Knight Pair

[Kevin O'Rourke]

We’ve all heard and experienced the Bishop pair from hell but are there any good and reoccuring reasons to try and keep both knights and use them as a weapon till well into the game?

They say Knights are better in cramped positions but that’s not always the case if the board is too cramped.

Bring on the 2 bishops if you think you’re hard enough

[Roger de Coverly]

are there any good and reoccuring reasons to try and keep both knights and use them as a weapon till well into the game?

One quite famous historic example is a Kings Indian ending between Larsen and Fischer where Fischer's Knights jump all over the place, creating trouble.

[Event ""] [Site "Monaco"] [Date "1967.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Larsen Bent (DEN)"] [Black "Fischer Robert J (USA)"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E97"] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 O-O 6.Nf3 e5 7.O-O Nc6 8.Be3 Re8 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.Qxd8 Nxd8 11.Nb5 Ne6 12.Ng5 Re7 13.Rfd1 b6 14.c5 Nxc5 15.Rd8+ Bf8 16.Nxa7 Rxa7 17.Rxc8 Kg7 18.f3 Ne8 19.a3 Nd6 20.Rd8 h6 21.Nh3 Ne6 22.Rb8 Re8 23.Rxe8 Nxe8 24.Bb5 Nd6 25.Bf1 Nb7 26.Nf2 Bc5 27.Bxc5 Nbxc5 28.Rd1 h5 29.Rd5 Kf6 30.h4 Ke7 31.Bc4 c6 32.Rd2 Nd4 33.Kf1 f5 34.b4 b5 35.Bg8 fxe4 36.fxe4 Nd7 37.Rd3 Ra6 38.Rc3 c5 39.g4 c4 40.gxh5 gxh5 41.Bd5 Nf6 42.Rg3 Nxd5 43.exd5 Rf6 44.Kg2 Nf5 45.Rh3 Rg6+ 46.Kf3 Nd4+ 47.Ke3 Rg2 48.Rh1 Kd6 49.Ne4+ Kxd5 50.Nc3+ Ke6 51.Rc1 Rh2 52.a4 Rh3+ 53.Kf2 Nb3 54.Kg2 Nxc1 55.Kxh3 bxa4 56.Nxa4 Ne2 57.b5 c3 58.b6 c2 59.Nc5+ Kd5 60.Nb3 Kc6 61.Kg2 Kxb6 0-1

If there are just two minor pieces each on the board, there's a case for saying that the order of relative advantage runs two bishops > two knights > knight and bishop.

[Tim Spanton]

The Exchange Spanish is likely to provide examples of this phenomenon.
In the following game I had the knight-pair from move 16 until White managed to exchange bishop-for-knight at move 37, but it did not save him - he was obliged to resign nine moves later.

[Event "British Major"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Spanton"]
[Black "Baptie,J"]
[White "147"]
[Black "164"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d4 exd4 6. Qxd4 Qxd4 7. Nxd4 Nf6
8. f3 g6 9. c3 c5 10. Ne2 Bg7 11. Bf4 c6 12. Be3 c4 13. Nd2 b5 14. O-O-O Nd7
15. Bd4 Ne5 16. Bxe5 Bxe5 17. f4 Bc7 18. Nf3 Bb7 19. Rd2 Ke7 20. Rhd1 Rad8 21.
Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Rxd8 Bxd8 23. Kd2 h6 24. Ke3 Bc7 25. e5 Bc8 26. Nd2 Be6 27. g3 f6
28. exf6+ Kxf6 29. Ne4+ Ke7 30. Nd2 Bb6+ 31. Nd4 Bd5 32. Ne4 a5 33. a3 Be6 34.
Nf2 Bd5 35. g4 Bg2 36. h4 c5 37. Nf3 Bxf3 38. Kxf3 b4 39. Ke4 Bc7 40. a4 Ke6
41. h5 gxh5 42. gxh5 b3 43. Nd1 Bd8 44. Ne3 Bf6 45. Nxc4 Kf7 46. Kd5 1-0

[Michael Farthing]

[Event "British Major"] [Date "1990.??.??"] [Round "8"] [White "Spanton"] [Black "Baptie,J"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d4 exd4 6. Qxd4 Qxd4 7. Nxd4 Nf6 8. f3 g6 9. c3 c5 10. Ne2 Bg7 11. Bf4 c6 12. Be3 c4 13. Nd2 b5 14. O-O-O Nd7 15. Bd4 Ne5 16. Bxe5 Bxe5 17. f4 Bc7 18. Nf3 Bb7 19. Rd2 Ke7 20. Rhd1 Rad8 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Rxd8 Bxd8 23. Kd2 h6 24. Ke3 Bc7 25. e5 Bc8 26. Nd2 Be6 27. g3 f6 28. exf6+ Kxf6 29. Ne4+ Ke7 30. Nd2 Bb6+ 31. Nd4 Bd5 32. Ne4 a5 33. a3 Be6 34. Nf2 Bd5 35. g4 Bg2 36. h4 c5 37. Nf3 Bxf3 38. Kxf3 b4 39. Ke4 Bc7 40. a4 Ke6 41. h5 gxh5 42. gxh5 b3 43. Nd1 Bd8 44. Ne3 Bf6 45. Nxc4 Kf7 46. Kd5 1-0

[soheil_hooshdaran]

We’ve all heard and experienced the Bishop pair from hell but are there any good and reoccuring reasons to try and keep both knights and use them as a weapon till well into the game?

They say Knights are better in cramped positions but that’s not always the case if the board is too cramped.

Bring on the 2 bishops if you think you’re hard enough

To be effective, Bishops need open game AND pawn on both flanks. If pawn are on one flank or the game is closed, Knights are better.
Also, support points help knights, and knights on the 5th and the 6th ranks are real headaches for thhe opponent.

[IM Jack Rudd]

Also, support points help knights, and knights on the 5th and the 6th ranks are real headaches for thhe opponent.

If they're well placed, yes. If, on the other hand, they are misplaced...

[Event "Gibraltar International Chess Festival 2"] [Site "Caleta Hotel, Gibraltar"] [Date "2020.01.22"] [Round "2.86"] [White "Hapala, Elisabeth"] [Black "Mullick, Raahil"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A00"] [WhiteElo "2170"] [BlackElo "2382"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2020.01.21"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3 h5 9. Qd2 Nbd7 10. Nd5 Bxd5 11. exd5 g6 12. Be2 Bg7 13. O-O b6 14. Rac1 O-O 15. c4 Re8 16. h3 Nh7 17. Na1 f5 18. Nc2 Bf6 19. Nb4 Bg5 20. Nc6 Bxe3+ 21. Qxe3 Qf6 22. Kh2 h4 23. Bd3 g5 24. Bb1 Kh8 25. Qd3 Rf8 26. b4 Rf7 27. Kh1 Nhf8 28. Rfe1 Ng6 29. Qe3 Rg8 30. Rc3 Nf4 31. Rg1 Rfg7 32. Rcc1 g4 33. fxg4 fxg4 34. hxg4 Rxg4 35. Qe4 Qg7 36. Rc2 Nf6 37. Qf3 Rg3 38. Qf1 h3 39. Nxe5 dxe5 0-1

[soheil_hooshdaran]

Of course! Any piece is only well-placed if it has a function

[soheil_hooshdaran]

Of course! Any piece is only well-placed if it has a function

[Geoff Chandler]

Janos Flesch in his 1983 'Planning in Chess' makes a case for the knights in chapter one 'The Role of Knights and Bishops' adding:

"The Truth is that chess players of a previous age knew better how to use one and two knights.'

By coincidence tonight at the club I found this in an old N.I.C. from a readers letter (Composer unknown)

8/8/8/6N1/5K2/4N3/5n1n/6kr w - - 0 1

White to play and win.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Kf5! I presume.

No check for Black then, and any Knight move (all they have!) allows mate.

[Tim Spanton]

[Event "British Major"] [Date "1990.??.??"] [Round "8"] [White "Spanton"] [Black "Baptie,J"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d4 exd4 6. Qxd4 Qxd4 7. Nxd4 Nf6 8. f3 g6 9. c3 c5 10. Ne2 Bg7 11. Bf4 c6 12. Be3 c4 13. Nd2 b5 14. O-O-O Nd7 15. Bd4 Ne5 16. Bxe5 Bxe5 17. f4 Bc7 18. Nf3 Bb7 19. Rd2 Ke7 20. Rhd1 Rad8 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Rxd8 Bxd8 23. Kd2 h6 24. Ke3 Bc7 25. e5 Bc8 26. Nd2 Be6 27. g3 f6 28. exf6+ Kxf6 29. Ne4+ Ke7 30. Nd2 Bb6+ 31. Nd4 Bd5 32. Ne4 a5 33. a3 Be6 34. Nf2 Bd5 35. g4 Bg2 36. h4 c5 37. Nf3 Bxf3 38. Kxf3 b4 39. Ke4 Bc7 40. a4 Ke6 41. h5 gxh5 42. gxh5 b3 43. Nd1 Bd8 44. Ne3 Bf6 45. Nxc4 Kf7 46. Kd5 1-0

I have lightly annotated the game at https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2020/02/ ... ights.html

[Nick Grey]

Tim. I read your excellent Thematic Exchange Spanish a quarter century ago so thanks again.

Time for me to dig up my Knight Pairs.

[Joey Stewart]

I'd say the main reason the Knight pair tends to get less respect is simply because the odds of reaching a static closed endgame position are relatively lower then ones where a few pawns have been swapped off and the bishops are more influential. Oh, and the fact that they cannot force mate against a lone king (I'm sure most people have seen a game or two where a player sacrificed pieces to get the last pawns off and achieve a draw against the Knight pair).


Where I find the two Knights tend to excel themselves are in middlegame flank attacks - that's the stage of the game you are most likely to see them shine.

Oh and exchange chess, of course, two Knights In the hand can be worth an entire army of major pieces!!

[Roger de Coverly]

Some openings like the Exchange Spanish are more likely to give rise to a position with two Knights against two Bishops.

Another such opening is the Tchigorin Defence to the Queens Gambit where characteristic ideas are Bg4xf3 and Bb4xc3.

My game with Liam Varnam at the Isle of Man British was an example. White was the one pressing for a win though.

[SetUp "1"] [FEN "6k1/1p2np1p/5np1/Pp1p4/3PP3/5P1P/B2B2P1/6K1 w - - 0 39"]
[Event "BCF Championship"] [Site "Douglas (IOM)"] [Date "2005.08.04"] [Round "4"] [White "de Coverly,RD"] [Black "Varnam,L"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D07"] 1.Nf3 Nc6 2.d4 d5 3.c4 Bg4 4.e3 e6 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.h3 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 Bb4 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Bd3 O-O 10.O-O Ne7 11.a3 Bxc3 12.bxc3 c6 13.a4 Re8 14.a5 Nc8 15.c4 Nd6 16.cxd5 cxd5 17.Ba3 Nde4 18.Bb4 Rc8 19.Rfc1 Qd7 20.Qe2 a6 21.Qb2 Ng5 22.Rxc8 Rxc8 23.Rc1 Ne6 24.Rxc8+ Qxc8 25.Qc2 Qd7 26.f3 g6 27.Be1 Nd8 28.Kh2 Nc6 29.Qc5 Qe6 30.Bd2 Nd7 31.Qc3 Nf6 {(=)} 32.Kg1 Qd6 33.Bc2 Nd7 34.Bb3 Nf6 35.Ba2 Ne7 36.Qb3 Qd7 37.e4 Qb5 38.Qxb5 axb5 39.Bg5 Kg7 40.e5 Nfg8 41.Bd2 f6 42.f4 Kf7 43.Bb4 Ke6 44.Bc5 Nc6 45.Bb6 fxe5 46.dxe5 Nge7 47.Kf2 Nc8 48.g4 Nxb6 49.axb6 Na5 50.Ke3 Nc4+ 51.Kd4 Nxb6 52.Bb1 Nd7 53.f5+ Ke7 54.fxg6 hxg6 55.Bxg6 Nf8 56.Bf5 Ne6+ 57.Bxe6 Kxe6 58.h4 b4 59.h5 b3 60.Kc3 Kxe5 61.Kxb3 b5 62.h6 Kf6 63.g5+ Kg6 1/2-1/2

[Paul Cooksey]

That game is remarkable. It might be the most moves Liam has ever played without losing on time.