1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Ke7 3.Qxe5#

A friend of mine was playing in a tournament and the game went 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e5 6. Nb5 a6 7. Nd6+ Bxd6 8. Qxd6 Ke7 (illegal)

My friend called for the TD, not sure what the ramifications of such a move is. The fact is, if his king could move at all, he'd have to move it. But it couldn't move! So there was no penalty. He promptly played ...Qe7, apparently the move he intended.

I read of the game posted on this page in Chernev's <Wonders and Curiosities of Chess> (1974), which was a revision of his book <Curious Chess Facts> (1937). This is the exact same story that Fox and James give in <The Complete Chess Addict> (1987), referred to just above by <ughaibu>.

Now it seems to me that I heard some story somewhere about Horowitz and the deliberate illegal move of the Knight, but I can't place it, so I'll just have to leave it at that for now. But I CAN confirm the rule under which Lindermann was compelled to play 3.Ke2 in the game posted here.

I realize that, as enjoyable as Chernev's writing is, he made some mistakes. I also allow for the possibility that Fox and James just might have copied a mistake of his in this instance. But I have independent confirmation, completely unconnected with this particular game, that the "touch-move" rule of the time cited by <ughaibu> was indeed in force when this game was played.

Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch's last book, <Das Schachspiel>, was published in 1931. Ironically, it was the first book of his to be translated into English. Entitled <The Game of Chess>, it was a manual intended to help beginners work their way to competent expertise. On the last page of Section One, "The Elements," Dr. Tarrasch gives a subsection headed "The Most Important Laws of the Game." Herewith an excerpt therefrom:

"If a player makes a move not permitted by the rules of the game or if he touches either an enemy man which cannot be taken or one of his own which cannot be moved, then until recently there was a rule that as a penalty he must move his King (but not castle). If the King could not move, then the touching of the man entailed no penalty. This rule was altered a few years ago--and rightly so. Now the illegal move must be retracted and the man touched must, whenever possible, be moved (if his own) or captured (if his opponent's). If, however, he can neither move his own man nor capture his opponent's, there is no penalty--only the illegal move must be retracted."