Breakdown of Säästän tätä nappulaa shakkimattia varten.
tämä
this
säästää
to save (money, resources)
nappula
piece (in a game)
shakkimatti
checkmate
Questions & Answers about Säästän tätä nappulaa shakkimattia varten.
Why is shakkimattia in the partitive case?
It is in the partitive because it is governed by the postposition varten (for / for the purpose of). Postpositions like varten always require the word they modify to be in the partitive case.
Why are tätä nappulaa also in the partitive case?
They form the object of the verb säästää (to save). Because saving is an ongoing action here, the object takes the partitive case. If you meant 'I will save/rescue this piece' as a completed action, it would take the accusative, but holding onto something for later use naturally takes the partitive.
Doesn't nappulaa usually mean a 'button'?
Yes, nappula commonly means 'button' or 'knob'. However, in the context of board games, it is the standard word used for a playing 'piece' (often also called pelinappula).
Could I use the allative case ending (-lle) instead of varten to say 'for'?
Not in this sentence. The allative case (-lle) is used for 'to' or 'for' when giving something to a person or thing. When 'for' means 'reserved for a specific purpose or event' like a checkmate, you must use the partitive followed by the postposition varten.