A good rule of thumb is to avoid sending off knights to excursions at the edge of the board, where their mobility can be limited. Exceptions exist, of course, in particular where a knight strikes from the extremities to land a decisive blow against the enemy king. A good example arose in a win by Michael Adams, Britain’s best performer in the recently concluded Gibraltar Tradewise Masters. The way in which Adams destroyed his opponent brought to mind some classic examples from the greats in similar vein.
Adams-Grandelius: Gibraltar Masters 2018
(see diagram 1)
Black has attempted to equalise the game by clearing the centre but has carried out this manoeuvre too early and exposed his king to an attack. Rather than recapturing on d5, Adams now played 17 Nh6+! Kh8 17 … gxh6 18 Qg4+ mates. 18 Qxd5 The f7-pawn falls and White will be two pawns ahead. 18 … Qe6 There is nothing better.
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