Strong Knights and Knightmares Purchases from our

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Part One
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The knight seems to have two faces in the endgame. He can be strong and
versatile or slow and clumsy depending on circumstances. I begin with
nightmares:

A) The knight's worst enemy

A rook's pawn can be very difficult to deal with, as the knight is restricted
near the edge of the board:
Endgame
136.01 Blübaum, M (2407) – Tabatt, H (2296)
Corner German Championship Osterburg GER (1), 02.03.2012

Chess Informant 114

Karsten Müller by Branko Tadic (ed)

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[FEN "3K4/8/7n/3Pk1pP/4B3/8/8/8 w - - 0 65"]

65.Ke7!! Brooklyn Daily Eagle

by Hermann Helms
This breaks Black's blockade for good.

65.Ke8 wins as well: 65...Kd6 (65...Kxe4 66.d6 Ng4 67.h6 Nf6+ 68.Ke7 Nd5
+ 69.Kf7+–

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[FEN "8/5K2/3P3P/3n2p1/4k3/8/8/8 b - - 0 69"]

Domination!; 65...g4 66.Bg2+–) 66.Kf8 g4 67.Kg7 Ke5 68.Bh1 (68.Kxh6?

Kxe4=) 68...Nf5+ 69.Kf7 g3 70.Bg2 Nh4 71.h6 Nxg2 72.h7 Nf4 73.h8Q+
Kxd5 74.Qh7 g2 75.Qf5++–

65...Kxe4 66.d6 Nf5+

 [FEN "8/4K3/3P4/5npP/4k3/8/8/8 w - - 0 67"]

67.Kf6!

The only safe square.

67.Kf8? Nxd6 68.h6 g4 69.h7 g3 70.h8Q g2 71.Qh2 Kf3 is only drawn.

67...Nxd6

67...g4 does not help; e.g., 68.d7 g3 69.d8Q Ne3 (69...g2 70.Qa8++–) 70.h6
g2 71.Qg8 Kf3 72.h7 Ng4+ 73.Qxg4+ Kxg4 74.h8Q g1Q 75.Qg7++–.

68.h6

[FEN "8/8/3n1K1P/6p1/4k3/8/8/8 b - - 0 68"]

Black cannot stop the coronation of White's last pawn.

68...g4

After 68...Ne8+, White can even play 69.Kxg5 Nd6 70.Kg6+–

[FEN "8/8/3n2KP/8/4k3/8/8/8 b - - 0 70"]

Domination!

69.h7 Kf3

69...Ne8+ 70.Kg6+–
 [FEN "4n3/7P/6K1/8/4k1p1/8/8/8 b - - 0 70"]

Domination!

70.h8Q

[FEN "7Q/8/3n1K2/8/6p1/5k2/8/8 b - - 0 70"]

The queen will win sooner or later.

70...Ne4+

70...g3 71.Qh5+ Kf2 72.Qc5+ Kf1 73.Qxd6 g2 74.Qf4+

[FEN "8/8/5K2/8/5Q2/8/6p1/5k2 b - - 0 74"]

The queen always wins against a knight's pawn no matter how far away the
attacking king is: 74...Ke2 75.Qg3 Kf1 76.Qf3+ Kg1 77.Kg5 Kh2 78.Kh4
g1Q 79.Qh3#.

71.Ke5 Nf2

71...g3 72.Qf8+ Ke2 73.Kxe4 g2 74.Qg7+–.

72.Qa8+ 1–0

Black resigned because of 72...Kg3 73.Kf5 Kh2 74.Kf4 g3 75.Kf3 g2 76.Qb8

+ Kh1 77.Qh8+ Kg1 78.Qd4 Kh1 79.Qh4+ Kg1 80.Qxf2+ Kh1 81.Qxg2#

B) The untouchable knight

Stalemate is a paradoxical resource in many reduced endgames, but White can

catch the steed in the end:

136.02 Pruijssers, Roeland (2475) – Kolbus, Dietmar (2325)

German Bundesliga 2011/12 (12.8), 17.03.2012

[FEN "8/1kn5/8/1PB5/P1K5/8/8/8 b - - 0 65"]

65...Na6!?

65...Ne6!? also sets a trap:

A) However, 66.a5?? runs into 66...Nc7 67.b6 Kc6!!

[FEN "8/2n5/1Pk5/P1B5/2K5/8/8/8 w - - 0 68"]

Black's blockade cannot be broken: 68.Bf2 (68.bxc7 Kxc7 69.a6 Kb8=) 68...
Na6 69.Bg3 Nc5 70.Bh2 Na6 71.Bd6 Kxd6 72.Kb5 Nc7+!=.

B) 66.Bd6 Kb6 67.Kb4 Kb7 68.a5 Nd4 69.a6+ Kc8 70.Kc5 Ne6+ 71.Kd5
Nd8 72.b6+–.

66.Bd6

Corralling the knight.

66.bxa6+?? blows it because of 66...Ka8= as the bishop does not control the
queening square of the a-pawn.

66...Kb6 67.Kd5 Kb7 68.a5 Ka8 69.Kc6 Ka7

[FEN "8/k7/n1KB4/PP6/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 70"]

70.Ba3

Pruijssers wants to invade with his king first.

Besides the direct 70.b6+ Ka8 71.b7+ wins as well: 71...Ka7 72.Bf8 Nb8+ 73.
Kc7 Na6+ 74.Kc8 Nb8 75.Bc5+ Ka6 76.Kxb8+–

70...Nb8+

70...Ka8 71.Kb6 Nb8 72.Kc7 Na6+ 73.Kc8 Nc5 74.b6 Nb7 75.a6 Nd6+ 76.
Kd7 Nb7 77.Kc7 Nd6 78.b7++–.

71.Kc7 Na6+ 72.Kc8

72.bxa6?? Ka8=.

72...Ka8 73.b6 Nc5

[FEN "k1K5/8/1P6/P1n5/8/B7/8/8 w - - 0 74"]

74.a6

However, not 74.Bxc5?? stalemate.

74...Nxa6 75.b7+ Ka7 76.Bc5+!

White avoids the last trick: 76.Bd6? Kb6=.

76...Nxc5 77.b8Q+ Ka6 78.Qb4 1–0

C) The long march

The activity of the king is a crucial factor in many endgames:

136.03 Krylov, M (2503) – Aldokhin, I (2375)

Moscow Championship Final RUS (6), 15.03.2012

[FEN "8/3b1pkp/6p1/3P4/pp1N4/
5P2/P4KPP/8 b - - 0 33"]

White's knight is no match for Black's bishop.

33...Kf6! 34.Ke3
This loses the d-pawn. However, the alternatives do no help either:

34.f4 Ke7 35.Ke2 (35.Ke3 Kd6 36.Ke4 can even be met by the beautiful
breakthrough 36...a3 37.Nb3 Bf5+ 38.Kd4 Bb1 39.Nc1

[FEN "8/5p1p/3k2p1/3P4/1p1K1P2/p7/
P5PP/1bN5 b - - 0 39"]

39...Bxa2 40.Nxa2 b3–+) 35...Kd6 36.Nc2 Kc5 37.d6 b3 38.axb3 axb3 39.
Ne1 Kxd6–+; 34.Ke2 Ke5 35.Nc2 b3 36.axb3 axb3 37.Ne3 Kd4 38.Nd1
Kxd5–+.

34...Ke5

The king just marches on.

35.Nc6+

This loses directly, but good advice is hard to give as 35.Nc2 runs into 35...b3
36.axb3 axb3 37.Na3 Kxd5 38.Kd3 Be6 39.Nc4 Kc5 40.Nb2 Kb4 41.Kd4
Bd7 42.Kd3 Ka3 43.Kc3 g5–+.

35...Bxc6!

Not the greedy 35...Kxd5? 36.Nxb4+ Kc4 37.a3 Kb3 38.Kd2 Kxa3 39.Kc3

[FEN "8/3b1p1p/6p1/8/pN6/k1K2P2/
6PP/8 b - - 0 39"]

When Black should probably win in the long run, but convincing proof will
not be easy to give.

36.dxc6 Kd6 37.Kd3 Kxc6 38.Kc4 b3 39.axb3 a3!

This distant passed pawn will decide the day.

The recapture 39...axb3? runs into the wall 40.Kxb3 Kd5 41.Kc3=.

40.Kc3
 [FEN "8/5p1p/2k3p1/8/8/pPK2P2/
6PP/8 b - - 0 40"]

40...Kb5! 41.h4 f5 42.f4

42.b4 a2 43.Kb2 Kxb4 44.Kxa2 Kc3–+.

42...h5 43.g3 Ka5! 0–1

[FEN "8/8/6p1/k4p1p/5P1P/pPK3P1/
8/8 w - - 0 44"]

Black's point, which puts White in fatal zugzwang. Black's king really has
walked a long way from g7!

43...Ka5

A) 44.Kc2 Kb4 45.Kb1 Kxb3 46.Ka1

[FEN "8/8/6p1/5p1p/5P1P/pk4P1/
8/K7 b - - 0 46"]

46...a2 The typical "imprisoning technique." (Besides, the normal 46...Kc3

wins as well of course.) 47.g4 hxg4 48.h5 g3 49.hxg6 g2 50.g7 g1Q#.

B) 44.b4+ Ka4 45.b5 Kxb5 46.Kb3 Kc5 47.Kxa3 Kd4–+.

D) The Blockade

Knights are very concrete and tactical pieces and it is very easy to overlook a
fork:

136.04 Müller, Oli (2327) – Schulz, Kar (2289)

German Championship Osterburg GER (4), 05.03.2012

[FEN "8/8/2n5/1p1NP3/k7/p1K5/8/8 w - - 0 60"]

60.e6?

This advance runs into a tactical refutation.

60.Nb6+ Ka5 61.Nd5 draws:

[FEN "8/8/2n5/kp1NP3/8/p1K5/8/8 b - - 0 61"]

White's blockade cannot be broken:

A) 61...Nxe5 62.Kb3 Nc4 63.Nc3 Kb6 (63...b4 64.Kxc4 bxc3 65.Kxc3 Ka4
66.Kc2 Kb4 67.Kb1=) 64.Kb4 (64.Nb1? runs into the typical 64...b4 65.Kxc4
a2–+) 64...Kc6 65.Nxb5 a2 66.Nd4+ Kd5 67.Nc2 Ne3 68.Kb3 Nxc2 69.
Kxa2=.

B) 61...b4+ 62.Nxb4 Nxb4 63.Kb3 a2 64.Kb2

[FEN "8/8/8/k3P3/1n6/8/pK6/8 b - - 0 64"]

Black can win the e-pawn, but not the game; e.g., 64...Kb5 65.Ka1 Kc5 66.
Kb2 Kd5 67.Ka1 Kxe5 68.Kb2 Kd4 69.Ka1 Kc3 stalemate.

60...b4+
 [FEN "8/8/2n1P3/3N4/kp6/p1K5/8/8 w - - 0 61"]

61.Nxb4

Desperation, but the alternatives do not help either: 61.Kc4 a2 62.e7 Nxe7 63.
Nxe7 a1Q–+; 61.Kc2 Nd4+–+ (61...b3+? is met by 62.Kb1= and Black
surprisingly cannot win.)

61...Nxb4 62.Kd2

[FEN "8/8/4P3/8/kn6/p7/3K4/8 b - - 0 62"]

One last joke. The king tries to dominate the knight, but Black just wins by
stopping the e-pawn.

The direct 62.e7 runs into 62...Nd5+–+.

62...Nd5

Of course, Black does not fall for 62...a2?? 63.e7 a1Q 64.e8Q+=.

63.Kc2 Kb4 64.Kb1 Kb3 0–1

White resigned as the knight has the last word after 65.Ka1 a2 66.e7 Nb4 67.
e8Q Nc2#.

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