Knight Fever (1)

My six games my club’s online tournament last week yielded two knight endings.

Tricky things, knights. Let’s take a look at the first of them.

The first game reached a double knight ending here: I was White and was about to make my 27th move. How would you assess this position?

Stockfish thinks it’s about level as long as White activates his king with 27. Kf1 followed by Ke2. But it also looked natural (but misguided) to occupy an outpost and threaten an enemy pawn.

27. Ne5?! g5
28. Nf1?

Here I had to play 28. f4 gxf4 29. Ng6 to stay in the game, but this was too deep for me.

28… Nc7!

Now I’m losing: my main problem is the weakness of my d-pawn.

29. Ne3 Ne6
30. Nf5 Nc6?

The right idea, but the timing is wrong. Perhaps it’s not immediately obvious but he should have played 30… Kf8! followed by Nc6, and, after the trade, g6. I have no way of defending the d4 pawn in this variation.

31. Nxc6 bxc6

Reaching a single knight ending where I’m winning a pawn but not the game.

32. Ne7+ Kf7
33. Nxc6 Ke8
34. Kf1 Nf4

A simpler alternative was 34… Kd7 when, after 35. Nb8+, the queenside pawns will soon be eliminated.

35. Nb4 a5?

The sort of natural move you’d play with little time on the clock, but it should lost. There were two drawing moves: Ne6 and Kd7.

36. Nc6! Ne6
37. Nxa5 Nxd4

I’m now a pawn up but with my knight stuck on the edge of the board. There’s only one winning move here: 38. Ke1!, activating my king.

38. b4? Kd7
39. Nb7 Kc7
40. Nd6 Kd7?

Now I’m winning again. The easiest draw was 40… Kc6 but 40… Nc2 (or Nc6) 41. b5 Nd4 seems to just about hold as well.

41. Nf5!

I’d managed to spot that I was winning the pawn ending if he traded.

41… Ne6
42. Ke2 Kc6
43. Ne7+?

Mistakenly trying to force the issue. Bringing the king in (any of Kd2/Ke3/Kd2) wins slowly but easily.

Now the game peters out into a draw.

43… Kb5
44. Nxd5 Kc4

I’m temporarily two pawns up but I can’t hold them.

45. Ne7 Kxb4
46. c6 Kc5
47. Ke3 Kd6
48. Nf5+

Trying my luck in the pawn ending but it’s easily drawn.

48… Kxc6
49. Nd4+ Nxd4
50. Kxd4 Kd6
51. Ke4 Ke6

Offering a draw, which I accepted. A fair result, I think, from an ending in which we both missed wins.

1/2-1/2

I guess the lesson from this game is all about using your king in the ending, which we both failed to do at critical moments. It’s something that all beginners learn, but perhaps it’s easy to forget about this when you’re entranced by all the beautiful moves your knight could make.

Richard James

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Author: Richard James

Richard James is a professional chess teacher and writer living in Twickenham, and working mostly with younger children and beginners. He was the co-founder of Richmond Junior Chess Club in 1975 and its director until 2005. He is the webmaster of chessKIDS academy (www.chesskids.org.uk or www.chesskids.me.uk) and, most recently, the author of Chess for Kids and The Right Way to Teach Chess to Kids, both published by Right Way Books. Richard has been a member of Richmond & Twickenham Chess Club since 1966. Richard is a published author and his books can be found at Amazon. Richard is currently promoting minichess (games and puzzles using subsets of chess) for younger children through his website www.minichess.uk, and writing coaching materials for children (and adults) who want to start playing serious competitive chess, through www.chessheroes.uk. View all posts by Richard James