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King hunt

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In chess, a king hunt is a tactical motif in which the opponent's king is exposed and subjected to a series of checks. Sometimes the king is drawn across the board and is mated in enemy territory. It is critical in such situations that the entire sequence is forced and the opponent is not given an opportunity to organize a defense.[1]

Example

One of the most famous king hunts occurred in LaskerThomas, 1912.[2] In the position in the diagram, Lasker played 1.Qxh7+; the entire sequence is forced and the final move 8.Kd2 delivers mate. Lasker could also have mated via the more dramatic 8.0-0-0, rather than the quiet king move.

abcdefgh
8
a8 black rook
b8 black knight
f8 black rook
g8 black king
a7 black pawn
b7 black bishop
c7 black pawn
d7 black pawn
e7 black queen
g7 black pawn
h7 black pawn
b6 black pawn
e6 black pawn
f6 black bishop
e5 white knight
h5 white queen
d4 white pawn
e4 white knight
d3 white bishop
a2 white pawn
b2 white pawn
c2 white pawn
f2 white pawn
g2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
a1 white rook
e1 white king
h1 white rook
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
1.Qxh7+ Kxh7 2.Nxf6+ Kh6 3.Neg4+ Kg5 4.h4+ Kf4 5.g3+ Kf3 6.Be2+ Kg2 7.Rh2+ Kg1 8.Kd2#
abcdefgh
8
a8 black rook
b8 black knight
f8 black rook
a7 black pawn
b7 black bishop
c7 black pawn
d7 black pawn
e7 black queen
g7 black pawn
b6 black pawn
e6 black pawn
f6 white knight
d4 white pawn
g4 white knight
h4 white pawn
g3 white pawn
a2 white pawn
b2 white pawn
c2 white pawn
d2 white king
e2 white bishop
f2 white pawn
h2 white rook
a1 white rook
g1 black king
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Final position after 8.Kd2#

See also

References

  1. ^ George Huczek (2017). A to Z Chess Tactics. Batsford. pp. 1–349. ISBN 978-1-8499-4446-5.
  2. ^ "Edward Lasker vs. George Alan Thomas (1912), London, England". ChessGames.com. Retrieved 23 December 2020.