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 Lasker–Thomas, 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.
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | | | 8 | | 8 | | 7 | 7 | | 6 | 6 | | 5 | 5 | | 4 | 4 | | 3 | 3 | | 2 | 2 | | 1 | 1 | | a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | |
1.Qxh7+ Kxh7 2.Nxf6+ Kh6 3.Neg4+ Kg5 4.h4+ Kf4 5.g3+ Kf3 6.Be2+ Kg2 7.Rh2+ Kg1 8.Kd2 #
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| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | | | 8 | | 8 | | 7 | 7 | | 6 | 6 | | 5 | 5 | | 4 | 4 | | 3 | 3 | | 2 | 2 | | 1 | 1 | | a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | |
Final position after 8.Kd2#
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See also
References
External links
