It might help to look at multiple lines. My engine likes Ke1 and Be1, as well as f3 (which is what I assume you mean.)
You have enough advantages that you can afford to trade your rook for his knight and still have an absolutely winning position. Should you? That's another question entirely. If you don't understand the line the engine suggests, look at the next one. Look at all the lines it suggests after thinking for a while that are within 0.5 points of each other. See which one logically makes the most sense to you have play a few moves.
Help me understand this "best" line?!
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Mar 5, 2021
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#3
WBillH wrote:
It might help to look at multiple lines. My engine likes Ke1 and Be1, as well as f3 (which is what I assume you mean.)
You have enough advantages that you can afford to trade your rook for his knight and still have an absolutely winning position. Should you? That's another question entirely. If you don't understand the line the engine suggests, look at the next one. Look at all the lines it suggests after thinking for a while that are within 0.5 points of each other. See which one logically makes the most sense to you have play a few moves.
Interesting, thanks. (And yes, I did mean f3, corrected above).
This is from a game between me and a friend of mine which ended today with his resignation.
My query starts with his move 13. ... Ne4. (although I have renumbered subsequent moves from 1 below, because I thought I was linking that position to start with).
I anticipated that he would go for a fork with 1. ... Nf2 so played 1. Ke1. The engine however rates this merely "good" and gives 1. f3 as the best move, which does nothing to protect against the fork. In the supposedly best line, he doesn't play the fork, but rather trades pieces with 2. ... Nxd2 3. Kxd2 before 3. ... Ke7 to threaten my bishop.
We are then supposed to play 4. Ng6+ Kxe6 5. Nxh8. This line would leave me two points up from parity at this point but 5. ... Kf6 would leave my knight completely boxed in with no way of escaping or of clearing the king away before he plays 6. ... Nd7 7. ... Rxh8 (7. Nf7 or Ng6 would both lead to capture by the king.). This would leave him with a points advantage, and a piece up (though I retain one additional pawn). On a board still crowded with pawns, and my only remaining pieces being rooks, this would seem to lead to an easy win for him.
Instead, though, the engine recommends he play 5. ... Nd7 immediately, allowing my knight to escape the corner with 6. Ng6, and instead winning a pawn with 6. ... Nxc5.
What actually happened is that following 1. Ke1 we both played inaccurately for two moves, so I can't say that what we did was any better. But I am not particularly satisfied with the recommended "best" lines for either player. Can someone explain this to me or can someone explain it to me?