Home >> Games & Cards >> Chess & Checkers

How to Win Chess in Ten Moves

You can win a chess game in 10 moves, but it's not easy. The average number of moves per game in tournament level play is around 40, so to win in 10 moves takes either a vast difference in skill between you and your opponent, or a great deal of luck, or both. There's no one way to win in 10 moves because you can't always predict your opponent's moves. However, a game played at a tournament in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1933 between George Alan Thomas and Emanuel Sapira shows one way to win a game quickly. In this game, Thomas played white and forced Sapira to concede defeat in 10 moves.

Instructions

- 1
  Move your pawn in the E2 position to the E4 position. These position designations are based on assigning a letter to each column of the board, starting with "A" at the far left, and numbering the rows, starting with row number "1" as the row closest to you. So you are moving your pawn from its starting position in the column fifth from the left and the second row to the fourth row in the same column. In response, your opponent moves his pawn from C7 to C5.
- 2
  Move your knight from G1 to F3. Your opponent mirrors your move, moving his knight from G8 to F6.
- 3
  Move your other knight from B1 to C3. Your opponent moves another pawn, this time from D7 to D5.
- 4
  Capture your opponent's pawn by moving your pawn at E4 diagonally to D5. Your opponent responds by capturing your pawn, moving his knight from F6 to D5 to do so.
- 5
  Move your bishop from F1 to B5. This puts your opponent in check. He responds by moving his bishop in from of his king to protect it. The bishop's move is from C8 to D7.
- 6
  Move your knight closer to your opponent's side of the board, from F3 to E5. Your opponent moves his knight from D5 to C3, capturing your other knight.
- 7
  Bring your queen into play, moving it out from D1 to F3. Note that you have resisted the temptation to capture your opponent's knight with one of your pawns. Your opponent threatens your remaining knight by moving a pawn out from F7 to F6.
- 8
  Ignore the threat to your knight and continue moving your queen, this time up to H5. This again puts your opponent in check. He protects his king and simultaneously threatens your queen by moving a pawn a single space from G7 to G6.
- 9
  Capture the pawn your opponent just moved, by moving your remaining knight to G6. Your opponent, concerned about being boxed in, moves his king up to F7.
- 10
  Move your remaining knight back to E5. Your opponent's king is now in check from both your knight and your queen. Although you do not have checkmate, a reasonable opponent will concede defeat at this point, since his king is so overpowered. This is what Sapira did in 1933, giving Thomas the win.

Chess & Checkers