The King With No Castle
Steinitz – Von Bardeleben, Hastings 1895 · 1–0 · 3 songs · 6:43
- 0:00 Overture
- 0:19 ♫ Build Your House
- 1:54 Interlude
- 2:18 ♫ The King I Forgot
- 4:09 Interlude
- 4:23 ♫ The Rook That Would Not Die
- 6:07 Finale
Overture
Hastings, eighteen ninety-five. The old champion Wilhelm Steinitz has White against Curt von Bardeleben. Knights and bishops come out on both sides, and White's quiet pawn move to c3 is preparing something. This is a game about where a king should live.
Build Your House
sung from White's side
Verse 1
My pawn on c3 laid the floor
Pawn to d4, I want more 5.d4
He takes, my pawn takes back 5...exd4 6.cxd4
Two pawns, d4 and e4, like that
His bishop to b4 gives check 6...Bb4+
My knight to c3 blocks it, next 7.Nc3
Chorus
Build your house, brick by brick
Block the check, my knight is quick
Bring the king to safety first
His king on e8 stays outside
Never gets a place to hide
Verse 2
He strikes the center, pawn to d5 7...d5
I take, his knight takes, look alive 8.exd5 Nxd5
I castle short, my king is safe 9.O-O
My rook on f1 ready in place
Chorus
Build your house, brick by brick
Block the check, my knight is quick
Bring the king to safety first
His king on e8 stays outside
Never gets a place to hide
Interlude
Then the pieces come off, pair after pair, until a black knight stands on e7, right in front of its own king. White's rook takes the open file and stares at it: if Black castles, the knight falls.
The King I Forgot
sung from Black's side
Verse 1
Soft and slow, his queen to e2 15.Qe2
My queen to d7, what else to do 15...Qd7
His rook to c1, each piece at work 16.Rac1
His queen and rook on the e-file lurk
To stop his d-pawn, my poor fix
The mistake is pawn to c6 16...c6
Chorus
Bring the king to safety first
Before the pawn, the king comes first
Go back and play king to f7 16...Kf7
Black is fine, and I'm forgiven
Verse 2
But my pawn stands on c6, so
His pawn to d5, he lets it go 17.d5
I take on d5, d4 is free 17...cxd5
His knight to d4 comes for me 18.Nd4
Only now, king to f7 18...Kf7
Knight to e6, and can't be driven 19.Ne6
Chorus
Bring the king to safety first
Before the pawn, the king comes first
Go back and play king to f7 16...Kf7
Black is fine, and I'm forgiven
Interlude
A black rook comes to the c-file, and the white queen swings across to threaten g7. Black guards it. Then the knight jumps away with check, and suddenly queen sees queen. The king steps back.
The Rook That Would Not Die
sung from White's side
Verse 1
Hastings, his king still on e8
My rook on e1 will not wait
His queen on d7 stares at mine
His knight on e7, pinned in line
Chorus
Rook takes on e7, do your worst 22.Rxe7+ Kf8
Four pieces hang, my rooks, both queens
Whatever he takes, he loses more
Greedy means mated, spare d7's queen
My rook keeps checking, nothing more
Bring the king to safety first
Verse 2
If my queen takes d7, rook takes c1 23.Qxd7 Rxc1+
Rook to e1, he takes, mate, I'm gone 24.Re1 Rxe1#
Go back: rook to f7, rook to g7 23.Rf7+ Kg8 24.Rg7+ Kh8
Rook takes h7, g7 again 25.Rxh7+ Kg8 26.Rg7+ Kh8
He left the hall, on time I won
Queen to h4, king takes rook, job done 27.Qh4+ Kxg7
Chorus
Rook takes on e7, do your worst 22.Rxe7+ Kf8
Four pieces hang, my rooks, both queens
Whatever he takes, he loses more
Greedy means mated, spare d7's queen
My rook keeps checking, nothing more
Bring the king to safety first
Finale
Von Bardeleben never played these moves. He stood up, left the hall and lost on time, and Steinitz showed the spectators the forced mate: queen and knight dancing together. White wins at Hastings.
Songs and film made with AI.