Artificial castling

In chess, artificial castling (also called castling by hand) refers to a maneuver in which a king which has lost the right to castle achieves a castled position in several normal moves, instead of the one special move.


Examples

abcdefgh
8
a8 black rook
c8 black bishop
d8 black queen
e8 black king
f8 black bishop
h8 black rook
a7 black pawn
b7 black pawn
c7 black pawn
d7 black pawn
f7 white bishop
g7 black pawn
h7 black pawn
c6 black knight
e5 black pawn
e4 black knight
c3 white knight
f3 white knight
a2 white pawn
b2 white pawn
c2 white pawn
d2 white pawn
f2 white pawn
g2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
a1 white rook
c1 white bishop
d1 white queen
e1 white king
h1 white rook
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Position after 5. Bxf7+?!
abcdefgh
8
a8 black rook
c8 black bishop
d8 black queen
f8 black rook
g8 black king
a7 black pawn
b7 black pawn
c7 black pawn
d7 black pawn
e7 black bishop
g7 black pawn
h7 black pawn
c6 black knight
d4 white knight
e4 white knight
a2 white pawn
b2 white pawn
c2 white pawn
f2 white pawn
g2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
a1 white rook
c1 white bishop
d1 white queen
f1 white rook
g1 white king
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Position after 9... Kg8

After the following common sequence of moves:

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nxe4 5. Bxf7+?! (first diagram)

White sees that if he recaptures with 5.Nxe4, Black responds with 5...d5, forking knight and bishop and winning back the piece. In that case, Black has not won material, but has destroyed White's center. Instead of allowing d5, White hopes to cause trouble for Black by returning the piece while depriving him of the right to castle. However, Black can easily castle artificially, for example:

5... Kxf7 6. Nxe4 Be7 7. 0-0

White castles "naturally".

7... Rf8

Black begins castling artificially.

8. d4 exd4 9. Nxd4 Kg8 (second diagram)

Black has achieved a normal castled position (Rf8, Kg8), but in several moves. The absence of any pawns in the center indicates that king safety is of particular importance in this position. Black's development lags slightly, but he also possesses the bishop pair and a queenside pawn majority, so his position is at least equal.

abcdefgh
8
a8 black rook
b8 black knight
d8 black queen
e8 black king
f8 black bishop
h8 black rook
e7 black pawn
f7 black pawn
g7 black pawn
h7 black pawn
d6 black pawn
f6 black knight
c5 black pawn
d5 white pawn
e4 white pawn
c3 white knight
a2 white pawn
b2 white pawn
f2 white pawn
g2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
a1 white rook
c1 white bishop
d1 white queen
f1 white king
g1 white knight
h1 white rook
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
After 8. Kxf1 in the Benko Gambit
abcdefgh
8
a8 black rook
d8 black queen
f8 black rook
g8 black king
d7 black knight
e7 black pawn
f7 black pawn
g7 black bishop
h7 black pawn
d6 black pawn
f6 black knight
g6 black pawn
c5 black pawn
d5 white pawn
e4 white pawn
c3 white knight
f3 white knight
g3 white pawn
a2 white pawn
b2 white pawn
f2 white pawn
g2 white king
h2 white pawn
a1 white rook
c1 white bishop
d1 white queen
h1 white rook
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Position after 11. Nf3 Nbd7


In an even more common opening (a main line of the Benko Gambit, ECO A59), White uses the g2-square in an artificial castle maneuver to safeguard his king after an exchange of bishops on f1 precludes castling normally:

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 Bxa6 6. Nc3 d6 7. e4 Bxf1 8. Kxf1 (first diagram) 8... g6 9. g3 Bg7 10. Kg2 0-0 11. Nf3 Nbd7 (second diagram). White has completed the artificial castle maneuver of his king and is ready to continue with 12. Re1 (or other moves).

Praxis

Mestel vs. Makarichev, 1979
abcdefgh
8
d8 black rook
h8 black rook
a7 black pawn
b7 black pawn
c7 black pawn
f7 black pawn
g7 black pawn
h7 black king
c6 black bishop
f6 black queen
h6 black pawn
c5 white queen
c3 white pawn
e3 white bishop
a2 white pawn
b2 white pawn
c2 white pawn
e2 white rook
g2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
a1 white rook
g1 white king
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Position after 17... Kh7
Heidenfeld vs. Hecht, 1974
abcdefgh
8
a8 black rook
c8 black bishop
e8 black king
h8 black rook
a7 black pawn
b7 black pawn
f7 black pawn
g7 black pawn
h7 black pawn
c6 black knight
e6 black pawn
a5 black queen
d5 black pawn
e5 white pawn
c4 black pawn
d4 white pawn
f4 white pawn
a3 black bishop
c3 white pawn
f3 white knight
a2 white pawn
c2 white pawn
e2 white bishop
g2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
a1 white rook
c1 white bishop
d1 white queen
e1 white king
h1 white rook
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Position after 12... Qa5

The following game between Jonathan Mestel and Sergey Makarichev played in Hastings 1979 features yet another way to artificially castle:

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.0-0 Nxc3 6.dxc3 h6 7.Qd5 Qf6 8.Re1 Bd6 9.Nxe5 Bxe5 10.f4 d6 11.fxe5 dxe5 12.Bb5 Bd7 13.Bxc6 Bxc6 14.Rxe5+ Kf8 15.Qc5+ Kg8 16.Re2 Rd8 17.Be3 Kh7 (see diagram) The king has finally reached a safe haven and now Black takes over the initiative. 18.Qxa7? Rhe8 19.Rf2 Qg6 20.h3 Re4! 21.Bd4 Rd5! 22.Rd1 Rg5 23.Kf1 Re6 24.g4 Bb5+ 25.Kg1 Rxg4+! 26.Kh2 Rg3 27.Rdd2 Rxh3+! 28.Kxh3 Qh5+ 0–1

A unique and even humorous artificial castling took place in the game Heidenfeld–Hecht, played in the Nice Chess Olympiad 1974:

1.e4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e5 Ne4 4.d4 Nxc3 5.bxc3 e6 6.Bd3 c5 7.f4 Nc6 8.Nf3 Qa5 9.Bd2 Qa4! 10.Be3 c4 11.Be2 Ba3 12.Bc1? Qa5 (see diagram) White's queenside pawns were under heavy pressure, and "usual" moves such as 13.Bd2? Bb2, 13.Bxa3 Qxc3+! or 13.Qd2 Bxc1 would have all led to a loss of a pawn. So, White came up with the following unusual maneuver: 13.Kd2! Be7 14.Qe1 Bd7 15.Ke3 Now that the queen guards c3, the king can continue his journey to safety. 15...f6 16.Rf1 fxe5 17.fxe5 0-0 18.Kf2 Be8! 19.Kg1 White has "castled" in five moves instead of the usual one, but maintained material equality (although after 19...Bg6, Black was still better, and eventually won).

See also

References

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