Chess lessons › Chess endgames
Knight against pawns
A knight stops a pawn by guarding the square in front of it, but in the corner it can be trapped.
The idea
A knight stops a pawn by guarding its path, but a corner can trap it.
- In the corner the knight has only two squares, f7 and g6.
- White’s king on f6 already guards both of them.
- Kg7 attacks the knight, and it is lost wherever it goes.
In a game: Before you put a knight in a corner, count its squares and see which ones the enemy king guards.
How the lesson begins
A knight can stop a pawn by guarding the square in front of it. Here White’s knight on f2 guards h1, so Black’s pawn cannot queen safely. The game is a draw.
Find the move
Black queens anyway, with check. Find White’s reply.
Show the answer
1. Nxh1
Nxh1. The knight was guarding h1 all along. It is the only move that saves the game: a king move lets the queen live, and then Black wins. Knight against king is a draw.
In numbers
Positions to practise
13 positions in the study, every result proved by the tablebase: 10 are wins and 3 draws for the side to move, with best play on both sides.