King walk
Encyclopedia
In chess
, a king walk, also known as a steel king or fighting king, refers to occasions where the king
travels up the board
, often in the context of its active involvement in the mating attack
against the opposing king. 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. 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". Dutch chess historian
and author
Tim Krabbé
has documented over one hundred such games.
Because of the rarity of such tactics, those which reap rewards for the attacking player often have brilliancy prizes bestowed upon them. Perhaps the most famous in recent history, 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.
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, a king walk, also known as a steel king or fighting king, refers to occasions where the king
King (chess)
In chess, the king is the most important piece. The object of the game is to trap the opponent's king so that its escape is not possible . If a player's king is threatened with capture, it is said to be in check, and the player must remove the threat of capture on the next move. If this cannot be...
travels up the board
Chessboard
A chessboard is the type of checkerboard used in the board game chess, and consists of 64 squares arranged in two alternating colors...
, often in the context of its active involvement in the mating attack
Checkmate
Checkmate is a situation in chess in which one player's king is threatened with capture and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured...
against the opposing king. 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. Nevertheless, in contrast Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz was an Austrian and then American chess player and the first undisputed world chess champion from 1886 to 1894. From the 1870s onwards, commentators have debated whether Steinitz was effectively the champion earlier...
, often known as the father of modern chess, was renowned for his maxim that "the king is a fighting piece". Dutch chess historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Tim Krabbé
Tim Krabbé
Tim Krabbé is a Dutch journalist and novelist.Krabbé was born in Amsterdam. His writing has appeared in most major periodicals in the Netherlands. He is known to Dutch readers for his novel De Renner , first published in 1978...
has documented over one hundred such games.
Because of the rarity of such tactics, those which reap rewards for the attacking player often have brilliancy prizes bestowed upon them. Perhaps the most famous in recent history, where Nigel Short
Nigel Short
Nigel David Short MBE is an English chess grandmaster earning the title at the age of 19. Short is often regarded as the strongest English player of the 20th century as he was ranked third in the world, from January 1988 – July 1989 and in 1993, he challenged Garry Kasparov for the World Chess...
defeated Jan Timman
Jan Timman
Jan Timman is a Dutch chess Grandmaster who was one of the world's leading players from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. At the peak of his career he was considered to be the best non-Soviet player and was known as "The Best of the West"...
in Tilburg
Tilburg
Tilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout....
in 1991, was voted as one of the hundred greatest chess games in a list compiled by FM Graham Burgess
Graham Burgess
Graham K. Burgess is an English FIDE Master of chess and a noted writer and trainer. He became a FIDE Master at the age of twenty. He attended Birkdale High School in Southport, Merseyside. In 1989 he graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in mathematics...
, and GMs John Nunn
John Nunn
John Denis Martin Nunn is one of England's strongest chess players and once belonged to the world's top ten. He is also a three times world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician....
and John Emms.
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.
External links
- "His Majesty steps out", capanegra, chessgames.com