Game 22: Pillsbury vs Marco, Paris 1900 - The Pillsbury Attack Unleashed

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I'm continuing my series on Irving Chernev's Logical Chess: Move by Move, and Game 22 is one of the most instructive attacking games in the entire book. Pillsbury vs Marco, Paris 1900, Queen's Gambit Declined. White wins in 26 moves with a model kingside attack, bringing every piece into the assault.

This is what chess is supposed to look like. Every piece has a role. Every move has a purpose. And the whole attack flows from one key strategic decision made in the opening.

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The Opening: Queen's Gambit Declined, Pillsbury Attack

Pillsbury opens with 1.d4 and after 1...d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5, we reach the famous Pillsbury Attack, ECO D55. This system was Pillsbury's trademark weapon and he used it to defeat the best players of his era, including Steinitz, Maroczy, Janowsky and Tarrasch.

After 4...Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 b6 7.Rc1 Bb7 8.cxd5! White clears the centre early. Marco has four ways to recapture but none of them are satisfactory. Pillsbury has a firm grip on the centre and is ready to launch operations on the kingside.

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Key Position 1: The Pillsbury Knight

After 8...exd5 and 9...Nbd7, Pillsbury plays the star move of this entire opening system.

9. Ne5! This is the key move in the famous Pillsbury Attack. The knight plants itself on e5 where its striking power is terrific. From e5 the knight attacks in all directions, affecting both queenside and kingside. Black cannot easily dislodge it, and any attempt to exchange it with 9...Nxe5 opens the f-file after 10.fxe5, giving White a rook file aimed straight at Black's king.

This is my Piece Activity Count framework in action. At this point White has the bishop on g5 targeting f6, the knight on e5 dominating the centre, and the f-pawn ready to advance. Black's pieces are passive, cramped behind his own pawns.

After 10.f4 c5 11.Bd3 Qc7 12.0-0 cxd4 13.exd4 b5, Marco commits his queenside pawns, but this is a strategic mistake. The c5-c4 push gives Pillsbury the perfect excuse to ignore the queenside and go all-in on the king.

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The Rule of Three: Preparing the Attack

Before Pillsbury launches the decisive blow, count the attacking pieces: the knight on e5, the bishop on g5, the bishop on d3, the queen ready to swing to h3, and the rook on f1 aimed at f6. That is five pieces pointing at Black's king. The Rule of Three says you need at least three pieces in a decisive attack. Pillsbury has five.

Now comes the move that sets the whole position on fire.

🎬 Watch how Pillsbury builds and then unleashes this attack: ChessExcellence YouTube

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Key Position 2: The Pawn That Shatters the King's Shelter

After 14.Qh3! threatening mate, Black plays 14...g6 to avoid immediate disaster. This creates a weakness on f6 where the knight now has no pawn support. Then comes:

15. f5! A pawn is a wonderful weapon of attack! This pawn threatens to break up Black's entire pawn shelter with 16.fxg6. After 15...b4 16.fxg6! hxg6 17.Qh4! the queen concentrates fire on the weakened f6-knight. Then 18.Nxd7! strips away the last defender and 21.Bxg6! delivers the coup de grace.

The game continues 21...fxg6 22.Rxf8+ and Black cannot avoid decisive material loss. Pillsbury wins on move 26.

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The Full Game

Full Move Order:
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 b6 7.Rc1 Bb7 8.cxd5! exd5 9.Ne5! Nbd7 10.f4 c5 11.Bd3 Qc7 12.0-0 cxd4 13.exd4 b5 14.Qh3! g6 15.f5! b4 16.fxg6! hxg6 17.Qh4! bxc3 18.Nxd7! Nxd7 19.Bxe7 Qxe7 20.bxc3 Nf6 21.Bxg6! fxg6 22.Rxf6 Rxf6 23.Rxf6 Kh7 24.Qxg5 Rg8 25.Rxg6 Qe8 26.Qh5# *

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The Modern Take: What This Means for You (800-1600)

If you are rated between 800 and 1600, this game teaches three things that will immediately improve your chess.

First: centralize before attacking. Pillsbury's Ne5 is so strong because the knight has nowhere to go. Your attacks will be much more effective when your pieces have secure central posts.

Second: pawns are weapons. When you see 15.f5!, notice that Pillsbury is not afraid to advance a pawn even when it could be captured. The disruption is worth the pawn because it shatters the king's shelter.

Third: patience in accumulation. Pillsbury does not rush. He builds from move 9 to move 15, accumulating attacking pieces before striking. This is how you should approach your own attacks.

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Key Takeaways

• Ne5 is the signature move of the Pillsbury Attack: plant the knight where it cannot be evicted
• c5-c4 is Black's mistake: advancing queenside pawns while the kingside is under fire gives White time to build the attack
• 14.Qh3! is the first threat: the queen aims at h7 forcing Black to weaken the kingside with g6
• 15.f5! is the decisive blow: the pawn storm shatters the pawn shelter and opens lines for rooks and bishops
• Every piece joins: the model attack has knight, two bishops, queen and both rooks all participating

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What Did You Find Most Instructive?

This game has so many lessons packed in. Was it the Pillsbury knight on e5? The f5 pawn break? The way Pillsbury ignored the queenside completely? Let me know in the comments below!

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🎬 Watch the full video analysis: Game 22: Pillsbury vs Marco on ChessExcellence YouTube

Full Playlist: Logical Chess Move by Move - All 33 Games