Monday 4 September 2017

Study 123

Árpád Rusz
Malyshko-105 MT
2017
2nd Prize

White wins

Thematic try: 1. Nb3? Ne6+! Black thematic try: 1... Nc6+? 2. Kxd5 Nb8 3. Nc5 Kc2 4. Na6! Nd7 5. Ke6 Nb6 6. Nc7 Kb3

7. Na8!! The white knight leaves the d5 square empty for the king. 7... Na4 8. Kd5! +- 2. Ke5! 2. Kxd5 Nf8 3. Nd4 Kd2 4. Ne6 Nd7 5. Kc6 Ne5+ 6. Kd5 Nd7 positional draw 2... Nf8 3. Nc5 d4 or 3... Kc2 4. Kf6 d4 4. Kf6 Kc2 5. Kf7 d3 6. Nxd3 Nd7 7. Ke8 Nf6+! 7... Nb6? 8. Nc5 Kc3 9. Na4+! = 8. Ke7 Nd5+ 9. Ke6 Nb6 10. Nb4+ Kb3


Position X'

11. Nd5 Unfortunately, the white knight blocks the d5 square. 11... Na4! 12. d7 12... Kd5 was not possible anymore. 12... Nc5+ =

Solution: 1. Nf3! Nc6+! The black knight tries to stay on the other flank compared to the white knight's position. 1... Ke2 2. Ne5 Ne6+ 3. Kxd5 Nf8 4. Ng6! +- 2. Kc5! 2. Kxd5? Nb8 3. Nd4 Kd2 4. Nc6 Nd7 5. Ke6 Nc5+ 6. Kd5 Nd7 positional draw 2... Nb8 3. Ne5 d4! 4. Kb6! There is no time to pick the pawn! 4... Ke2 5. Kb7! The black knight is caught but it will manage to escape. 5... d3 6. Nxd3 There was no time to pick the black knight. 6... Nd7 7. Kc8! This is the best square to avoid some nasty knight forks. 7. Kc6? Nf8! 8. Ne5 Kd2! (8... Ke3? 9. Kd5 = mutual zugzwang) 9. Ng6 Nxg6 10. d7 Ne5+ = 7... Nb6+! Before going to the longer flank, the black knight tries to chase the king to a less favourable square. 8. Kc7 Nd5+ 9. Kc6 Nf6 By pushing the white king to c6, black has managed to dismiss g4 as a square for a knight sacrifice. 10. Nf4+ Kf3


Position X

We have a situation similar to the initial position: the attacked knight has to decide again which way to go. 11. Nh5!! The white knight finds another square to sacrifice itself using the extra file. 11. Nd5? is bad because it blocks the d5 square: 11... Ng4! 12. d7 Ne5+ = 11... Ng4 12. Kd5! +- This move is the reason why the d5 square was left empty!

It is paradoxical that the knight is better placed on the edge of the board (h5) or even on a corner square (a8) than in the centre (d5)!

Watch this study on a dynamic board! Click here!

2 comments:

Branko said...

Great discovery! Very important study, bravo for author.

Árpád Rusz said...

Thank you! I would have preferred that in the initial position we don't have a knight under attack even if this way there is a kind of an echo for Position X.