Chess Basics: Greco and the F-Pawn

In lesson eight, we looked at a game by Italian chess master Gioachino Greco (c. 1600 - c. 1634). He was one of the first chess masters that we know about, and his games are a great reference even today. 

Here, we’ll look  at a game of Greco’s that ended in just eight moves. As we learn how Greco pulled off this quick victory, we’ll also explore a key weakness that can happen at the start of a game.

Don’t Move the F-Pawn

Consider this position:

Both sides are missing their e and f pawns.  The absence of the f-pawns, in particular, makes the kings vulnerable on the diagonals.   This is true whether the king is castled like the Black king or un-castled like the White king.  

In the Four Move Checkmate lesson, we saw how the f-pawn itself can be vulnerable to a quick attack.  In this lesson, we see how the f-pawn plays a critical role in protecting the king from future attacks.  As soon as the f-pawn advances, the king is more exposed to diagonal attack.  Since pawns can never move backwards, advancing the f-pawn should avoided in early in the game and only executed when the king will be safe. 

An F-pawn Tragedy in Eight Moves

Greco documented several examples where moving the f-pawn lead to disastrous results.  Check out the game viewer to see how White checkmates in just eight moves after Black recklessly pushes the f-pawn early in the opening.