One of the most famous king marches occurred at Tilburg (Netherlands) 1991 in a game between Nigel Short and Jan Timman.
But it is possible the original such event happened in the following game from Vienna 1898.
Notes in italics are algebraicised from 500 Master Games Of Chess by Savielly Tartakower and Julius du Mont.
Mikhail Chigorin - Horatio Caro
Vienna Gambit
The white king's peregrinations are nothing short of amazing, and make it unique in the annals of master chess.
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6
The Vienna Game: 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 dates back to at least 1836, and was so named because of its popularity with Austrian players, and others, based in Vienna. White often, as in this game, plays what is effectively a delayed King's Gambit.
3.f4 d5 4.d3!?
An archaic continuation, recommended particularly by Steinitz.
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| How should Black respond? |
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4...Bb4
Playing a kind of 'Ruy Lopez' with the colours reversed (and in which consequently the "defence" has an extra move thrown in).
After 4...d4, White can play 5.Nce2, or even 5.Nb1, with a compact game.
After 4...dxe4 5.fxe5 Ng4 6.Nxe4 (if 6.d4, 6...e3) Nxe5 7.d4 Ng6 8.Bd3 etc, White has the better chances.
After 4...exf4, White obtains a well-balanced position by 5.exd5 Bb4 6.Bxf4 Nxd5 7.Bd2 etc.
Marginally most popular in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database is 4...Nc6, after which 5.fxe5 Nxe5 6.d4 Ng6 gives an equal game, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1
5.fxe5 Nxe4!?
A "correct" sacrifice in the sense that it ensures the draw by perpetual check.
6.dxe4 Qxh4+ 7.Ke2
If 7.Kd2, 7...d4, recovering the piece.
7...Bxc3 8.bxc3 Bg4+!?
The perpetual starts with 8...Qg4+, after which neither player can avoid repeating without contracting a lost game.
9.Nf3 dxe4 10.Qd4
In a most astute manner he maintains his extra piece. If now 10...exf3+, 11.gxf3, and the adverse bishop is held in a horizontal pin.
Komodo14.1, for quite some time after 9...dxe4, sees 10.Qd4 as winning for White, but eventually agrees with Stockfish16's verdict of equality.
10...Bh5
Insisting on regaining what is his due.
11.Ke3
The only correct reply.
The engines marginally prefer 11.Kd2.
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| How should Black continue? |
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11...Bxf3!
A find! If now 12.gxf3, 12...Qe1+ 13.Kf4 (13.Be2 Qxh1) Qh4+ 14.Ke3 Qe1+ etc, White [sic] obtains a perpetual check.
12.Bb5+
A sworn enemy of the drawn games, the great Russian master plays 'va banque', although the decision is fraught with many hazards, But "there is nothing new under the sun." A game Steinitz-Blackburne, 'London' 1876, ran an identical course.
12...c6 13.gxf3 Qh6+!?
This was probably a prepared 'improvement' over the aforementioned Steinitz-Blackburne game, which saw 13...cxb5 14.Qxe4 Qh6+, with an equal position, according to the engines (but 1-0, 53 moves), and over Blackburne-Zukertort, Match (London) 1887), which saw 13...cxb5 14.Qxe4 Qxe4+ 15.Kxe4, again with an equal position, according to the engines (but 0-1, 60 moves).
14.Kxe4!?
Possibly better is 14.Ke2, as in Hermann Pusch - Bernhard Schippan, Bochum (West Germany) 1979, which continued 14...Qh3 15.Rd1!? 0-0!? 16.Bc4, with a completely equal position, according to the engines (but 1-0, 49 moves).
14...Qg6+ 15.Ke3 cxb5 16.Ba3 Nc6 17.Qd5 Qxc2
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| How would you assess this middlegame? |
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White is a pawn up, but Black will have problems completing development, and clearly the most significant factor in the position is the precarious position of both kings. Komodo14.1 gives Black the upper hand, but Stockfish16 gives Black 'only' a slight edge.
18.Rac1 Qf5 19.Rhe1
18.Rac1 Qf5 19.Rhe1
An indirect defence of the KP (19...Qxe5+ 20.Kf2).
19...Rd8
The engines want Black to either protect his extra pawn with 19...a6, or give it up by 19...b4 so as to enable kingside castling.
20.Qxb5
Re-establishing the balance in material.
20...a6 21.Qb1
Definitely not 21.Qxb7, 21...Rd3+ etc.
21...Qg5+ 22.f4 Qg2 23.Bd6 Qh3+
Embarking on a series of checks, intended to keep the adverse king on the edge of a precipice.
24.Ke4!?
The engines prefer 24.Ke2 or 24.Kf2.
24...f5+ 25.Kd5 Qg2+ 26.Kc4 b5+
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| Where should the king go? |
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27.Kd3?
The engines reckon White is more-or-less equal after 27.Kb3.
27...Qf3+?
Now the king escapes from the centre of the board, whereas the engines' 27...Na5 cuts off its retreat, a possible continuation being 28.Rc2 Qf3+ 29.Re3 Qd5+ 30.Ke2 Nc4, with a winning attack for Black, according to the engines.
28.Kc2 Qf2+ 29.Kb3 Rc8
With the potential threat of 30...Na5+ 31.Kb4 [31.Ka3 avoids checkmate, but 31...Nc4+ is devastating, eg 32.Kb4 a5+!? 33.Kxb5 Qb6+ etc] Rc4+, followed by 32...Ra4#.
If at once 29...Na5+, 30.Kb4 Nc4 31.Qxf5 Qb2+ 32.Kc5 Qf2+ 33.Kd5 Qd2+ 34.Kc6 Qg2+ 35.Kc7, and the white king prevails. However Black has a major improvement with 33...Qf3+ (other moves also improve on ...Qd2+) , eg 34.Qe4 Qh3!? 35.Kd4 Rf8, with complete equality, according to the engines.
30.Rc2 Qxf4 31.Kb2 Na5 32.Ka1
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| Of White's first 32 moves, 12 have been with the king, but the monarch has found safety |
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32...Qc4 33.e6
Applying the closure.
33...Nc6?!
With the counterthreat of 34...Nd5.
Probably best is the engines' 33...Rd8!?, although that is a hard move to come up with after having played 33...Rdc8.
34.Qd1!?
Threatening the devastating 34.Qh5+
34...h5?!
Still best seems to be ...Rd8, but with a large advantage to White.
35.Rg1?!
Probably better are the engines' 35.Ba3 and 35.Bb4.
35...Rh7?
Or 35...Qxe6 36.Re2, and wins. Or 35...Nd4 36.cxd4 Qxc2 37.Qxc2 Rxc2 38.Rxg7, and White still must win.
The engines continue the latter line with 38...Rc6, which they reckon holds. Stockfish16 instead suggests 38.d5!?, claiming a win after 38...Rg8 39.Bf4!? Komodo14.1 at first calls this equal, but switches to giving White a slight edge.
36.Rxg7! 1-0
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