Photo: Vysotsky / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The black king is on h4, at the very edge of White's side of the board. Black actually has more material than White here. But White is threatening to give checkmate, and our engine shows Black cannot stop it for long. Eline Roebers resigned.
fFinal position, after 27.Kf2, with Black to move. The black king on h4 is trapped near the edge. White threatens Qg3+ and Rh1, and our engine finds checkmate in three moves or fewer, whatever Black plays.
How did the black king get all the way to h4? One check at a time.
Andy Woodward 1-0 Eline Roebers Tata Steel Chess Challengers 2026, Wijk aan Zee · Round 2 White: Andy Woodward (2608) · Black: Eline Roebers (2398)
Trades on the a-file
The game began as a Catalan Opening.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 a6 6.O-O b5 7.Ne5 Nd5 8.e4 Nf6 9.a4 Bb7 10.axb5 axb5 11.Rxa8 Bxa8
On move 11 White's rook took Black's rook on a8, and Black took back with the bishop. That is a straight trade of rooks.
12.Nc3 c6 13.h4 Nbd7 14.Nxd7 Nxd7 15.e5 c5 16.Bg5 Be7 17.Bxa8 Qxa8 18.Nxb5
Another trade followed on a8, bishop for bishop. Then White's knight took the pawn on b5, and material was level again. Our own Stockfish 17.1 run, at depth 20, rated White about a pawn and a half better, because the black king was still in the centre with no safe place to go.
18...Qa5 19.Bxe7 Kxe7
5
dfgPosition after 19...Kxe7, with White to move. The black king has taken the bishop on e7 and now stands in the middle of the board.
After the bishops were traded, the black king took back on e7. It had not castled, and now it could not.
The king starts walking
20.dxc5 Nxe5
Black took a pawn. But now the white queen could come in with check. Our engine rated White about three and a half pawns better, and preferred 20...Qxb5.
21.Qd6+ Kf6
5fgPosition after 21...Kf6, with White to move. The black king has only two legal moves after a check, and every step takes it further from its own pieces.
The king had only two choices, e8 or f6. It went to f6.
22.Nc3 Qd8 23.Nd5+ Kf5
There was a chance for Black to recover here: after 22.Nc3 the engine rated White only slightly better. But 22...Qd8 let the knight come to d5 with check, and the king stepped forward again.
fgPosition after 23...Kf5, with White to move. The black king is on f5, in White's half of the board. White's g-pawn can push with check.
Our engine marked 23...Kf5 as a big mistake. 23...Kg6 was better.
24.g4+ Kxg4 25.Qxe5 exd5
White's pawn gave check, and the king took it. Then White took the knight on e5. Black took the white knight on d5. Look at the material: Black is ahead. But look at the black king.
26.f3+ Kxh4 27.Kf2
The white f-pawn gave another check, and the king went to h4. Then the white king stepped up to f2, to make room for the rook to come to h1. That is the position at the top of the article.
The mate behind the resignation
Black was not just worse here. The position was lost. After 25...exd5 the engine finds a forced mate in five, starting with 26.f3+ Kxh4 27.Kf2 Qd7 28.Rh1+ Qh3 29.Rxh3+ Kxh3 30.Qh5#. The engine's first choice at move 25 was 25...Qxd5, which keeps the game going, although White is still winning.
The clocks say the game ended with time to spare. After 27.Kf2 Woodward had 50 minutes left and Roebers had 35.
What this game teaches
1. Captures on the same square are often just trades. 11.Rxa8 Bxa8 and 17.Bxa8 Qxa8 swapped equal pieces. A sacrifice gives up material. A trade does not.
2. A king in the centre is in danger. Black's king never castled. Once it was stuck on e7, every check drove it further up the board.
3. Checks can herd a king. Qd6+, Nd5+, g4+ and f3+ each forced a reply, and each time the black king ended up further forward.
4. King safety matters more than material. In the final position Black has more material, and it does not help. The king has nowhere to hide.