 is 1. 1. Bxc6+ bxc6 is best bishop would recapture the white
checkmate 2. Rxb4 wins the black rook queen.
2. Rxa4 either wins the 2. Rxc8 removes the defender. 2. Bxh7+ discovers an attack
bishop or leads to a back rank Nf5+ forks the queen and king. by the white queen on the
checkmate. undefended black queen.
1. Rxa4 Rxa4 p.60: Seventh Heaven
2. Qxa4 1. Rxb7 wins a pawn.
Rxg7 loses a rook to Bxg7.
8   2. 1. Rxg7+ Kh8
7   2. Rxh7+
6

5 8   
4  7 
 
3  6  
2 
 5  
1 
 
 4 
a b c d e f g h
3  
2. ... Qxa4 2 
3. Rc8+ Qe8 (forced) 1 

4. Rxe8 checkmate a b c d e f g h
72 index

Index
A ranks 52, 60–61 Greek Gift 56–57 capturing en passant 27
absolute pins 46 chess games, Duke of H notation 11
Anastasia’s Mate 51 Brunswick Game 64–67 h-file checkmates 54–55 pins 46–47
attacks 34 chess pieces points values, of chess pieces
discovered 62–63 developing 32–33 K 30
Fried Liver tactics 48–49 exchanging 31 Kasparov, Garry 5
see also checkmate; names 4, 17, 19, 22 King and Queen Checkmate Q
sacrifices values 30 42–43 queening 23
chess sets 4 kings 8, 24–25 queens 8, 18–19
B computer chess 5 castling 26, 27 back rank checkmates 52–53
back rank checkmates escape squares 52 g- and h-file checkmates 54
52–53 D notation 11 King and Queen Checkmate
backup 54 Danish Gambit 50 see also checkmate 42–43
bad bishops 17 Deep Blue (computer) 5 kingside 10 notation 11
barriers, forming 38, 42, 43 defence 35, 55 knights 8, 11, 20–21 queenside 10
bishops 4, 8, 11, 16–17 against Fried Liver 49
against Scholar’s Mate 37 L R
C escape squares 52 “The Lady” see queens ranks 10, 52, 60–61
capturing 5 sacrifice in 51 Lewis chess set 4 rooks 8, 14–15
en passant 27 safe moves 33 “Loose Pieces Drop Off” 35 back rank checkmates 52–53
using bishops 16 see also castling castling 26, 27
using kings 24 defenders, removing 58–59 M notation 11
using knights 20 deflection 51 Morphy, Paul 64–67 on the seventh rank 60–61
using pawns 22 developing chess pieces moves Two Rook Checkmate 38–39
using queens 18 32–33 of bishops 16, 17
using rooks 14–15 diagonals 10 capturing en passant 27 S
castles see rooks dim knights 21 castling 26, 27 sacrifices 50–51, 56–57
castling 26, 27 discovered attacks 62–63 fifty move rule 41 safe moves 33
centre of the board, distraction 51 of kings 24 Scholar’s Mate 36–37
controlling 10, 32 double discovered attacks 62 of knights 20 seventh rank, rooks on 60–61
check, rules 24 drawn games (stalemate) 40– notation 11 skewers 47
checkmate 5, 25 41, 42, 51 opening 50 stalemate 40–41, 42, 51
Anastasia’s Mate 51 Duke of Brunswick game 64–67 of pawns 22 starting positions 10
back rank 52–53 of queens 18 Staunton chess set 4
double discovered 62 E of rooks 14
Four Move 36–37 en passant capturing 27 safe 33 T
g- and h-files 54–55 escape squares 52 three-fold repetition 41 three-fold repetition 41
Greek Gift 56–57 exchanging chess pieces 31 Troy, wooden horse 56
King and Queen 42–43 N Two Rook Checkmate 38–39
Scholar’s Mate 36–37 F names of chess pieces 4, 17,
Two Rook 38–39 fifty move rule 41 19, 22 V
chess files 10, 54 notation 11 values, of chess pieces 30
computer 5 forks 46, 47, 48–49
notation 11 “Form the barrier” 38, 42, 43 O W
object of 8–9 Four Move Checkmate 36–37 open lines 14 wooden horse of Troy 56
origins 4 Fried Liver tactics 48–49 opening moves 50
starting positions 10 origins of chess 4
chess boards 10–11 G
controlling the centre 10, 32 g-file checkmates 54–55 P
files 54 good bishops 17 pawns 9, 22–23

Acknowledgements

The publisher would like to thank the following for their kind permission All other images © Dorling Kindersley
to reproduce their photographs: For further information see: www.dkimages.com
(Key: a-above; b-below/bottom; c-centre; f-far; l-left; r-right; t-top)
Alamy Images: Visual Arts Library (London) 4bl. Corbis: Ken Kaminesky Thanks also to Sylvia Potter for proofreading and indexing.
5br. Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC: 4cl.
Getty Images: Reportage 5tr.