Good Knight, Bad Bishop

Good Knight, Bad Bishop
by GM Karsten Müller
www.ChessCafe.com

After discussing bishop endings in the last two columns, I decided to highlight the duel of knight vs. bishop in order to show the differences and similarities between these types of endgames. The side with the knight always wants to have complete control, so that the slow-moving knight can maneuver at its leisure.

99.01 Short,N (2663) – Kasimdzhanov,R (2687)
Corus B Wijk aan Zee NED (7), 24.01.2009

Strong grandmaster and endgame expert Rustam Kasimdzhanov faces a choice between evils: to exchange the rooks or to allow a passed a-pawn. Both are bad for Black as rook and bishop usually cooperate better than rook and knight, and of course allowing a dangerous passed pawn is also usually to be avoided.

37…Re5?

As White has complete control, this exchange of a counterattacking unit is wrong from a practical point of view. Even former FIDE world champion Kasimdzhanov could not manage to save Black, if it is at all possible. I will not exclude this possibility, perhaps one of the readers will find a way. 37…axb4! is called for; e.g., 38.cxb4 c6 39.Kd3 (39.a5 Bd6 40.b5 bxa5 41.bxc6 Bb4 42.Rb5 Rc7 43.Rb6 Kg6 44.Ke3 (44.Kd3 f5 45.Nc3 Bxc3 46.Kxc3 fxg4 47.fxg4 Kg5=) 44…f5 45.gxf5+ Kxf5 46.Kd4 Rc8 47.c7 Be7 48.Rc6 h5 49.Kd5 Kf4=) 39…Ra7 40.a5 bxa5 41.Rxa5 Re7

White can still press of course, but Black’s practical drawing chances are higher than in the game.

38.Rxe5 Bxe5 39.bxa5 bxa5 40.Ke3 c6 41.f4 Bc7 42.Ng3 Kg6 43.Ke4 Bd6

43…f6!? with the idea 44.Nf5 h5 is very tenacious, but I think that I have found a win: 45.gxh5+ (After 45.Nh4+?, Black always seems to find counterplay: 45…Kh6 46.Kf5 hxg4 47.Kxg4 Kg7 48.Kf5 Kf7 49.Nf3 Ke7 50.Nd4 Kd6 51.Ne6

Here is the full article.