Boden's Mate

Samuel Boden

Boden's mate is a checkmating pattern in chess characterized by bishops on two criss-crossing diagonals (for example, bishops on a6 and f4 delivering mate to a king on c8), with possible flight squares for the king being occupied by friendly pieces or under attack by enemy pieces. Most often the checkmated king has castled queenside, and is mated on c8 or c1. Many variants on the mate are seen, for example a king on e8 checkmated by bishops on g6 and a3, and a king on f1 checkmated by bishops on h3 and b6. Often the mate is immediately preceded by a sacrifice that opens up the diagonal on which the bishop delivers checkmate, and the mate is often a pure mate (as is the case for all but one of the examples given here).

The mate is named for Samuel Boden, who played a famous early example of it in Schulder–Boden, London 1853. However, it had been known previously from the game Horwitz–Popert, Hamburg 1844.

History

Schulder vs. Boden, 1853
abcdefgh
8a8b8c8 black kingd8e8 black rookf8g8h8 black rook8
7a7 black pawnb7 black pawnc7 black pawnd7e7f7g7 black pawnh7 black pawn7
6a6b6c6 black knightd6e6f6g6h66
5a5b5c5d5 white bishope5f5 black bishopg5h55
4a4b4c4d4e4f4 white pawng4h44
3a3 black bishopb3c3 white pawnd3e3 white bishopf3 white queeng3h33
2a2 white pawnb2c2d2 white knighte2f2 white pawng2h2 white pawn2
1a1b1c1 white kingd1 white rooke1f1g1h1 white rook1
abcdefgh
The final position after 15...Ba3#
Horwitz vs. Popert, 1844
abcdefgh
8a8b8c8 black kingd8 black rooke8f8g8 black knighth88
7a7 black bishopb7 black pawnc7 black pawnd7 black knighte7f7g7h7 black rook7
6a6 black pawnb6c6d6e6f6g6h6 black queen6
5a5b5c5d5 black pawne5f5 white rookg5h55
4a4b4c4d4 white pawne4f4g4h44
3a3 white pawnb3c3 white pawnd3e3f3g3h33
2a2b2 white pawnc2d2e2f2g2 white queenh2 white bishop2
1a1b1c1d1 white rooke1f1 white bishopg1 white knighth1 white king1
abcdefgh
Black to play set a trap with 1...Bb8, but then blundered and allowed Boden's mate

Boden's mate is characterized by a king being mated by two bishops on criss-crossing diagonals, with possible flight squares blocked by friendly pieces. Samuel Boden administered an early example of it in the friendly game Schulder–Boden, London 1853.[1][2] That game went 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3 f5 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.d4 fxe4 6.dxe5 exf3 7.exf6 Qxf6 8.gxf3 Nc6 9.f4 Bd7 10.Be3 0-0-0 11.Nd2 Re8 12.Qf3 Bf5 13.0-0-0? (13.Bd5 is better) 13...d5! 14.Bxd5? (allowing a forced mate; better is 14.Rde1, losing a piece) 14...Qxc3+ 15.bxc3 Ba3#, giving the final checkmate position shown in the diagram.[3]

However, the mate had been known before that from the game Horwitz–Popert, Hamburg 1844 (see diagram).[1][2][4] There, Black set a trap with 1...Bb8, which White fell into with 2.Rxd5?. Instead of playing the winning 2...Qxh2+ 3.Qxh2 Rxh2+ 4.Kxh2 c6+ (5.Re5 Nxe5 6.dxe5?? Rxd1) Black blundered with 2...c6??. After that White could not save his rook because of the threatened mate in two.[1] Instead, he surprised Black with 3.Rh5! Qxh5 4.Qxc6+! bxc6 5.Bxa6#.[1][4]

Typical pattern

The Peruvian Immortal: Canal vs. NN, 1934
abcdefgh
8a8b8c8 black kingd8 black rooke8f8g8 black knighth8 black rook8
7a7 black pawnb7 black pawnc7d7 black knighte7f7 black pawng7 black pawnh7 black pawn7
6a6b6c6 black pawnd6e6 black pawnf6g6h66
5a5 black queenb5c5d5e5f5g5h55
4a4b4 black bishopc4d4 white pawne4f4 white bishopg4h44
3a3 white pawnb3c3 white knightd3e3f3 white queeng3h3 white pawn3
2a2b2 white pawnc2 white pawnd2e2 white bishopf2 white pawng2 white pawnh22
1a1 white rookb1c1d1e1 white kingf1g1h1 white rook1
abcdefgh
Position after 10...0-0-0??
abcdefgh
8a8b8c8 black kingd8 black rooke8f8g8 black knighth8 black rook8
7a7 black pawnb7c7d7 black knighte7f7 black pawng7 black pawnh7 black pawn7
6a6 white bishopb6c6 black pawnd6e6 black pawnf6g6h66
5a5b5c5d5e5f5g5h55
4a4b4 white pawnc4d4 white pawne4f4 white bishopg4h44
3a3b3c3 white knightd3e3f3g3h3 white pawn3
2a2b2 white pawnc2 white pawnd2 white kinge2f2 white pawng2 white pawnh22
1a1b1c1d1e1f1g1h1 black queen1
abcdefgh
Final position after 14.Ba6#

Boden's mate has occurred in many later games, usually, as in the Boden and Horwitz games, after the losing king has castled on the queenside, and the winner sets up the mate by a queen sacrifice on c3 or c6.[5]

Perhaps the most famous example of Boden's mate is the so-called Peruvian Immortal game, Canal–NN, simultaneous exhibition, Budapest 1934: 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.d4 c6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.Bf4 e6 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 Bb4 9.Be2 Nd7 10.a3 0-0-0?? 11.axb4!! Qxa1+ 12.Kd2! Qxh1 13.Qxc6+! bxc6 14.Ba6#.[6]

Atypical patterns

Alekhine vs. Vasic, 1931
abcdefgh
8a8 black rookb8c8 black bishopd8 black queene8 black kingf8g8h8 black rook8
7a7 black pawnb7c7 black pawnd7 black knighte7f7 black pawng7 black pawnh77
6a6b6 black pawnc6d6e6 black pawnf6 black knightg6h6 black pawn6
5a5b5c5d5e5f5g5h55
4a4b4c4d4 white pawne4f4g4h44
3a3 white bishopb3c3 white pawnd3 white bishope3f3g3h33
2a2 white pawnb2c2 white pawnd2e2 white queenf2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawn2
1a1 white rookb1c1d1e1 white kingf1g1 white knighth1 white rook1
abcdefgh
Position after 9...b6??
Elyashov vs. NN, 1948
abcdefgh
8a8 black rookb8 black knightc8 black bishopd8e8 black queenf8 black kingg8 black knighth8 black rook8
7a7 black pawnb7 black pawnc7 black pawnd7e7 black bishopf7g7h7 black pawn7
6a6b6c6d6e6f6g6h66
5a5b5c5d5e5f5 black pawng5h5 white queen5
4a4b4c4 white bishopd4e4 white pawnf4g4h44
3a3b3c3d3e3f3g3h3 black pawn3
2a2 white pawnb2 white pawnc2 white pawnd2e2f2g2 white pawnh2 white pawn2
1a1 white rookb1 white knightc1 white bishopd1e1 white kingf1g1h1 white rook1
abcdefgh
White, on move, mates in two

More rarely, Boden's mate can occur, for example, (a) where a White bishop on g6 delivers mate to a Black king on e8, which is hemmed in by a White bishop on a3, and its own queen on d8 and knight on d7 or (b) where a bishop on h6 delivers mate to a Black king on f8, which is hemmed in by a White bishop on c4, and its own queen on e8 and bishop on e7. An example of the former was Alekhine–Vasic, Banja Luka 1931: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bd3 Bxc3+? 5.bxc3 h6? 6.Ba3 Nd7 7.Qe2 dxe4 8.Bxe4 Ngf6 9.Bd3 b6??, when White mated with 10.Qxe6+ fxe6 11.Bg6#.[7] An example of the latter occurred in Elyashov–NN, Paris 1948, which illustrates an opening trap arising from From's Gambit. After 1.f4 e5!? 2.fxe5 d6 3.exd6 Bxd6 4.Nf3 g5 5.d4 g4 6.Ng5?! f5 7.e4 Be7? 8.Nh3! gxh3 9.Qh5+ Kf8 10.Bc4 Qe8, White mated with 11.Qh6+! Nxh6 12.Bxh6#.[8]

Zukertort vs. Anderssen, 1865
abcdefgh
8a8 black rookb8c8d8e8 black queenf8 black bishopg8h8 black rook8
7a7 black pawnb7 black pawnc7 black pawnd7 black bishope7 black kingf7g7 black pawnh77
6a6b6c6 black knightd6 black pawne6f6g6 black knighth6 black pawn6
5a5b5c5d5e5f5g5h5 white queen5
4a4b4c4 white bishopd4 white pawne4 white pawnf4g4h44
3a3b3c3 white pawnd3e3f3g3h33
2a2 white pawnb2 white pawnc2d2e2f2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawn2
1a1 white rookb1 white knightc1 white bishopd1e1f1 white rookg1 white kingh11
abcdefgh
Position after 10...Qe8
Pandolfini vs. NN, 1970
abcdefgh
8a8 black rookb8c8 black bishopd8 black kinge8f8g8h8 black rook8
7a7b7 black pawnc7 black pawnd7e7f7g7 black pawnh7 black pawn7
6a6 black pawnb6c6d6e6f6g6h66
5a5b5c5d5e5f5 black pawng5 white bishoph55
4a4 white bishopb4c4d4e4 black pawnf4g4h44
3a3b3c3d3e3f3g3h33
2a2 white pawnb2 white pawnc2 white pawnd2e2f2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white king2
1a1 white rookb1 white knightc1d1e1f1g1h11
abcdefgh
Final position after 15.Bg5#

In a game between two of the strongest players of the nineteenth century, White delivered a Boden's mate to a king on e7: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nge7 4.c3 d6 5.d4 Bd7 6.0-0 Ng6 7.Ng5 h6 8.Nxf7 Kxf7 9.Bc4+ Ke7 10.Qh5 Qe8 11.Qg5+! hxg5 12.Bxg5# Zukertort–Anderssen, Breslau 1865.[9] An unusual example of Boden's mate occurring to a king on d8, and without the winning side having to sacrifice to achieve the mating position, occurred in Pandolfini–NN, 1970, after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 exd4 7.Re1 d5 8.Nxd4 Bd6 9.Nxc6 Bxh2+ 10.Kh1 Qh4 11.Rxe4+ dxe4 12.Qd8+ Qxd8 13.Nxd8+ Kxd8 14.Kxh2 (So far this is a position known to opening theory from the Riga Variation of the Ruy Lopez. White is considered to have the advantage after 14...Be6 15.Be3.) f5?? 15.Bg5# 1–0.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d David Hooper and Kenneth Whyld, The Oxford Companion to Chess (2nd ed. 1992), p. 49. ISBN 0-19-866164-9.
  2. ^ a b Anne Sunnucks, The Encyclopaedia of Chess, St. Martin's Press, 1970, p. 35.
  3. ^ Schulder–Boden, London 1853. ChessGames.com. Retrieved on 2009-02-19.
  4. ^ a b Edward R. Brace, An Illustrated Dictionary of Chess, David McKay, 1977, p. 40. ISBN 0-679-50814-7.
  5. ^ Georges Renaud and Viktor Kahn, The Art of the Checkmate, Dover Publications, 1963, p. 89. ISBN 0-486-20106-6.
  6. ^ Canal–NN, simultaneous 1934. ChessGames.com. Retrieved on 2009-02-17.
  7. ^ Alekhine–Vasic, Banja Luka 1931. ChessGames.com. Retrieved on 2009-02-17.
  8. ^ Elyashov–NN, Paris 1948. ChessGames.com. Retrieved on 2009-03-01.
  9. ^ Zukertort–Anderssen, Breslau 1865. ChessGames.com. Retrieved on 2009-02-17.
  10. ^ Pandolfini–NN, 1970. ChessGames.com. Retrieved on 2009-02-17.
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