Rook vs Knight Part 1

Hi ChessKids!

Recently, I played a game against a grandmaster where I could've drawn. I should have simplified to a rook vs knight endgame (with no pawns). However, I didn't know that rook vs knight was a draw, and so I ended up losing.

Therefore, today we'll talk about the rook vs knight endgame. One of the main rules to remember is that the knight should always be kept close to the king. The two shouldn't be separated.

As shown in this position, even with the king and knight on the edge, it should still be a draw. The side with the knight just needs to keep the knight close to the king. If not, the knight may end up being trapped.

For example, in the game showed above, there could be a deviation on move 4. If White decided to play 4. Nd5, the knight would end up being trapped.

Next time, we'll look at rook vs knight, with the knight and king in the corner.

I hope this article will help you the next time you have to defend a rook vs knight endgame!

[Editor's note: SImply by chance, FunMasterMike just recorded a video on "Pawnless Endings" which will be released in the coming weeks. You'll learn about other endings like "knight vs. bishop" and "queen vs. rook"! For now, you can practice 2 rooks checkmate or king and queen checkmate in Chess Workouts!]

*Examples taken from "100 Endgames You Must Know by Jesus de la Villa"