[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1749.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Philidor, FAD."]
[Black "0410.00"]
[Result "1-0"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "3k4/4r3/3K4/3B4/8/8/8/5R2 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "27"]
[EventDate "1749.??.??"]
{Published by Philidor at the age of 23, and not in 1792 as is sometimes claimed.}
1. Rf8+ $8 {Black threatened ...Rd7+ draw.} (1. Be6 $2 Rd7+ $8)
1... Re8 2. Rf7 $8 Re2 $1 {The best defence.} (2... Kc8 3. Ra7 $1 Rd8+ 4.
Kc6 $1 Kb8 5. Ra5 $1 {[#]} (5. Rb7+ $1 Ka8 {(...Kc8 Be6+)} 6. Rb5 $1 Ka7 {(...Rc8+
Kd7+)} 7. Ra5+ $1 Kb8 8. Kb6 $8 Rd6+ 9. Bc6 $8 $18) 5... Rd7 $1 (5... Rf8 6.
Kb6 $1 Kc8 7. Ra8+ $8) (5... Re8 6. Kb6 $1 Kc8 7. Bc6 $1) 6. Rb5+ $8 Kc8 7. Be6
$8 $18 {is immediately decisive}) (2... Rh8 3. Ra7 $1 Rh6+ 4. Be6 $8) (2...
Re1 3. Bf3 $1 {Z[#]} Ke8 (3... Re3 4. Bc6 $1 {symmetrically to the text, see 6th
move}) 4. Rf4 $3 Kd8 5. Rb4 $1 ({or} 5. Bh5 $1 Kc8 6. Rb4 $1 Rg1 7. Bg4+ $1)
5... Rc1 6. Bg4 $3 {[#](equivalent of the famous Ba4!!, see the 5th move)} Ke8 7. Rf4
$1 Re1 8. Bd7+ $1) 3. Rg7 $1 {Z. Rejects Black Rook on a less favourable square.}
(3. Rh7 $1) 3... Re1 ({On} 3... Re3 $6 {we play as on the 8th move
of the text, with one close symmetry :} 4. Rd7+ $1 Ke8 5. Rb7 $1 Kf8 6. Rf7+ $3 {[#]}) 4.
Rb7 $3 {[#]Mate threat. "Your rook must be distant from your king
by the step of a knight" (Philidor).} (4. Ra7 $6 {(indicated by A.
Kosteniuk as a suggestion by Grigoriev to make Philidor's win "easier"
, whereas these are exactly the same moves, with a time
delay! The 4...Kc8 variation is deleted, but we find at the 6th move the one
which was originally on the 5th and which resembles it, in a little more complicated)}
Rc1 5. Rf7 $3 Re1 (5... Ke8 6. Rf4 $1 Rd1 7. Ra4 $1 Kf8 8. Rg4 $8) 6. Bf3 $8 {
: see 2...Re1}) (4. Bf3 $2 Ke8 $8) 4... Rc1 ({On} 4... Kc8 {whites has
the choice between} 5. Rb4 $1 {[#]Centurini} ({and} 5. Ra7 $1 {[#]} Rb1 {(the exception
Szen's losing position)} 6. Rf7 $1 Kb8 {(check on b6 doesn't change anything
: Bc6)} 7. Rf8+ $8 Ka7 8. Ra8+ $8 Kb6 9. Rb8+ $8 {: blup !}) 5... Rd1 6. Rf4 $1
Kb8 7. Ra4 $8 $18) 5. Bb3 $3 {Z. [#] forces the Rook to occupy c3, from where it will be
difficult to move back to the "b" and "f" files (the Bishop will control b3
and f3). Note the importance of the 3rd White move: the Rook has no check on the
file "d".} Rc3 ({The other term in the alternative is} 5... Kc8 6. Rb4 $3 {[#]} Kd8
(6... Rc7 7. Be6+ $8) 7. Rf4 $1 Re1 (7... Kc8 8. Bd5 $8 Kb8 9. Ra4 $8) 8. Ba4
$3 {[#](the check of the black rook is always forbidden and the control of the e8
square allows the threat of Rf8+ : a particularly elegant control of space)}
Kc8 9. Rb4 $1 (9. Bc6 $1 Rd1+ 10. Bd5 $8 Kb8 11. Ra4 $8) 9... Rc1 10. Bd7+ $3 {[#]}
Kd8 11. Rb8+) 6. Be6 $1 (6. Rh7 $6 Re3 $1 7. Be6 $1 Rd3+ 8. Bd5 $8 Re3 9. Rd7+
$3 Ke8 10. Rb7 $1 Kf8 11. Rf7+ $3 {: symmetrical of the text with a time
delay}) 6... Rd3+ 7. Bd5 $8 Rc3 {The bK must now be drawn into c8... without
changing anything else; this will be accomplished by means of two surprising
checks of the Rook, notwithstanding the well-known adage: "mazette sees check, makes check".
} (7... Kc8 8. Ra7 $1 {: ...Rb3 impossible}) 8. Rd7+ $3 {[#]The first check from
left to right.} (8. Rb4 $6 Rc7 9. Rb8+ $8 Rc8 10. Rb7 Rc2 11. Ra7 {and it's
off again}) (8. Rh7 $6 Re3 $1) 8... Kc8 (8... Ke8 9. Rg7 $1 {: ...Rf3 impossible}
) 9. Rf7 $1 (9. Rg7 $1) 9... Kb8 10. Rb7+ $3 {[#]The second check from right to
left. End of triangulation.} (10. Be6 $6 Rg3 $1 11. Kc6 $3 Rg2 $1 12. Rb7+
$8 Ka8 13. Rh7 $8 Rg6 14. Re7 $3 {: see the "Crosskill galaxy"}) 10... Kc8 {
It is done: compared to the position of the 7th Black move, the bK is on c8
instead of d8.} 11. Rb4 $3 {Threatens Be6+.} Kd8 (11... Rd3 12. Ra4 $1) (11... Rc7
12. Be6+ $8) 12. Bc4 $3 {[#]} Kc8 13. Be6+ (13. Ba6+) 13... Kd8 14. Rb8+ 1-0
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