A sustained, multi-move series of forcing checks designed to drag the enemy King completely out of its fortified pawn shield and drive it into open water, where your entire army coordinates for a checkmate.
Why it matters
Some attacks do not end in a quiet mating net. The king is checked out of its shelter and walked across the board, every move forced, until it runs out of squares somewhere it was never meant to be.
A hunt is worth calculating precisely because it is forced. Each check removes almost every reply, so a long line can be checked to the end — which is the only way you are allowed to start one, since after the first sacrifice there is no going back.
See it on a board
White gives up the queen and then never plays a move that is not a check. The king is dragged from g8 to f4 and mated by a pawn.
Checked: this line ends in checkmate.
How to play it
- Look for a sacrifice that opens the king's cover, usually on h7, h2, g7 or g2.
- Check on every move. The moment you play a non-check the defender gets a move to bring a piece back.
- Count the escape squares each check leaves. If the king ever has two, the hunt has stalled and you needed a different move.
At each level
The same idea, said the way it is taught at each age.
Rook · ages 6–9
If the enemy king has to walk forward into your pieces, keep checking. A king in the open is not safe just because it is not mated yet.
Queen · ages 8–11
Calculate a hunt to the final move before sacrificing. Every check must be forced, and you should be able to say what mates at the end, not just that it looks strong.
What goes wrong
- Starting the hunt without seeing the end, and having no follow-up when the checks run out.
- Taking a piece in the middle instead of checking, which hands the king a free move to run home.
Questions people ask
- How do I know a king hunt will work?
- Every move of yours has to be a check with only one or two legal replies. If you reach a position where the defender has a real choice, the hunt is not forced and you are relying on hope.
- Is it worth sacrificing a queen for a hunt?
- Only when you have counted to mate. A queen buys three or four forcing moves; if mate is not there at the end, you are simply a queen down.