Knight vs. Bishop

[garykevinware]

Previously, in reference to my feud with Jerry Hanken, over my article originally titled, The Only Good Indian, Is A Loyd Indian, http://main.uschess.org/content/view/9090/508, a solver told me that the book, Chessdon by Don Schultz, had some anecdotes about Hanken. I recently read the book, and one of the references was to an incident at a USCF Policy Board meeting, in which Hanken wound up having his pants pulled down! There was also some discussion of the late Eduard Gufeld, and his dedication to artistry in chess, as in his book, My Life in Chess: The Search for La Giaconda. The following position, in which Black ends up with four knights, was given as an example.



1 Nf6+ Kg7 2 Nh5+ Kg6 3 Bc2+ Kxh5 4 d8=Q Nf7+ 5 Ke6 Nxd8+ 6 Kf5 e2 7 Be4 e1=N 8 Bd5 c2 9 Bc4 c1=N 10 Bb5 Nc7 11 Ba4 and the mate threat of 12 Bd1+ Nf3 13 Bxf3 cannot be stopped.

The following problems and stories come from Chess Tales and Chess Miscellanies by Daniel Willard Fiske. The participants are debating the value of knights versus bishops, and there are a couple of preliminary endgame studies, which I will give next week.
William- But just examine the unhappy plight of your crafty priests in this problem which occurs to me at this moment!



#3

They are utterly powerless against my two brave Knights, and are compelled to yield themselves victim to an easy fate. The solution exhibits the contrast between courage and craft, when the latter is brought face to face with the former.
Mortimer- You certainly do not give us a very high idea of your own chivalric generosity when you place my Bishops in positions where they cannot defend themselves. They are beaten by the force of circumstances, not by your very gallant Knights. Give them a clear field and the result would be different.
William- Then take this example, where the White Knights display in an eminent degree their native prowess. Such was the glorious gallantry of the days of old when the Knights of medieval Europe achieved their deeds of high renown! I leave the solution to your own ingenuity.


#3

Uncle Gregory- Well, boys, like most disputants, you are both right and both wrong. Positions often occur where the bishop is of more utility than the Knight; as frequently do we see situations where the Knight is more effective than the Bishop. But, in the broadest view, both are essential to chess. Take either away and the whole character of our noble game would, of course, be destroyed. How common is a termination like the one I now show you, where both the pieces in question are necessary to effect the mate.



#5

11 points are possible by sending me complete variations to each problem, at garykevinware@yahoo.com , by next Wednesday. There are also bonus problems, under both Interference-Unpin and Withdrawal-Unpin, worth a possible 4 points, and so 15 points are possible this week.

[garykevinware]

Here are the answers to last week's problems:
Sam Loyd Chess Monthly 1860 #3-
1 Ne6 Bh~ 2 NxB Ba2 3 Nxc2#
Sam Loyd #3-
1 Nd4 Ra1 2 Ne2 fxe2 (2...dxe2 3 d3#) 3 f3#
1...dxe5 2 Nf5 ~ 3 Ng3#
1...fxe5 2 Nxb5 ~ 3 Nc3#
Sam Loyd Chess Monthly February 1860 #5-
1 Bd6 Kb1 2 Kb3 (1 Kb3 Kb1 2 Bd6) Ka1 3 Ba3 Kb1 4 Nc3 Ka1 5 Bb2#
Here are the preliminary endgame studies, and the accompanying dialogue:
Mortimer- Now look at this position, which occurred to me in play with a member of the Boston Club. See my shrewd Bishop! With what jesuitical acuteness he manages to draw an apparently hopeless game; while your poor Knight, with his limited powers, cannot, although supported by a far-advanced Pawn, manage to win the contest. Does it not incontestably demonstrate the superiority of the Bishop? In spite of his priestly cunning, too, he always stands by his colors, while your boasted representative of the chivalrous class is constantly leaping with a deplorable fickleness, from White to Black, and from Black to White.



White to play and draw

Fanny- I don't think, Mortimer, that your position would be difficult even to a tyro. Here you have the solution: 1 Bd7 h2 2 Bc6+ Kg1 3 Bh1 Kxh1 4 Kf2 and draws.
Mortimer- Right, for it is plain that the Knight cannot gain a move - a peculiarity it seems that Caissa bestowed upon him as a punishment for his habitual turncoat predilections. Now I will show you a situation where the Bishop acts in a very different manner from your treacherous and feeble Knight. He sees his true course at a glance and proceeds to lose a move, a simple action which gives him the just reward of victory.



Black to play and win

The solution is 1...Ba5 2 K moves Bc7 3 K moves Bb6 and wins, of course.

David Dana-Bashian suggested the following problem, which sort of fits this theme:



Johann Behting Rigasche Rundschau 1901 #11

11 points for sending me a complete variation, at garykevinware@yahoo.com , by next Wednesday. I will be posting the regular problem(s), later this evening.

[garykevinware]

Here is the answer to last week's bonus problem:
Behting #11-
1 Kd3 g3 (1...Kf1 2 Kd2+ Kg1 3 f4 g3 and transposes) 2 f4 Kf1 3 Kd2+ Kg1 4 Bd7 Kf1 5 Bh3 Rg1 6 Bg4 Rh1 7 Be2+ Kg1 8 Nc3 Kf2 9 Ne4+ Kg1 10 Ng5 Kf2 11 Nh3#