A Knight that's Trapped and Attacked but Never Taken

The recent RHP game Game 14895633 between jankrb (2030) and Erika Nu (2420) reached the following position after 31...R(e8)e7:


The game continued

32. Bg5 Nxf3 33. Qxe7


Black has two pieces hanging. If 33...Qxe7, the continuation might be as shown in the following chess movie (which begins with 32. Bg5).

Therefore, Black played

33...Qc8!


If now 34. gxf3, then 34...Qxh3+ 35. Kg1 Qg3+ with at least a perpetual, for if 36. Kf1, then 36...Qxf3+ 37. Ke1 Qh1+ 38. Bf1 Bxc3+! (Exploiting the pin along the b-file.) and an upcoming ...Qxd5 would give Black four pawns for the piece.

34. Be3

Being that the bishop is no longer attacked, White threatens 35. Qxd6.

34...Be5

Black defends the d-pawn and threatens 35...Rb7, which exploits Black's awkward-looking knight's control of h4 and g5.


35. Bc6

Preventing 35...Rb7.

35...Qa6

Presumably this would have been the reply also to 35. Bd7. Black intends 36. gxf3 Qe2, threatening 37...Qh2 mate or 37...Qxe3. The attempt to parry both threats by 37. Bg1 would permit 37...Qxf3 mate.

After 35...Qa6, 36. Be8 might have brought about the continuation in the following chess movie.


36. Bb5


Here 36...Rxb5 would fail owing to 37. Qe8+! (controlling the b5-square a second time) and 38. axb5.

36...Qc8 37. Bc6 Qa6 1/2-1/2

Returning to the position after 33...Qc8,


we've seen that the obstruction of the e-file resulting from 34. Be3 Be5 prevented White's queen from returning home to help stem an invasion by Black's queen. To defang the threat of ...Be5 and ...Rb7, White might have instead tried to maneuver the light-square bishop to c6 with tempo.

This suggests starting with 34. Bd7.


Now, 34...Qa6 would permit 35. gxf3 (Intending 35...Qd3 36. Qe4.), being that 35...Be5 36. Bb5 Rxb5 would be met by 37. Qe8+ (as in the earlier line) and 38. axb5.

Better would be 34...Qb7 (Intending 35. gxf3 Bf8, forcing White's queen to abandon the d7-bishop.), but 35. Bc6 Qc8


36. Be3 (Intending 36...Be5 37. Rf1, when Black must finally lose material; 36...Qa6 37. Bb5 Qc8 38. Qxd6.) 36...Bf8 37. Qe4 (Finally the knight must leave f3.) Ne5 38. Bb5


would give Black a difficult position: White would remain with the two bishops and could play b4... to create a passed pawn.

(A list of the threads I've initiated at this forum is available at http://www.davidlevinchess.com/chess/RHP_my_threads.htm .)

@fmdavidhlevin said
The recent RHP game Game 14895633 between jankrb (2030) and Erika Nu (2420) reached the following position after 31...R(e8)e7:

[fen] 1r4k1/2q1rpb1/3p2p1/pBpPn2p/P4B2/2P1QR1P/1P4P1/1R5K w - - - - [/fen]
The game continued

32. Bg5 Nxf3 33. Qxe7

[fen] 1r4k1/2q1Qpb1/3p2p1/pBpP2Bp/P7/2P2n1P/1P4P1/1R5K b - - - - [/fen]
Black has two pieces hanging. If ...[text shortened]... initiated at this forum is available at http://www.davidlevinchess.com/chess/RHP_my_threads.htm .)

These are pretty interesting, thank you. Good instruction here. 🙂