Secrets of Trapping Pieces: Knight Trapped by Pawns

KevinSmithIdiot

Updated: Oct 15, 2024, 7:03 AM | 0

The diagram below represents three possible Knight entrapments by the little guys, pawns. We will start with the simplest one in the upper right-hand corner.

Case A: The Knight on g8 is trapped because a White pawn would capture on any moves to e7, f6 or g6.

Cases B and C are more interesting. Such pawn constructs were very rare in the databases prior to 1990. Since then top rated players have gotten more aggressive with their pawns!

Case B: The Knight on h2 can freely shuttle between f1 and h2, so is not in imminent danger. In some instances it might even sacrifice itself on e3. One reason might be so that if the line Nf1xe3, fxe3 occurred then White could play f3-f4, potentially opening up the long diagonal if White had a Bishop on g2. KEY POINT: Often a Bishop will be found stuck in the corner with the Knight. Joint confinement offers few benefits even if compared to solitary confinement in chess corners. It might even be worse though it does, possibly, offer an extra defender if attacked. But if left on their own, those pieces can but twiddle their thumbs.

Case C: The Knight on a6 can shuttle between b8 and a6. Or consider sacrifices on c7, c5 or b4. Case C is actually a variant of Case A. The difference being the existence of pawn chains for both players. KEY POINT: The White b4 pawn in Case C could be replaced by a White piece that protects the c5 pawn. For instance a Rook on c1 or a Knight on d3, and so forth.

We are going to put our focus on creating those traps, but will also consider one or two examples of breaking loose.

Black just played 18...Nc8? What move leaves White clearly winning?

Black just played 16...f6?? How should White proceed?

We just looked at 18.f5! Now find another very strong move!

White just played 15.f3. Abandoning control of a key central square deep in your own territory is ambitious at best, possibly death-defying, and certainly demands steady nerves. That said, there are instances where it is absolutely the best move on the board.

So is White's push of Freddy, fearless f-pawn, good, bad or ugly in the here and now? How should Black proceed?

We continue our examination of the game from the prior puzzle. White just played 20.h4.

How should Black have proceeded? Calmly, actively or passively?

What can we take away from the two puzzles and accompanying notes above? Well, it seems clear that White got away with some inferior play (15.f3? is definitely a mistake) only because Black later became too optimistic about a much better position and played 20.Bxh4? as shown in the notes. Key lesson learned? Just because your strong play earned an edge doesn't mean you should get too excited and, as a result, make a sacrifice of material that cannot be justified by the conditions on the board. Particularly when calm play would have allowed the position to be slowly improved.

Black just played 27...f6. How should White respond?

Black just played 16...b5. How should White respond?

Black just played 16...f6. Clearly Black wanted to close lines on the Kingside. But this is akin to self-administered asphyxiation.
White to play and take advantage of Black's miscue.

Find a way to extract the Knight, and punish White if they respond incorrectly.

There are several key lessons here!!

1. Trapped pieces need to look for tactical opportunities. That can include setting a trap yourself, or sacrificing a piece.

2. When your opponent offers a free bite of a delicious looking apple, you should look for the worm. Or simply suspect the bait is poisoned, like many a pawn.

Black just played 17...f4 seeking to trap White's Knight and Bishop seeking to trap White's Bishop and Knight The obvious response is good. See if you can find an even better move.

What did we learn from the above puzzle?

1. When your opponent is marching pawns on one wing, sometimes you have to respond very directly on the same wing. Otherwise you risk having one or more pieces paralyzed on little micro-circuits within your own territory. Knights, Bishops, and the occasional Rook are not fans of limited operating space.

2. That a well-posted White Bishop on d6 is considered by both strong players and the computers to be worth as much or more than a mere Rook, the one on f8, with limited scope.

Is ...Be3 a good move, threatening to place the Bishop on c1 and then promote a une nouvelle Reine? New Majesty anyone? Anyone?.

Are there any easy lessons to take away from the above?
1. Pawns that are nearing promotion are valuable, but all other variables on the board also need to be considered. If Black focuses solely on the passed pawn on b2 and ways to push it forward, that leads to cascading pawns rolling over Black like a tsunami on the Kingside.

Well, this is a dismal moment for the minor nobility.

Secrets of Trapping Pieces: Knight Trapped by Pawns

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