Return to my Chess pages
Go to
my home page
© Copyright 2003, Jim Loy
Here is an ending that you can win with one hand tied behind your
back. BCE (Basic Chess Endings by Reuben Fine) tells us that
White mates in nine moves. It is likely that you cannot do it in nine moves.
Most people can do it in about 13 to15 moves. That is good enough for this
ending, but if you try K+B+N vs. K or K+Q vs. K+R, such wastage will probably
make you exceed the 50 move rule. And so, it is a good idea to begin playing
these endings efficiently.
Here, the secret to such efficiency is to use the king aggressively. That is also the main secret to K+B+N vs. K and K+2B vs. K.
1 Kb2! (or 1 Qg6) 1...Kd5 2 Kc3 (most logical, but a few queen moves are also good) 2...Kc5 3 Qg6 (or 3 Qf1 or 3 Qb6) 3...Kf4 4 Kd4 Kf3 5 Qg5 (or some other queen moves) 5...Kf2 6 Qg4 (or 6 Ke4) 6...Ke8 7 Ke3 (or 7 Qg2) 7...Kf1 8 Qg8 (or something like that, but not 8...Qg3?? stalemate!) 8...Ke8 9 Qg1++.