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Do not allow your Queen to wander too far from her lord, for the sake of winning a Pawn. KEEP YOUR TEMPER!

We will now, as a preliminary to our further instructions, give the moves of an actual game :—

KING'S KNIGHT'S OPENING.

White.

1 P. to K.'s 4

2 K. Kt. to B.'s 3 3 P. to Q.'s B.'s 3 4 P. to Q.'s 4 5 P. to K.'s 5 6 Q.'s Kt. takes P 7 Q. B. to K. Kt.'s 5 8 K. B. to Q. B.'s 4 9 P. takes P. in passing 10 Q. to K.'s 2 11 Kt. takes Kt. 12 Castles on K.'s side 13 Q.'s Kt. to Q.'s 5 14 Q. B. takes Kt. 15 Kt. takes B. (ch.) 16 K. R. to Q. sq. 17 B. to Q. Kt.'s 3 18 R. to Q.'s 2

19 K.'s R. to Q.'s sq.
20 Q. takes P.
21 R. takes B.

22 R. takes R.
23 Q. to her sq.
24 R. to Q.'s 8 (ch.)

Black.

L

1 P. to K.'s 4 2 Q. Kt. to B.'s 3 3 P. to K. B.'s 4 4 P. takes Q.'s P. 5 P. takes Q. B.'s P. 6 K. B. to Q. Kt.'s 5 7 K. Kt. to K.'s 2 8 P. to Q's 4 9 Q. takes P. 10 Q. Kt. to Q.'s 5 11 Q. takes Kt. 12 Q. B. to Q.'s 2 13 Castles on Q.'s side 14 B. takes B. 15 K. to Kt.'s sq. 16 Q. to K. R.'s 5 17 Q. to K. R.'s 3 18 P. to K. B.'s 5 19 P. to K. B.'s 6 20 P. to Q. R.'s 3 21 R. takes R.

22 Q. to her B.'s 8 (ch.) 23 Q. takes Kt.'s P. 24 R. takes R.

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By an attentive study of the above game, the student will soon discover the why and the wherefore of the different moves. But as he has yet much to learn, let him read the next chapter with care and an inquiring spirit.

24

CHAPTER III.

HOW TO CHECKMATE.

WE now, having made ourselves acquainted with the first principles of Chess, come to consider the best and easiest methods of checkmating with pieces against pieces. With young players, and even with some who are advanced in the practice of the game, it sometimes happens that the pieces are exchanged so frequently, that in the end one player is left with a much superior force. The student should therefore accustom himself to practise the most common and obvious class of checkmates-those consisting of the King and one or two pieces against a King alone, or a King with few supporters.

The most simple of all checkmates is that of a

KING AND QUEEN AGAINST A KING.

All that it is necessary to do in this case is to drive the opposite King to one side of the board, and bring up your own King, when mate may be effected in a few moves. To exemplify this, place the Black King on his square, and the White King and Queen on their squares. White can then, in spite of all his adversary may do, compel mate in about eight moves, with a single check.

White, having the move, advances his Queen to her sixth square, which has the effect of confining the Black King to two rows of squares. You then advance with the White King till only one square remains open between the two monarchs, and mate. But you must beware of stalemating the Black. See the following :

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White.

POSITION I.

K. at K. B.'s 6 sq.

Q. at her 6 sq.

Black.
K. on his sq.

Now, the White, having the move, mates at once by moving to K.'s seventh square; but if Black have to move, it is a drawn game by stalemate, seeing that the Black K. cannot move without going in check. Always remember that, to mate with the Queen, it is necessary that the two Kings should be opposite each other, or at the distance of a Kt.'s move. Examine

White.

POSITION II.

K. at his Kt.'s 6 sq.
Q. at her Kt.'s 7 sq.

Black.
K. at his R.'s sq.

Here the White, having the move, can mate on either of five squares-namely, Q. R.'s eighth, Q. Kt.'s eighth, Q. B.'s eighth, K. Kt.'s seventh, or K. R.'s seventh. And if the Black moves first, mate is equally certain by either of the above moves, except the last, which, if made, would allow the Black another move, to his Bishop's square.

White.

POSITION III.

K. at his B.'s 6 sq.

Q. at her B.'s 6 sq.

Black.

K. on his Q.'s sq.

White can now mate in two moves, but if he places his King on his own sixth square, Black is stalemated as before. The proper move, therefore, is to place the Queen on her Knight's seventh, when the Black King must move to his own square, and accept mate, by White playing his Queen to King's seventh. As the pieces stand in the above position, Black, with the move, is stalemated. This will show the young player how careful he ought to be in advancing his Queen, for the very power of this piece renders the tyro liable to stalemate his adversary by a single false move.

It is not necessary that instances of this nature should be multiplied, the careful student of Chess being once aware of the principle to be adopted and the error to be avoided. The Queen can always checkmate an unsupported King, from any part of the board, in from five to twelve Place the pieces in the following order,

moves.

and try

White.

POSITION IV.

Black.

K. at his sq.
Q. at her B.'s sq.

K. at his Q.'s third.

The Queen can of herself force the adverse King to the side of the board; but as a certain quantity of work is generally more easily performed by two persons than by one, so it will be

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