White to move. Is this a win or draw for White? How should White proceed?
3K3n/p7/7B/8/8/8/8/4N2k w – – 0 1
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Endgame improvement
About Author
White to move. Is this a win or draw for White? How should White proceed?
3K3n/p7/7B/8/8/8/8/4N2k w – – 0 1
1. Ke7 Ng6+ 2. Kf6 Nh4 3. Bg5 Ng2 4. Nf3
After the King catches the pawn Black will be in Zugzwang.
K + B + N vs. K is White’s only win, so White has to find a way to pick off the Black knight and pawn without exchanging anything. Good luck.
Aiming for the knight first:
1. Ke7 Ng6 (otherwise, 2. Kf6 and the knight is trapped with White’s bishop and knight taking care of the pawn.)
2. Kf6 Nh4 (the only safe square other than h8, but h8 traps the knight.)
3. Bg5 Kg2
4. Nf3
Now the king and knight are trapped, with the king stepping into the a-pawn’s square. 1-0
This one is really funny! After the obvious 1. Ke7 Ng6+ 2. Kf6 Nh4, White has 3. Bg5 Ng2 4. Nf3 after which Black’s king has no legal move, and if Black’s knight moves, it is lost, and all Black is left with is a-pawn moves. Since White’s king is “within the square”, the a-pawn cannot promote. After White’s king captures the a-pawn, then Black must lose the knight, and the resulting “elementary” King, Bishop, and Knight versus lone King ending is a win for White.
1.Ke7!
threatening 2.Kf6 when 3.Kg7 is winning
1…Ng6+ 2.Kf6 Nh4 3.Bg5!! Ng2 4.Nf3!!
Black King has no move while Black Knight can only be put en prise
4…a5 5.Ke5 a4 6.Kd4 a3 7.Kc3 a2 8.Kb2 a1/Q!? 9.Kxa1
and Black loses his knight
1.Ke7 Ng6+ 2.Kf6 Nh4 3.Bg5 Ng2 4.Nf3 h5 5.Ke5 h4 6.Kd4 etc.
white wins
Mainline 1.Ke7 Ng6 2.Kf6 Nh4 3.Kg5 Ng2 4.Nf3 After this knight hunt we find that blacks king cannot move and his knight cannot move. White will win the a-pawn with his bishop.
Clive
The solution is as follow:
The Black Knight can reach g2 so you have to set the trap there. You first chase Black Knight with your King and once Black Knight is on g2, the White Knight has to play Nf3 to block the Black King from escaping. Zugzwang. Black must give both a-pawn and Knight. After that, you have to work a Bishop+Knight versus King. Good Luck!