Secrets of Trapping Pieces: Knight Trapped by Bishop + Pawn

KevinSmithIdiot

Updated: Oct 15, 2024, 6:52 AM | 0

The purpose of this blog is to examine some endgame studies where the question is whether or not a grim Knight on the rim can be trapped long enough for White to achieve victory.

To start you off, a diagram showing some positions in which a Bishop dominates a Knight, leaving it with no flight squares. Not that if the Bishop moves one square in any direction the Knight can flee. Finally, the Knight is currently on a color opposite that of the Bishop, so the Bishop clearly cannot capture the Knight without assistance from some other piece.

White to move and win.

Black to move and draw in this slightly altered position.

Can Black still draw in this next position?

Can White win if the Black King is placed on g8 in the original position?

Here we examine the more interesting case where the Black King is on f7. He is both closer to the center and to the Queenside. Can White still win?

A dramatic ending! White is preparing to push the pawn to b4 and win, running away from the Black King? Can Black save the day? Or will he lose the knight?

So, what if we move the Knight in the original position from a5 to a6, and replace the White light-squared Bishop with a dark-squared Bishop? Can White still win the game by dominating the Knight?

The answer is not presented as a puzzle because there are far too many acceptable ways for both sides to play.

And the answer is, "No! White cannot win that position."

So, we ask ourselves, what if we moved the white King one square closer to the Queenside and left everything else the same? And is it easy or hard once we get just close enough--as is the case in our final puzzle.

We have our answer. White can win. But this particular puzzle is, imo, quite difficult. There are many only moves.

Secrets of Trapping Pieces: Knight Trapped by Bishop + Pawn

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