In our second installment of looking at knight moves in practical play, it’s important for you in this position to see several good ways to use the knights. Pick the two best methods to use the knights here.

Solution:

There are two good ways to utilize the knights here, all based on the same idea. The key is to see the possibility of Nd7+, forking the king and queen, thus gaining a winning advantage. Since the bishop is guarding that square, you should immediately ask yourself how you can deflect the bishop from guarding that square. Since it’s also guarding d5, and being what we call overloaded, then you should immediately consider 1.Nxd5 Bxd5 [1...Qd8 2.Qh8#] 2.Nd7+ and wins. The other possibility is based on the idea of the back rank mate. You can play 1.Nd7+ Bxd7 [1...Ke7 2.Nxf6] 2.Nxd5 (thus covering the escape square at e7 and threatening Qh8 mate) 2…g6 (to stop the mate) 3.Nxf6 and the queen goes. If you saw both, good for you! Noticing different sequences leading to different ways of winning helps you develop as a player. This position also helps you appreciate the different ways a knight can be used.

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