In chess, a king walk, also known as a king march, steel king (Dutch: wandelkoning, literally "wanderking") or fighting king, refers to occasions where the king travels up the board in the middle game or opening, often involved in a mating attack against the opposing king.[2] This is a highly unusual occurrence, since the safety of the king is considered paramount, and players are recommended to keep the king out of harm's way, at least until the endgame.[3][4] In contrast, Wilhelm Steinitz, often known as the father of modern chess, was renowned for his maxim that "the king is a fighting piece".[5][6] Dutch chess historian and author Tim Krabbé has documented over one hundred such games.[2]