Two Hard Rules

Anyone can learn to play chess in an hour. The only two hard rules for beginners to grasp are castling and "en passant" captures.

Castling is the only time a player is allowed to move two pieces at once. Most primers advise us to do it early within the first dozen moves or so for the King to reach sanctuary on a wing by shuttling from the center of the board to the Kingside (0-0) or Queenside (0-0-0).

When certain conditions are met, each side has a right to castle once a game. The King is shifted from its original post two squares toward either Rook along the same rank if nothing stands between them; then this Rook jumps over the King and lands on the square immediately adjacent to the King.

Here's the shortest possible game ending in checkmate by castling (with a little help from White): l e4 e5 2 Bc4 Bc5 3 Be6 Bxf2 4 Ke2 Nh6 5 Kf3 fxe6 6 Qe2 0-0 mate.

A reader inquired if we know of any real game where castling also delivered mate. "It must be as rare as fur on a rooster," he says. Indeed, it is rare because experts usually resign before they get mated; but this famous game shows it can be done.

En passant means "in passing." This rule lets a pawn standing on its fifth rank take an enemy pawn that just passed it:

     "A pawn attacking a square crossed by an enemy pawn which
     has been advanced two squares in one move from its original
     square may capture this enemy pawn as though the latter had
     moved only one square. This capture may be made only on the
     move immediately following such an advance and is called
     capturing 'en passant.'"

Here's the swiftest way to deliver mate "en passant" (with a little help from Black): 1 e4 e5 2 Qh5 Nc6 3 g4 d6 4 g5 Kd7 5 Bh3 f5 6 gxf6 mate.

Another reader inquired if we know of any game where en passant capture provoked resignation. Here is one where the victim was world champion Emanuel Lasker during his exhibition on June 17, 1907, in New Orleans.

Judge Leon Labatt was the leading amateur in that city and a holy terror on visiting masters. He beat the legendary Jose Capablanca six times in simultaneous exhbitions, plus once on even terms! He also won four games from USA champ Frank Marshall, plus one on even terms, and drew against Harry Pillsbury (during his blindfold exhibition).

Source: Evans on Chess - Dec 15 1995 from