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The third book of the series “The Modern Endgame Manual” is about the fight between the bishop and the knight, and also covers purely knight endings, and is the 2nd book on ‘minor pieces endgames’: in the first one we focus only on bishop endgames.

The knight is a short range piece, but a strong one. It is the only piece that can “fork” several pieces at the same time, which can lead to a quick material win. On the other hand, it takes 3 full moves to get the knight from the square e4 to e5 — and a full 4 moves to get the knight from e4 to c6! Knight endgames can usually be evaluated in the same way as pawn endgames. The most difficult pawns to handle for the knight are clearly the a- and hpawns, because they limit the knight’s activity — it can’t step off the edge of the board!

However, when standing in the center of the board, a knight can be a very powerful piece indeed: able to play on both flanks at the same time. Unfortunately, in a battle of ‘stopping a running pawn’, for example, the knight is a very slow and cumbersome beast.

In the section of the book where we look at Bishop vs Knight we do not have so many theoretical positions to consider and so it comes down more to practical knowledge. But still, a few basic rules clearly apply: In open positions the bishop is a much stronger piece. For example, a bishop can stop the a-pawn and at same time support his h-pawn, whereas the knight can be useful only on one wing at a time. But in closed positions exactly the opposite occurs, and the domination by the knight is oft en clear to see.

In pure knight endings, passed pawns usually play the crucial role — especially the a- and h- pawns. A material advantage also usually gives the stronger side very good chances to bring home the full point. The material inside this book is very useful for players at every level, from the complete beginner up to GM standard! Aft er a deep study of this book you will be able to call yourself quite an expert, something you will hopefully prove in your future games!

Acrobat ReaderExcerpt

The Modern Endgame Manual: Mastering minor Piece Endgames Part 2


Auteur / Author: Balogh/Mikhalchishin
Pagina's / Pages: 208
Uitgever / Publisher: Chess Evolution
Jaar / Year: 2016
Type: Paperback