Nigel Short vs Jan Timman · Tilburg, 1991 · Alekhine's Defense · 1-0
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25. Rad1
About this Game
In this extraordinary game from the 1991 Tilburg tournament, English grandmaster Nigel Short marches his king from g1 all the way to g5 and then to h4 — through the middle of a live tactical fight — as part of a winning plan. The king walk is not a desperation measure but a calculated piece of strategy: Short needs his king on h4 to support a mating attack, and he simply walks it there. Timman, one of the world's best players at the time, could do nothing to stop it. The game demonstrates that chess rules are not absolute — the king, supposedly the most vulnerable piece, can become a powerful attacking weapon. Short won with a beautiful queen sacrifice and king-march combination that left commentators speechless.
Key Moves
24. Kh2! — King begins its famous march toward the kingside attack
32. Kh4! — King arrives at its destination square to support the mating net
41. Qb3# — Short checkmates with the king deeply involved in the attack