In chess, a "poisoned" pawn is an unprotected pawn, typically one that has not yet moved from its starting position, that is currently under attack by an opponent's piece. It seems to be a free pawn to capture, but because of the nature of the position, its capture will lead the capturer into a positional disadvantage that will significantly reduce her chances of victory.

In chess theory, there are "poisoned pawn" variations of several well-known chess openings. The most famous of these is the poisoned pawn variation of the Najdorf Sicilian.

From Wiktionary:

Noun
poisoned pawn (plural poisoned pawns)

(chess) An unprotected pawn whose capture would be a losing move for the capturing player.


There’s a pretty good writeup here called No damn you, it's nothing like a chess game where the author complains about news reporters and various people like them comparing anything and everything to chess matches. The writeup doesn’t extend as far to literature but people love chess metaphors so much that if you have ever read through a slush pile at your local literary magazine, you will inevitably come across a chess metaphor or two, usually by people who don’t play chess all that much. If you know even a little about chess, the temptation is to go on and on.

Chess metaphors are easy. A poisoned pawn-- to choose a term entirely at random-- could be anything that looks tempting to grab but screws you over down the line. Or instantly. A karmic bomb wrapped as a beautiful gift.

How many times have you watched a show where a character who we are supposed to consider smart is proved smart by playing chess?

Oh, it’s such lazy writing. Here’s something that might come as a shock to some people, but just because chess is hard to play intellectually doesn’t mean that somebody who is good at chess is any smarter than somebody who is bad at chess. What it means is the chess player has more practice and may have a brain better at recognizing patterns in a grid, and those skills are not the total sum of intelligence. So, the villain plays chess. Let’s see how that translates into the “3D chess of geopolitical realpolitik played out over continents.” Eh, they’re smart, we’ll have them say, “Checkmate,” right before the scene ends.

The Poisoned Pawn is doomed to die, of course.

A supervillain sits in his lair looking at his minion Worksforcheap, and tells Mr. Forcheap that he has an important job. The minion goes out and LIKE A POISONED PAWN FROM A CHESS MATCH is gunned down by police thus inciting widespread riots that tie up all the police of the city, and like a chess master gobbling up pawns in his queen’s unspeakable maw, the supervillain clears out Central Bank executing each hostage like a chess bishop popping out from a fianchetto and murdering the chess bishop in the opposite side fianchetto because white foolishly moved his knight out of the way too soon, leaving his bishop exposed and now he must either take the invading bishop with his king or move his rook to keep from getting captured. Also, the bank manager was in on it.

It’s probably the result of having one “smart” game dominate western literature. I’m willing to bet that somebody is sitting somewhere in Japan watching some drama and saying, “Oh no, not another Go metaphor.” It’s a cultural touchstone, one we all know. When we are trying to discuss tropes, we are inevitably drawn back to Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Avatar the Last Airbender because we can be reasonably sure people have seen those. We don’t, in general, make mancala metaphors. “Like a mancala master counting his stones into the center pocket, President Biden considers his Supreme Court appointee.” It makes almost no sense.

There are other frustrations.

Now onto the game.


The following is a three minute game, myself playing at 1625 and somebody named Illawong, an Australian apparently, at 1633 on chess.com. I picked this game to look at because it illustrates two examples of poisoned pawns, one slightly toxic and the other lethal.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♜ | ♞ |♝ | ♛|♚ | ♝ |♞ | ♜ | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ |♟ |♟ |♟ | ♟ |♟ | ♟ |♟  | 7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♙ | ♙ |♙ | ♙|♙ |♙ | ♙ | ♙ |  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♖ | ♘ |♗ | ♕|♔ | ♗ | ♘ |♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
1. e4 b6

Standard opening for a standard game. White plays the classic center land grab with a pawn to e4, while black responds with the defensive b6, seeking to undermine the center rather than occupy it.

I'm rather fond of the b6 pawn move and probably play it more than any other opening. The idea is to get an fianchetto that can rest until it is almost forgotten about. White often responds early by blocking it off so that it isn't a threat, and when so marked by the brain will often be tagged that way forever, so that while useless through most of the game, when the center is opened up by action on the right, the left fianchetto suddenly comes into play when least expected. It doesn't always work, but when it does the results are always satisfying.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♜ | ♞ |♝ | ♛|♚ | ♝ |♞ | ♜ | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ |   |♟ |♟ | ♟ |♟ | ♟ |♟ |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   |   |   |   |   |  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   | ♙|   |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♙ | ♙ |♙ | ♙|   |♙ | ♙ | ♙ |  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♖ | ♘ |♗ | ♕|♔| ♗ | ♘ | ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
2. Nc3 Bb7

White's knight anticipates black's left side fianchetto and moves to protect the pawn. This is fairly sensible give the bishop's hostile intentions toward the center pawn.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♜ | ♞ |   | ♛|♚ | ♝ |♞ | ♜ | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ | ♝ |♟ |♟ | ♟ |♟ | ♟ |♟ |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   |   |   |   |   |  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   | ♙|   |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   | ♘ |   |   |   |   |   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♙ | ♙ |♙ | ♙|   |♙ | ♙ | ♙ |  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♖ |   |♗ | ♕|♔| ♗ | ♘ | ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
3. Qf3 e6

White's move here strikes me as nonsensical and dangerous. He has pinned his center pawn between black's bishop and white's queen. The queen might have had some ideas towards the weak f7 pawn, but this is all pretension as black stops the common white bishop to c4 by moving the e7 pawn up. This protects against the Scholar's Mate where the queen drops to f7 with the bishop's support. It's a silly mate, but common, and needs to be watched out for. A good rule is never develop your queen prematurely. With the queen out from her fortifications, she becomes a target and hampers the middle pawn.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♜ | ♞ |   | ♛|♚ | ♝ |♞ | ♜ | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ | ♝ |♟ |♟ |   |♟ | ♟ |♟ |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   |   |   |  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   | ♙|   |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   | ♘ |   |   |♕ |   |   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♙ | ♙ |♙ | ♙|   |♙ | ♙ | ♙ |  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♖ |   |♗ |    |♔| ♗ | ♘| ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
4. a4 g6

Again an odd choice by white. It's not necessarily bad. If white's pawns manage to reach the left fianchetto, they have a real chance of busting it up. However, there are more constructive things to do with their tempo. For example, playing the queen to g3 now. The queen has to move eventually to free up the pinned pawn. Another idea is to drop the white d pawn onto d4 to grab more of the center. Black meanwhile sets up the preliminaries for another fianchetto.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♜ | ♞ |   | ♛|♚ | ♝ |♞ | ♜ | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ | ♝ |♟ |♟ |   |♟ |   |♟ |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♟|   |  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   |   |   | ♙ |   |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   | ♘|   |   | ♕ |   |   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♙ |♙ | ♙|   |♙ | ♙ | ♙|  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♖ |   |♗ |    |♔| ♗ | ♘| ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
5. d3 Bg7

White reinforces its center pawn by protecting it with the D pawn. The computer suggests the best move is to drop the queen back to d1, but this strikes me as asinine. Now, I'm not as smart as a computer when it comes to chess, but for the life of me I can't figure out what this accomplishes. Black completes the right side 'chetto and aims squarely at the knight and the pawn behind it.


                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♜ | ♞ |   | ♛|♚ |   |♞ | ♜ | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ | ♝ |♟ |♟ |   |♟ | ♝ |♟ |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♟|   |  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   |   |   | ♙ |   |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   | ♘| ♙ |   | ♕ |   |   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♙ |♙|   |   |♙ | ♙ | ♙ |  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♖ |   |♗ |    |♔| ♗ | ♘| ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
6. Bd2 Ne7

White decides an attack on the knight is eminent and reinforces it with his dark square bishop. This also insures that if black does take the knight, the bishop is setup to attack the black rook on h8 forcing black to do something about it (probably castle, which isn't irritating at all, but sometimes players will miss such threats or panic and do something dumb like throw the f7 pawn away as a shield). Black moves a knight to e7 to prepare to castle.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♜ | ♞ |   | ♛|♚ |   |   | ♜ | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ | ♝ |♟ |♟ | ♞|♟ |♝ |♟  |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♟|   |  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   |   |   | ♙ |   |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   | ♘|♙  |   | ♕|   |   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♙ |♙ |♗ |   |♙ | ♙ | ♙|  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♖ |   |   |   |♔ | ♗ | ♘| ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
7. Nb5 O-O

White moves his knight to a forward position. This is a dangerous spot for it because it can be kicked by pawns at almost any moment. The a7 pawn is the likely attacker. This move would be more viable had the queen moved to g3 first. White's move order has been remarkably sloppy this game, however, in this case it isn't a problem because black is playing conservatively and castles instead of kicks. (And since I am black in this game, I can tell you that I had forgotten all about how weak the c7 square actually is about the time white failed to move his queen from behind the e4 pawn back on move 4.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♜ | ♞ |   | ♛|   | ♜ | ♚|   | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ | ♝ |♟ |♟  | ♞|♟ |♝ |♟  |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♟|   |  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |♘ |   |   |   |   |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   |   |   | ♙ |   |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |♙ |   | ♕|   |   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♙ |♙ |♗ |   |♙ | ♙| ♙|  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♖ |   |   |   |♔ | ♗ | ♘| ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
8. Qg3 Bxb2

White prepares his attack on the c7 pawn. This is easily defended against by pushing the d7 pawn, but black sees an undefended pawn on b2. Given black's love of attacking with bishops, this is a bit of a mental bias on black's part, and he takes the first Poisoned Pawn of the game. It's only mildly toxic, but still a horrible piece to take.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♜ | ♞ |   | ♛|   | ♜ | ♚|   | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ | ♝ |♟ |♟ | ♞|♟ |   |♟  |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♟|   |  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |♘ |   |   |   |   |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   |   |   | ♙ |   |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   | ♙|   |   | ♕|   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♝ |♙ |♗ |   |♙ | ♙ | ♙|  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♖ |   |   |   |♔ | ♗ | ♘| ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
9. Rb1 Bg7

White moves his rook to threaten the black bishop, and the bishop retreats. A better move would be to cut the loses and keep the bishop there in favor of blocking the upcoming c7 attack, but black does not yet realize that this is what is happening.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♜ | ♞ |   | ♛|   | ♜ | ♚|   | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ | ♝ |♟ |♟  | ♞|♟ |♝ |♟  |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♟|   |  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |♘ |   |   |   |   |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   |   |   | ♙ |   |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   | ♙|   |   | ♕|   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |♙ |♗ |   |♙ | ♙ | ♙|  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |♖ |   |   |♔ | ♗ | ♘| ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
10. Nxc7 f5

White can either take c7 with the queen or the knight. The queen is the better choice because if black takes the invader with his own queen then white gets both black's queen and a rook. The material advantage is two in both cases, however that number is deceiving because on keeps the enemy queen on the board, and the other does not. When it comes to choices on material advantage take the pieces that will leave the enemy less positional options. White choses the knight, and the rook is doomed. Black, seeing this isn't going to do well opts to push a pawn to f5. White has made a very big strategic mistake in not castling, and if black can crack open the center, he can win on position rather than material where he has already lost by 2.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♜ | ♞ |   | ♛|   | ♜ | ♚|   | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ | ♝ |♘ |♟  | ♞|  |♝ |♟  |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♟|   |  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |   | ♟ |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   |   |   | ♙ |   |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   | ♙|   |   | ♕|   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |♙ |♗ |   |♙ | ♙ | ♙|  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |♖ |   |   |♔ | ♗ | ♘| ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
11. Nxa8 Bxa8 The doomed rook meets his doom. The white knight can escape at anytime if ignored and so it is captured rather than ignored for tempo.
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♝ | ♞ |   | ♛|   | ♜ | ♚|   | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ |   |   |♟  | ♞|  |♝ |♟  |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♟|   |  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |   | ♟ |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   |   |   | ♙ |   |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   | ♙|   |   | ♕|   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |♙ |♗ |   |♙ | ♙ | ♙|  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |♖ |   |   |♔ | ♗ | ♘| ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
12. e5 Nd5

White refuses to take the offered f5 pawn, instead choosing to push the E pawn. At first this looks like an odd move, but the idea is that the queen can protect the pawn's forward position until another piece can reinforce. Black's knight move is a blunder. The best move is probably pushing the pawn on f5 to block the queen's support and forcing the white bishop to get involved. Black however wants to put influence on the f4 square and delays.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♝ | ♞ |   | ♛|   | ♜ | ♚|   | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ |   |   |♟ |   |   |♝  |♟  |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♟|   |  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   | ♞|♙ | ♟ |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   | ♙|   |   | ♕|   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |♙ |♗ |   |♙ | ♙ | ♙|  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |♖ |   |   |♔ | ♗ | ♘| ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
13.Nf3 Qc7

While white's tactics are sound, his strategy in this game is questionable. He has failed to develop his entire right side and it isn't until move 13 he final deploys his kingside knight. This delay offsets blacks slow buildup of pressure on the e5 pawn with the ultimate goal of pushing his f5 pawn to occupy the f4 square. This buildup is complete with the queen arriving on c7.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♝ | ♞ |  |   |   | ♜ | ♚|   | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ |   | ♛ |♟ |   |   |♝ |♟  |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♟|   |  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   | ♞|♙ | ♟ |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   | ♙|   | ♘ | ♕|   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |♙ |♗ |   |♙  | ♙| ♙ |  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |♖ |   |   |♔ | ♗ |   | ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
14. c4 f4

White figures he needs to kick the black knight away from its central position. This move probably would have been helpful early when black wasn't ready to push his pawn. The pawn moves to f4 threatening the queen. If pawn takes knight, the white queen is lost, so the black knight can be relatively assured of its safety.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♝ | ♞ |  |   |   | ♜ | ♚|   | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ |   | ♛ |♟ |   |   |♝ |♟  |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♟|   |  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   | ♞|♙ |   |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   | ♙ |   |   |♟ |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   | ♙|   | ♘ | ♕|   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |♗ |   |♙  | ♙| ♙ |  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |♖ |   |   |♔ | ♗ |   | ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
15.Qh3 Ne7

The white queen retreats to h1, a relatively useless position. At this point, the queen has been more of a liability than a threat and white has decided to improve on this a bit by simply moving it to the side. Black drops the knight back to set it up to come back forward in a more advantageous way. Knights are finicky little bastards and getting them into position sometimes requires a step back.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♝ | ♞ |  |   |   | ♜ | ♚|   | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ |   | ♛ |♟ |♞ |   |♝ |♟  |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♟|   |  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |♙ |   |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   | ♙ |   |   |♟ |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   | ♙|   | ♘ |   | ♕|  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |♗ |   |♙  | ♙| ♙ |  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |♖ |   |   |♔ | ♗ |   | ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
16.Ng5 h6

White decides to move his knight to a forward position. This is not a bad idea in theory, but often times theory has to give way to practice. There are times where sticking too closely to a well-known maxim can be detrimental. In this position, the knight is unable to advance anywhere. It also cannot stay there as black's instant pawn h6 proves. This costs white a move.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♝ | ♞ |  |   |   | ♜ | ♚|   | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ |   | ♛ |♟ |♞ |   |♝ |   |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♟| ♟ |  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |♙ |   | ♘ |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   | ♙ |   |   |♟ |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   | ♙|   |   |   | ♕ |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |♗ |   |♙  | ♙| ♙ |  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |♖ |   |   |♔ | ♗ |   | ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
17.Ne4 Nf5

The white knight flees to e4. It doesn't accomplish much, but the knight is safe... ish. White is 2 points ahead in material from the rook capture all the way back on move 11. It's generally a safe bet that black won't want to trade. Black meanwhile continues to reposition his knight. There's a plan here. Black has noticed his g6 pawn is weak, and has decided not to push it to reinforce the f4 pawn.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♝ | ♞ |  |   |   | ♜ | ♚|   | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ |   | ♛ |♟ |   |   |♝ |   |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♟| ♟ |  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |♙ | ♞ |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   | ♙ |  | ♘ |♟ |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   | ♙|   |   |   | ♕ |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |♗ |   |♙  | ♙| ♙ |  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |♖ |   |   |♔ | ♗ |   | ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
18.Qg4 Bxe4

White has noticed the weak g6 pawn and threatens it with the queen. The safe...ish knight dies to black's bishop. This looks like a very strange move, losing material, wasting a bishop, etc., but it is actually an attempt to bust up white's center. If white made one critical strategic mistake, it's that his king has not sought safety the entire match. White's queen is off on a solo adventure, and the king's guards appear to be sleeping. White probably doesn't realize it yet, but despite being 2 points ahead, he is in serious trouble.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♞ |  |   |   | ♜ | ♚|   | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ |   | ♛ |♟ |   |   |♝ |   |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♟| ♟ |  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |♙ | ♞ |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   | ♙ |  | ♝ |♟ | ♕|   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   | ♙|   |   |   |   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |♗ |   |♙  | ♙| ♙ |  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |♖ |   |   |♔ | ♗ |   | ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
19. dxe4 Qxe5

White plays the best move here, taking the offered bishop and threatening the knight. Black takes the e5 center pawn pinning white's e4 pawn. The computer hates this move because if the white queen takes f4, black loses more material and has to flee with the queen or be so far down on material that he can't possibly win. This is a gamble on black's part with the idea of eventually checking the king with queen to c3. The major problem with this is the bishop protecting c3.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♞ |  |   |   | ♜ | ♚|   | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ |   |   |♟ |   |   |♝ |    |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♟| ♟|  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |♛ | ♞ |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   | ♙ |  | ♙ |♟ | ♕|   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |♗ |   |♙  | ♙| ♙ |  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |♖ |   |   |♔ | ♗ |   | ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
20. f3 Ne3

White protects the pinned e4 pawn missing both queen takes pawn or the far worse bishop takes pawn. White is still up a point, so black takes another gamble, hoping that white will want a trade and so plays knight to e3 in hopes that white's eagerness to trade will remove their bishop from the board.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♞ |  |   |   | ♜ | ♚|   | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ |   |   |♟ |   |   |♝ |    |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♟| ♟|  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |♛ |   |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   | ♙ |  | ♙ |♟ | ♕|   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   | ♞ |♙ |   |   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |♗ |   |   | ♙| ♙ |  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |♖ |   |   |♔ | ♗ |   | ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
21. Bxe3 fxe3

White takes the e3 knight, and black retaliates by taking the bishop. This leaves a pawn right in the king's grill. It can't be taken by anything, and now that the bishop is gone, black's queen is looking threatening. The best move after this position is to prepare a retreat by moving the lazy bishop on f1 in front of the king, or do anything to protect the king. White however has not forgotten the pawn on g6 which has been left hanging like an anglerfish's lure.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♞ |  |   |   | ♜ | ♚|   | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ |   |   |♟ |   |   |♝ |    |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♟| ♟|  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |♛ |   |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   | ♙ |  | ♙ |   | ♕|   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   | ♟|♙ |   |   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |   |   | ♙| ♙ |  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |♖ |   |   |♔ | ♗ |   | ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
22. Qxg6 Qc3+

White queen takes pawn. This pawn is cyanide. The game is lost instantly. Black follows with the planned check on c3 leaving the king with only two possible moves both leading to checkmate.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♞ |  |   |   | ♜ | ♚|   | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ |   |   |♟ |   |   |♝ |    |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♕| ♟|  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   | ♙ |  | ♙ |   |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   | ♛|   | ♟|♙  |   |   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |   |   | ♙| ♙ |  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |♖ |   |   |♔ | ♗ |   | ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H
23.Kd1 Qd2#

The king moves left. If he had moved up, the queen moves to d2, and the game is over. Perhaps seeing this and not seeing the other mate, or perhaps realizing that both are bad, white picks d1 and is promptly mated. White has 2:11 left on his clock, and black has 2:15.

                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♞ |  |   |   | ♜ | ♚|   | 8
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |♟ |   |   |♟ |   |   |♝ |    |  7
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   | ♟|   |   | ♟ |   | ♕| ♟|  6
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |  5
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                | ♙|   | ♙ |  | ♙ |   |   |   |  4
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   |   | ♟|♙  |   |   |  3
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |   |   | ♛ |   |   | ♙| ♙ |  2
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                |   |♖ |   | ♔|   | ♗ |   | ♖ |  1
                +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H

Oftentimes a chess game is decided on which player makes more mistakes. While my own faults and foibles are often invisible to me, seeing other's mistakes is easier and I know exactly why white lost this game. They are mostly general strategic mistakes rather than specific tactical ones. First, he didn't move his king and kept him in the center where he was a target and relatively undefended. Second, he didn't develop his left side. The light square bishop and the h1 rook didn't move the entire game. Third, he was playing for material rather than playing for position. You need to do both. And finally, his queen was worse than useless in this game. Despite being the most powerful piece it only captured one piece the entire game and it was absolutely the one piece it couldn't afford to take.

I can't claim any mental superiority over white. I don't know the guy, and people who use chess games to prove they are smarter than their opponents are tiresome. What I can say is that I made a lot of mistakes in this game including one that should have ended me. What saved my ass was my opponent's willingness to trade himself into bad positions. People will almost always take trades if they are ahead and by offering smart trades you can often put their pieces into positions that are bad for them. If I had just traded all my pieces without regard to where they were being traded, I would have lost at a 2 point detriment, checkmated in some corner with minimal pawns and a drunk queen lording over my carcass.

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