EHT n
a
it a r t s u l
Knights vs. Bishops
“Is Your Majesty all right?” she asked with concern. “I thought I heard a moan …”
The King shook his head, smiling. “No,” he said. “My brother and I were just having another one of our chess, er, discussions. He left rather hurriedly.” She raised her eyebrows.
“My brother protested that, as well,
wondering where I got such ideas.” Silence ruled the room for a few
“We were discussing,” he contin-
ued, “Which piece is stronger, the knight or the bishop.” The King smiled with a look of mischief. “Which would you choose?” “I find,” she said, trying to be polite
and choosing her words wisely, “that when I have a knight, I would much rather have a bishop, and when I have a bishop, my game seems far better suited for a knight.” This was met with a chuckle. “My
brother was convinced that the bishop is always the better piece. In contrast, I put forth the notion that it depends on how well the pieces co- ordinate with the foot soldiers—the pawns—as to which is the stronger. It could be the bishop. It could also be the knight.” She smiled. “That is quite an egal- itarian notion, Your Majesty.”
moments. The King then set up a position on the chessboard.
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
-+-vl-+-+ +-+l+k+- -zp-zp-+-+ zp-zpNzp-zp- P+P+P+P+ +P+N+PmK- -+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-
a b c d e f g h “We had come this far in our game,
when I pointed out that my brother’s two bishops were still no better than my two knights. To further my point, I played 1. Nxe5+ dxe5 and then 2. Nxb6 Bxb6 and then challenged him, with two extra bishops, to do any bet-
ter than draw against the ghosts of my knights.”
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
-+-+-+-+ +-+l+k+- -vl-+-+-+ zp-zp-zp-zp- P+P+P+P+ +P+-+PmK- -+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-
a b c d e f g h
“I suppose he could not,” she said. “Indeed, he could not,” he said with
finality.
(The position in this story is based on one reached in the game Augustin Neumann-Aron Nimzowitsch, Vienna, 1905 in which White had a bishop on c3 instead of a knight on d3, but still demonstrated the draw with 51. Bxe5 dxe5 52. Nxb6 Bxb6).
February 2013 Chess Life for Kids! 15
T
L
A r
H S a E
m P
aela K e y
G T S O
I b BY R ICK KENNE D Y
N ybsno
K F i
l I
A
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24