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DRIVING OUT OF THE KING

Probably one of the most spectacular methods of attacking the king is the driving out in the

middle of the board. Once the king is expelled in the middle of the board, he gets under the

attack of the opposite pieces and usually the checkmates are very spectacular. The main

characteristic of such positions (in which the king is driven out) is the fact that the king losesin most of the cases the support of his own pieces, in this way being easier to get attacked by

the opponents pieces. Lets notice also that in this kind of attack, after the king is extracted

in the center, the pawns play a very important offensive role because of their approaching to

the opposite king. To illustrate this procedure we would like to start with a fragment from a

beautiful game (see the diagram below). The first moves of the game were: 1.e4 Nf6 2.Nc3

d5 3.exd5 Nxd5 4.Bc4 Nb6 5.Bb3 Nc6 6.Nf3 e5 7.d3 Bg4 8.h3 Bh5 Nothing announced the

following storm.

Imbaud - Strumilo

1922

1.Nxe5!! A queen sacrifice which reminds of the well-known Legals sacrifice, but now the

aim is to extract the king from his shelter.

1...Bxd1 2.Bxf7+ Ke7 3.Bg5+ Kd6

QUIZ

White to move.

Find the best way to continue the attack

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4.Ne4+!!

The black monarch is forced to approach more and more to the white army, breaking in this

way the connection with his own fighters. Winning back the queen with 4.Bxd8 doesnt help

White, which enters a worse position after 4Nxd8!

4...Kxe5 5.f4+! Kd4 6.Rxd1!!

White has a queen down, but he threatens to deliver checkmate through 7.Ke2 followed by8.c3. Without profiting by the support of his own pieces and without having any possibility to

retreat, the black king tries to sneak through the traps set by White.

6...Ke3

It doesnt save the game 6...Qxg5 White gaining advantage after 7.c3+! A very important

intermediary move, which attracts more the king in the lions mouth 7...Ke3 8.fxg5 Kf4 9.0

0+ Ke5 10.Rde1! and Black doesnt have satisfactory defenses against the threats 11.d4+ and

11.Nc5+ being forced to suffer material loss in order to escape from the attack: 6...Nd5 7.c3+

Ke3 8.Bxd5

QUIZ

White to move.

How should he continue the attack?

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7.00!

Threatening both 8.Rfe1+ Kd4 9.c3 and 8.Rf3+ Ke2 9.Nc3

7...Nd4

After 7...Bb4 follows 8.c3 Nd4 (Very spectacular checkmates result after 8...Qxg5 9.Rf3+

Ke2 10.Rd2+ Ke1 11.Rf1#; 8...Qxd3 9.Rde1+ Qe2 10.Rf3+ Kxe4 11.Rxe2+ Kf5 12.g4#)

9.Rfe1+ Ne2+ 10.Kf1 Qxd3 11.Nf2!! (or11.Rxd3+ Kxd3 12.Nf2+ Kc2 13.Rxe2++-)11...Qxd1 12.f5#

8.Rde1+

Another beautiful end could be 8.Rfe1+ Ne2+ 9.Rxe2+ Kxe2 10.Nc3+ Ke3 11.d4!! Qxd4

(11...Qxg5 12.Rd3+ Kxf4 13.Rf3#) 12.f5+ Qf4 13.Rd3#

8...Ne2+ 9.Rxe2+ Kxe2

9...Kd4 10.Rf3! and Black cannot obstruct the checkmate with the c-pawn

10.Bh5+! Ke3 11.Rf3+ Kd4

QUIZ

Find the winning move for White

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12.Bf7!!

A beautiful move, which stops the run of the black king, which is unable to move on d5. Now

the checkmate cannot be avoided.10

Skatchkov - Krovelschikov2001

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6The Philidor Defense is quite passive and Black has to play very carefully from the very first

moves to avoid a catastrophe in the opening stage.

3.d4 Nd7 4.Bc4!

The most active continuation.

4...h6?

This move, through which Black tries to protect the g5-square against Nf3-g5 is a typical

mistake in this position. Another typical mistake is 4...Be7? 5.dxe5 Nxe5 (Weaker is

5...dxe5? 6.Qd5! and Black has to sacrifice a piece in order to avoid the checkmate on f7)

6.Nxe5 dxe5 7.Qh5 and White wins a pawn due to the double attack on e5 and f7. The right

move is 4c6 with the idea 5.0-0 Be7 followed by Ngf6 and 0-0.

5.dxe5! dxe5

After 5...Nxe5?! follows 6.Nxe5 dxe5 7.Bxf7+!

6.Bxf7+!

A classical sacrifice through which the black king is expelled in the center.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+! Kf6

The only move. Other continuations lead to an immediate collapse of the black position.

QUIZ:

Indicate the winning variations for White after

7...Ke8, 7...Ke7 and 7...Ke6

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7...Ke8? 8.Qh5+ Ke7 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.Nc4+ Kc5 11.Qd5+ Kb4 12.c3+ Ka4 13.b3#;

7...Ke6 8.Qd5+ Kf6 9.Qf7+ Kxe5 10.Bf4+ Kxe4 11.Nc3+ Kd4 12.Qd5#;

7...Ke7 8.Ng6++-

8.Nc3!! The best way to continue the attack. Weaker is 8.Qd4? c5!! 9.Nxd7+ Ke7 and Black

is able to defend. Surprising is the fact that this wrong way is chosen even by high-rated

players, the last example being the game Aleksandra Kosteniuk - Almira Skripchenko, 2004,we have to admit, at a rapid tournament

8...Bb4

Other moves are losing too: 8...Kxe5 9.Qd5+ Kf6 10.Qf5+ Ke7 11.Nd5+ Kd6 12.Bf4+ Kc6

13.Qe6+ Bd6 14.Nb4+ Kb5 (14...Kb6 15.Bxd6 cxd6 16.Qxd6+ Ka5 17.Nd5+-) 15.a4+ Ka5

16.Bd2 Qg5 (16...Nb6 17.Qe5+ Bxe5 18.Nd3+ Ka6 19.Nc5#; 16...Bxb4 17.Bxb4+ Kxb4

18.c3+ Kc5 19.b4#) 17.Nc6+ Kb6 18.Qb3+ Kxc6 19.Bxg5 Bb4+ (19...hxg5 20.Qb5#)

20.Qxb4 hxg5 21.Qc3+ 10 Herbrechtsmaier - Schmidt H., 1993; 8...Ne7 9.Qd4! Ke6 (9...c5

10.Qd6#) 10.f4 10 Formanek - Metz, 1967; 8...Bc5 9.Qf3+ Kxe5 10.Qf5+ Kd6 11.Bf4+ Ke7

(11...Kc6 12.Qe6+ Bd6 13.Qd5+ Kb6 14.Qb5#) 12.Nd5+ Ke8 13.Nxc7+ with decisive

advantage; 8...c5 9.Qf3+! (or 9.Nd5+ Kxe5 10.Bf4+ Ke6 11.Nc7++-) 9...Kxe5 10.Qf5+ Kd6

11.Bf4+ Ne5 (11...Kc6 12.Qe6+ Bd6 13.Qxd6#; 11...Ke7 12.Nd5+ Ke8 13.Qg6#)12.000 +! +-

9.Qd4!

Threatens a devastating check.

9...Bxc3+It is not good 9...c5 because of 10.Qd6#

10.bxc3 Ke6A better resistance could have provided the variation: 10...Qe8 11.Nxd7+ Kg6 12.Ne5+ Kh7

QUIZ

White moves and checkmates in 4 moves.

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11.Qd5+ Kf6 12.Qf7+! Kxe5 13.Bf4+! Kxe4 14.f3#

10

The black king is checkmated in the center of the board by a simple pawn. A game which

proves how important is to know the opening traps. Sometimes, an apparently minor mistake

may have fatal consequences.

CONCLUSIONS

Driving out the king in the center is a very efficient method. Once attracted in the center, the

king gets under the fire of the opposite pieces. The main characteristic in such positions is the

fact that the king loses the support of his own forces and it is more likely to be checkmated.

Sometimes the opposite king is well hidden, like a turtle, so it is necessary to sacrifice more

pieces in order to expel him from his shell. After the king is extracted to the central lines, the

pawns play a very important offensive role, because of their approaching to the king.