Get Your Knight to e5 and Win

Lapoc Chess Board, Issue #052 -- GOTM #21

"The great master places a Knight at e5; mate follows by itself." - Savielly Tartakower. The e5 square is the White King's Knight favorite square. If you can make an outpost and get your horse there and Black's d and f-pawns are not around to kick him out, you can really step on his throat.

In this game, the great Alexander Alekhine is playing a game in a hospital in Tarnapol, Poland. It is during World War I and Alekhine has been injured in the course of his duty as a Red Cross vehicle driver. His power over the board is undiluted however and he gives a masterclass on exploiting Black's exuberance in the opening. Black plays ...f5 and White immediately maneuvers his Knight round to e5 which has now become an outpost. So he has a great position but he still has to convert it into a victory. He centralizes his pieces and gets ready to break down Black's defenses with a couple of jaw dropping sacrifices. The game is impressively wrapped up with a quick checkmate.

Get Your Knight to e5 and Win

Alekhine, A - Von Feldt, M [C11]

GotM #21 - Tarnapol, 1916
[Connaughton, Ken]

Chessgames.com: Played in the hospital of Tarnopol (Poland). Alekhine was a driver of Red Cross vehicles and was wounded during a rescue operation.

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.exd5 Nxd5?!

(4...exd5=)

5.Ne4 f5?!

A risky move. Black wants to fight!

6.Ng5 Be7 7.N5f3

(7.Qh5+?! g6 8.Qh6 Nb4-/+)

7...c6 8.Ne5

Game position after 8.Ne5

First White blockades Black's backward pawn. The Knight will enjoy this nice outpost as his comrades move into position to support action on the e-file.

8...0-0 9.Ngf3 b6 10.Bd3 Bb7 11.0-0 Re8 12.c4 Nf6 13.Bf4 Nbd7 14.Qe2

Game position after 14.Qe2

Everything is set for a violent attack that will begin with a daring clearance sacrifice.

14...c5

Black wants to undermine the e5 outpost but he has missed the boat.

15.Nf7!!

Game position after 15.Nf7!!

Suddenly Black realizes he's in deep trouble. He can't take the Knight and yet he must.

15...Kxf7

(The other alternative, 15...Bxf3 is met by 16.Qxe6+-)

16.Qxe6+!

Game position after

16.Qxe6+!

A second gift! Black knows however that his King musn't take another step toward the center. Such a thing would be fatal.

16...Kg6

(16...Kxe6?? as mentioned would end in tears: 17.Ng5#)

17.g4!

And with that Black is busted. He tries one more futile parry.

17...Be4 18.Nh4#

Game position after 18.Nh4#

1-0

Alekhine - Von Feldt (Tarnopol, 1916)

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See you next month.

Ken

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