Chess Endgames - Knight Endings

Knight Endings
Outposts and King Activity

Knight Endings

The knight has a short range and changes square color with every move, so it needs time to reach the other wing. These three topics show how to use it: put it on active squares, treat the ending like a king and pawn ending, and compare it with the bishop.

Knight Activity and Outposts

Verdict White wins a pawn.

Goal

Put the knight on strong central squares and outposts, where it attacks pawns and cannot be driven away by enemy pawns.

Idea

The black king stands on e6 and the pawn on b7 is loose. The knight jumps to c5 with check and attacks the pawn at the same time, so ♘xb7 wins it. A knight is strongest when it attacks two targets at once, and a check is the best way to do it.

Technique

  1. Look for squares the enemy pawns cannot attack. Such a square is an outpost, and it is strongest when your own pawn protects it.
  2. Centralize the knight: on the edge it attacks half as many squares.
  3. Use the knight's checks to fork the king and a pawn: ♘c5+.
  4. The knight is slow, so every jump should attack something.

1. ♘c5+ ♚d5 2. ♘xb7 ♞b6 3. ♔d2 ♞c4+ 4. ♔e2 f6

Typical mistake

Playing a quiet king move. After 1. ♔d2 the position is only equal, and the chance to win the pawn is gone.

Exercise

White to move. Find the knight move that wins a pawn.

Solution

White wins a pawn with ♘c5+.

1. ♘c5+ ♚d5 2. ♘xb7 ♚c4 3. ♔d2 ♞g6 4. ♘d8 f6

The check ♘c5+ attacks the king and the pawn on b7 at once. Quiet moves like 1. ♘c3 let Black equalize.

Practice

Copy the position into any board or engine to practice it:


2n5/1pp2pp1/4k3/8/8/1N6/P1P3PP/2K5 w - - 0 1

Knight and Pawn Endings

Verdict White wins. Without the outside passed pawn, the same position is a draw.

Goal

Treat the ending like a king and pawn ending: passed pawns decide, and the knight is slow.

Idea

White's pawn on a4 is an outside passed pawn, far from the kingside pawns. The black king and knight have to watch it, while White's king and knight attack the pawns on the kingside. Without the a-pawn, the same position is a draw.

Technique

  1. Count the passed pawns, as in a king and pawn ending, and look for an outside passed pawn.
  2. Keep the king active: it supports both the pawns and the knight.
  3. Remember that the knight is slow: it needs several moves to cross the board, so a distant pawn is hard to stop.
  4. Attack the pawns on the far wing while the enemy king is tied to the passed pawn: ♘e4, ♘g5+.

1. ♔d3 ♞b3 2. ♘e4 ♞a5 3. g3 ♞c6 4. ♔c4 ♚e6 5. ♘g5+ ♚f5 6. ♘xh7

Typical mistake

Expecting to win without a passed pawn. With the same pieces and no outside pawn, neither side can make progress, as the exercise shows.

Exercise

White to move. Win or draw? (The a-pawn is gone.)

Solution

Draw. There is no outside passed pawn, so neither side can make progress.

1. ♔f4 ♞c2 2. g3 ♚e6 3. ♘e4 h6 4. ♘c5+ ♚f6 5. g4 ♞e1 6. g5+ hxg5+ 7. ♔g4 ♞c2

The knights and kings keep guarding the kingside pawns, and no plan creates a passed pawn.

Practice

Copy the position into any board or engine to practice it:


8/3k2pp/8/8/P7/2N1K3/6PP/n7 w - - 0 1

Bishop vs Knight

Verdict White wins. With the pawns on one wing, the knight holds the draw.

Goal

Decide which minor piece is better. The bishop is strong when there are pawns on both wings, and the knight does well when all the pawns are on one side.

Idea

With pawns on both wings, the bishop attacks the pawns from a distance: ♗xb7 wins a pawn on the far wing, and the knight cannot defend both sides. After the trade ♗xf5 the pawn ending is won.

Technique

  1. Count where the pawns are. With pawns on both wings, the bishop is stronger, because it attacks both sides from a distance.
  2. With pawns on one wing only, the knight can defend them, and a draw is likely.
  3. Attack the pawns the knight cannot reach quickly: ♗xb7.
  4. Trade into a won pawn ending when your king is more active: ♗xf5.

1. ♗xb7 ♚e5 2. ♗e4 ♞f5+ 3. ♗xf5 ♚xf5 4. ♔d4 ♚e6 5. b4 ♚d6 6. g4 g5

Typical mistake

Expecting the bishop to win when all the pawns stand on one wing. The knight defends them, and the position is a draw.

Exercise

White to move. Win or draw? (All the pawns are on the kingside.)

Solution

Draw. With all the pawns on one wing, the knight defends and the bishop has no target.

1. ♗d3+ ♚f6 2. g3 ♞f5+ 3. ♔e4 e6 4. e3 ♞h6 5. h3 ♞f5 6. ♗e2 h6

The bishop has no far-away pawn to attack, so the knight holds everything on the kingside.

Practice

Copy the position into any board or engine to practice it:


8/pp4pp/B7/5k2/7n/4K3/PP4PP/8 w - - 0 1

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