London, casual game · 1912
The King Hunt
White: Edward LaskerBlack: George ThomasResult: 1-0 - Edward Lasker wins18 moves
A queen sacrifice on h7 drags the black king out of his castle and up the board, step by step, until he is mated on g1 - deep in enemy territory.
The key moments
- 11. Qxh7+Queen takes h7, check!! The queen is gone. The hunt begins.
- 13. Neg4+The black king is driven out: g5, then f4.
- 15. g3+Pawn to g3, check. The king is pushed to the other side of the board.
- 18. Kd2#King to d2. Checkmate on g1, the deepest king walk ever.
All moves
1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 f5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Bxf6 Bxf6 6. e4 fxe4 7. Nxe4 b6 8. Ne5 O-O 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. Qh5 Qe7 11. Qxh7+ Kxh7 12. Nxf6+ Kh6 13. Neg4+ Kg5 14. h4+ Kf4 15. g3+ Kf3 16. Be2+ Kg2 17. Rh2+ Kg1 18. Kd2# 1-0
Replay it on the living board
In When Kings Fall this game is replayed with living armies: Edward Lasker commands the Light, George Thomas the Shadow. Every capture is a duel, the key moments are shown in slow motion with commentary, and the analysis mode shows Stockfish's evaluation after every move.