Game 6269784
In that game after my 35th move I have an extra pawn,a passed pawn and bishop versus knight with pawns on both sides.Yet I only managed to draw.Surely it should win?Can't figure how though.
Help!
PS: tired of the pgn thing.Then it works,then it doesn't.Gah!This thing doesn't even recognise the site's own pgn!
Originally posted by RomanticusOf course you are aware of the fact that any useful comment would be "outside help" which you declared not to use?
Game 6269784
In that game after my 35th move I have an extra pawn,a passed pawn and bishop versus knight with pawns on both sides.Yet I only managed to draw.Surely it should win?Can't figure how though.
Help!
PS: tired of the pgn thing.Then it works,then it doesn't.Gah!This thing doesn't even recognise the site's own pgn!
Originally posted by RomanticusI'm not sure, but maybe 36.Ke5 is the right idea? (Using the king to shepherd the e-pawn up the board.)
Game 6269784
In that game after my 35th move I have an extra pawn,a passed pawn and bishop versus knight with pawns on both sides.Yet I only managed to draw.Surely it should win?Can't figure how though.
Help!
PS: tired of the pgn thing.Then it works,then it doesn't.Gah!This thing doesn't even recognise the site's own pgn!
well I don't know much anything about endgames, but here are some quick thoughts.
I would've made a-pawn passed instead of b-pawn. much harder to stop with the knight, controlled queening square and farther away from your passed e-pawn, making it hell (or impossible) to stop both. add zugzwang for knight, and something should give in.
also the end, the gxh4 going into a situation where your h-pawn is blocked by the king (having zero chance of passing), and having ONLY one other pawn... without even looking at any moves, you know it has the appalling stench of a draw. the knight can just sac itself for the last mobile pawn, and the h-pawn can't progress (which is exactly what happened). -now, there might be a way or not, and the opponent might screw it up or not, but unless you see a concrete unstoppable winning line, you should NEVER go there.
Originally posted by Mad RookI think 36. Ke5 works. The Knight has to go back to e8, ...Nc4 loses. After pushing the Knight back, White can go after the Q-side pawns with the Bishop. Be6 intending Bc8 should win at least another pawn.
I'm not sure, but maybe 36.Ke5 is the right idea? (Using the king to shepherd the e-pawn up the board.)
you have a bishop against a knight. In the ending, you know that the bishop is worth more than the Knight, IF there are pawns on both sides of the board.
Which is the case here. So my suggestion would be: you should use this asmuchas you can.
There is at least one possibliity: instead of 48. Kf5, 48. Ke5 and then the knight cannot come back. and the e5 pawn is promoted.
Originally posted by Romanticus
Game 6269784
An ironic thing about having a really strong point in your position is that it can sometimes hide other factors. I get the feeling that your passed e-pawn dominated your thoughts too much. Of course, it is a big factor, but maybe you still need to leverage other factors too. It's a bit like a boxer with a big left hook; he still doesn't keep his right hand tied behind his back. Likewise in chess, whack them from as many different angles as possible, if your position allows it. And in this game, your position does allow it.
Black's queenside pawns are targets for your bishop. Alternatively, how does the Black knight attack your pawns - not very easily, especially if trying to keep an eye on the e-pawn too. So leverage this advantage too. Additionally your king has the opportunity to be more active than Black's king; so yet another advantage to consider cashing in on.
You may have heard of the "principle of two weaknesses" in chess. This is along the lines of what I say above. If your e-pawn is a strength, then from Black's point of view it is a weakness (e.g. Black has no pawns to oppose it, so is weak in this sense). But the e-pawn is only one weakness for Black, and the principle of two weaknesses suggests that we may need to exploit more than one weakness in order to overcome the defences.
36. e5
This is not losing but it doesn't immediately play in terms of going after a second weakness. As mentioned by others, playing Ke5 and then Be6, the weakness of the Black pawns is felt more, and you still have your "knock-out" e-pawn waiting patiently.
44. a4
Rather than exploiting Black's weaknesses, you're helping Black to get rid of them. With 44.Be6 you maintain your advantage on the queenside, in addition to your e-pawn - two weaknesses for Black rather than one!
47.Bxb5
47.e6 is better. At this stage, calculation of concrete variations starts to dominate over general strategic or positional considerations. You need to be able to calculate the lines accurately as they will often end with a "win, loss or draw" assessment. 47.e6 highlights that White can win Black's b-pawn without losing his own, whereas 47.Bxb5 doesn't.
Wormwood
Only way I see to create a passed a-pawn is 45.Bd3+,Kh6 46.a5,Nd5+ followed by Nxb4 and black has 2 passed pawns of his own.Didn't fancy that,too scary.It may be winning for white though,still working on it,difficult position.
Yeah,I knew gxh4 drew because I have the wrong bishop.I had already given up hope to win.51.g4 letting his h-pawn slip by is also drawn,I think,but better because it makes the draw harder to achieve thus more chances of making mistakes.
rook and kurth
yeah,36.Ke5 looks winning.Damn!
Macpo
LOL! yeah,I did try to use it as much as I could.
But you're right,48.Ke4 wins.I can give up my bishop(if he wants it) and he can't stop my pawns.Damn again!
Varenka
You're right.The e-pawn dominated my thoughts.Common problem for me,I see something and forget about all the rest.Am improving in that area though 🙂
Yes,I know of the principle of 21 weaknesses.Obviously I need to work on it's application.Good lesson this,thanks for pointing it out.
Pretty dissapointed I didn't see 47.e6 🙁
Thanks all.Hopefully your input made a better endgame player out of me 🙂