| 18. K. B's Pawn to B's 4th. | 18. Q. Kt's Pawn to Kt's 3d. |
Again you have failed to see a most important move; you might have taken the K. Rook's Pawn with your Queen, giving check safely, because Black could not take your Queen without being in check with your Bishop. All this time, too, your opponent omits to see the jeopardy his Queen is in, and that as far as practical assistance to his other Pieces is concerned, she might as well be off the board.
| 19. K. Kt's Pawn to Kt's 4th. | 19. Q. Kt's Pawn to Q. Kt's 4th. |
Your last move is far from good. By thus attacking your Knight, Black threatens to win a Piece, because upon playing away the Knight you must leave the Bishop unprotected.
| 20. Pawn to K. Kt's 5th. | 20. Pawn takes Knight. |
Although your Knight was thus attacked, it might have been saved very easily. In the first place, by your taking the adversary's Q. B's Pawn, threatening to take his K's Rook, on his removing which, or interposing the Q's Pawn, you could have taken the Pawn which attacked your Knight; or, in the second place, by moving your Queen to her 2d square. In the latter case, if Black ventured to take the Knight, you would have won his Queen by taking the K. Kt's Pawn with your Bishop, giving check, and thus exposing his Queen to yours. Black would have been obliged to parry the check, either by taking the Bishop or removing his King, and you would then have taken his Queen. This position is very instructive, and merits attentive examination.
| 21. B. to Q. B's 3d. | 21. Pawn takes Q. Kt's Pawn. |
| 22. Pawn to K. R's 4th. | 22. Pawn to Q. Kt's 7th. |
In such a position, the advance of your King's flank Pawns is a process too dilatory to be very effective.
| 23. Pawn to K. B's 5th. | 23. Pawn to Q. Kt's 8th, becoming a Queen. |
Now the fault of your tortoise-like movements with the Pawns becomes fatally evident. Black has been enabled to make a second Queen, and has an overwhelming force at command.