The player with the White pieces was William Lewis (1787-1870), a prolific chess author best remembered as one of those who hid inside the infamous fake chess playing machine called "The Turk".* Lewis was a student of Jacob Henry Sarratt, England's best player. I am drawn to Lewis because his Gioachino Greco on the Game of Chess (1819) offers more of Greco's model games than can be found in databases (see "Gioachino Greco on the Game of Chess"). Some of the positions in his other instructional books also are a regular part of my teaching.
Lewis,William -- Keen,Eric [C56]
London Casual Games London, 1817
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 d6
4...Nf6 is the most popular move today, but 4...d6 is solid.
5.0-0 Nf6 6.d4
6.d3 seems better.
6...exd4 7.cxd4 Bb6 8.h3
Black to move
8...Nxe4
8...0-0 has led to better results for Black in current master play.
9.Re1
The first pin. We use the term pin when two pieces are attacked along a file, diagonal, or rank such that the one in front cannot move (absolute pin) or by moving exposes a piece of greater value to capture (relative pin).
9...d5?
A mistake.
9...0-0 is best 10.Rxe4 d5 restores the material balance 11.Bxd5 Qxd5 and White has a slight advantage.
10.Bxd5
10.Bg5 is also strong
10...Qxd5 11.Nc3
Piling on the pinned knight wins back the material and maintains substantial pressure on Black's position.
11...Qd8
8...0-0 has led to better results for Black in current master play.
9.Re1
The first pin. We use the term pin when two pieces are attacked along a file, diagonal, or rank such that the one in front cannot move (absolute pin) or by moving exposes a piece of greater value to capture (relative pin).
9...d5?
A mistake.
9...0-0 is best 10.Rxe4 d5 restores the material balance 11.Bxd5 Qxd5 and White has a slight advantage.
10.Bxd5
10.Bg5 is also strong
10...Qxd5 11.Nc3
Piling on the pinned knight wins back the material and maintains substantial pressure on Black's position.
11...Qd8
White to move
12.Rxe4+!+-
12.Nxe4 0-0 leaves White with only a slight advantage (12...Nxd4?? 13.Bg5! [13.Nf6+ Kf8 14.Re8+ Qxe8 15.Nxe8 Kxe8 16.Nxd4] 13...Nxf3+ 14.Qxf3 Qd4 15.Nd6+).
12...Ne7
Moving another piece into a pin makes Black's troubles worse.
12...Kf8 and Black cannot castle. This move is Black's best choice. In either case, White already has a technical win.
13.Qe2
Here, castling would lose the knight.
13...Be6 14.Bg5
Pinning the knight again
14...Qd6 15.Bxe7
12.Nxe4 0-0 leaves White with only a slight advantage (12...Nxd4?? 13.Bg5! [13.Nf6+ Kf8 14.Re8+ Qxe8 15.Nxe8 Kxe8 16.Nxd4] 13...Nxf3+ 14.Qxf3 Qd4 15.Nd6+).
12...Ne7
Moving another piece into a pin makes Black's troubles worse.
12...Kf8 and Black cannot castle. This move is Black's best choice. In either case, White already has a technical win.
13.Qe2
Here, castling would lose the knight.
13...Be6 14.Bg5
Pinning the knight again
14...Qd6 15.Bxe7
Black to move
15...Kxe7
Now the bishop is pinned.
15...Qxe7 16.d5 0-0-0 17.dxe6+-
16.d5 Rhd8 17.Ng5
Piling on. The manner with which Lewis increases the pressure on Black's pinned pieces is instructive. 17.dxe6 is just as good.
17...c6 18.Nxe6
Threatens discovered check
18...fxe6
18...Rd7 19.Nc7+ Kd8 20.Nxa8
19.Rxe6+
Fork
Now the bishop is pinned.
15...Qxe7 16.d5 0-0-0 17.dxe6+-
16.d5 Rhd8 17.Ng5
Piling on. The manner with which Lewis increases the pressure on Black's pinned pieces is instructive. 17.dxe6 is just as good.
17...c6 18.Nxe6
Threatens discovered check
18...fxe6
18...Rd7 19.Nc7+ Kd8 20.Nxa8
19.Rxe6+
Fork
Black to move
19...Qxe6
19...Kf8 20.Rxd6 Rxd6 21.Re1
20.Qxe6+ Kf8 21.d6 Re8 22.Qf5+
22.Qc4 is stronger. Whites material superiority and less vulnerable king makes the advantage overwhelming in any case.
22...Kg8 23.Ne4
White has a checkmate idea that Black does not find a way to stop.
23...Rf8
23...h6 offers more stubborn, albeit helpless defense.
24.Qe6+ Kh8
19...Kf8 20.Rxd6 Rxd6 21.Re1
20.Qxe6+ Kf8 21.d6 Re8 22.Qf5+
22.Qc4 is stronger. Whites material superiority and less vulnerable king makes the advantage overwhelming in any case.
22...Kg8 23.Ne4
White has a checkmate idea that Black does not find a way to stop.
Black to move
23...h6 offers more stubborn, albeit helpless defense.
24.Qe6+ Kh8
White to move
25.Ng5
25.d7 is simple, but Lewis wants to execute a picturesque checkmate.
25...Bxf2+
Black strikes back to win a pawn and check the king, but there is no follow up as Black's lacks sufficient force for a counterattack.
26.Kh2 Rae8
Moves into the checkmate that Lewis hoped for in bringing up his knight.
25.d7 is simple, but Lewis wants to execute a picturesque checkmate.
25...Bxf2+
Black strikes back to win a pawn and check the king, but there is no follow up as Black's lacks sufficient force for a counterattack.
26.Kh2 Rae8
Moves into the checkmate that Lewis hoped for in bringing up his knight.
White to move
27.Nf7+ Kg8
27...Rxf7 28.Qxe8+ Rf8 29.Qxf8#
28.Nh6+ Kh8 29.Qg8+ Rxg8 30.Nf7# 1-0
*See Tom Standage, The Turk: The Life and Times of the Famous Eighteenth-Century Chess-Playing Machine (2002).
27...Rxf7 28.Qxe8+ Rf8 29.Qxf8#
28.Nh6+ Kh8 29.Qg8+ Rxg8 30.Nf7# 1-0
*See Tom Standage, The Turk: The Life and Times of the Famous Eighteenth-Century Chess-Playing Machine (2002).
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