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 loses
in 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

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 by
8.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?

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

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 - Krovelschikov
2001
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6
The 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

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 Ke6
A better resistance could have provided the variation: 10...Qe8 11.Nxd7+ Kg6 12.Ne5+ Kh7
QUIZ

White moves and checkmates in 4 moves.

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.