King walk
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In chess, a king walk, also known as a king march, steel king (Dutch: wandelkoning, literally "wanderking") or fighting king, refers to occasions where the king travels up the board, often actively involved in the mating attack against the opposing king.[1] This is a highly unusual occurrence since the safety of the king is considered paramount, and players are recommended to keep them out of harm's way, at least until the endgame.[2][3] Nevertheless, in contrast Wilhelm Steinitz, often known as the father of modern chess, was renowned for his maxim that "the king is a fighting piece".[4][5] Dutch chess historian and author Tim Krabbé has documented over one hundred such games.[1]
Because of the rarity of such tactics, those which reap rewards for the attacking player often have brilliancy prizes bestowed upon them.[6][7] Perhaps the most famous in recent history,[8] where Nigel Short defeated Jan Timman in Tilburg in 1991, was voted as one of the hundred greatest chess games in a list compiled by FM Graham Burgess, and GMs John Nunn and John Emms.[9]
Sample games
- Short–Timman, Tilburg 1991. Alekhine Defense: Modern. Alburt Variation (B04) Short ties up Timman's pieces and his King can advance.
- Alekhine-Yates, London 1922, Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense. Main Line (D64) 1-0 Alekhine conjures up an attack in the endgame, and his King joins the fray.
References
- ^ a b Krabbé, Tim (1985), Chess Curiosities, London: George Allen & Unwin, ISBN 0-04-794021-2
- ^ "Chess; Theory aside, the king safety is foremost", Robert Byrne, The New York Times, September 7, 1986
- ^ "Ten Tips to Winning Chess - 7. Keep your king safe", Arthur Bisguier, United States Chess Federation website
- ^ "Wilhelm Steinitz (1836–1900)", Jeremy Silman
- ^ "Chess; Girding the king", Robert Byrne, The New York Times, June 27, 1982
- ^ "Steel king from Utrecht", Open Chess Diary, July 11, 2003
- ^ "Steel King goes all the way", Open Chess Diary, July 4, 2007
- ^ "The outrageous king walk", Dennis Monokroussos, ChessBase, April 2, 2006
- ^ Burgess, Graham; Nunn, John; Emms, John (October 1998), The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games, Carroll & Graf, ISBN 978-0-7867-0587-0
External links
- "His Majesty steps out", capanegra, chessgames.com
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