Edge kings in danger

by Oliver Reeh
1/16/2026 – Black's checkmate threat in the diagram position is easily eliminated... or is it? Caution - not a one-mover!
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Oliver Reeh has been working for ChessBase for many years as a translator and presenter of the internet show TV ChessBase, and he also looks after the tactics column in ChessBase Magazine, for which he has also been responsible as editor-in-chief since 2019. The International Master has contributed to the CB "MasterClass" series and is the author of the DVDs "Strike like the World Champions" and "Master Class Tactics - Train your combination skills!" Volumes 1 & 2. Oliver Reeh lives in Hamburg.
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Video

60m English The Elephant Gambit

The Elephant Gambit (1.e4.e5 2.Nf3 d5!?) has never really been given the attention it deserves. It is a very useful surprise weapon. Let us list the advantages of playing this particular opening: 1) Shock value 2) It is very aggressive. Black can take over the initiative early. 3) Many tricky lines 4) Unorthodox. Black is basically taking the game to the opponent as early as move two. Not many openings do that! It's a perfect opening for young players and club players to adopt. Let Andrew Martin select a repertoire for you on this 60 mins, which, if used with discretion, will rack up the points. I am sure that you will enjoy this unusual tour of the Elephant Gambit.

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Frits Fritschy Frits Fritschy 16 minutes ago
Interesting endgame, I first looked at 56.Kg4 fxg3 57.Rh3, but both 57... Rc4+ as well as 57... Re1 draw.
'The shortest solution was 57.Rxf4!' - Yes, well, indeed. With a tablebase at hand the plan is not so difficult: rook to the e-file, knight to f4, king to g4 followed by Re6. But that requires good timing. In practice, the win is surprisingly hard, as was demonstrated. More so because black missed the draw.

White just played 82.Rd4-d7?. Now 82... g5! 83.h5 Ra2+ is a draw. Black will give checks on the a-file and when the king goes to far, black will play g4. The white rook can't interpose as black can win the pawn with either g3 or Kg5. If he seeks shelter at f7, the pawn keeps running; white has to stop it with the rook and the checks on the a-file can continue.
White erred again with 83.Kf1?, where after 83.K~3 g5 84.Ng4+ Kh5 85.Rh7+ the knight is defended. Black again had a draw with 84... g5. White should have answered 84... Ra2+ with 85.Kf3 instead of Kd3?.
Black missed his last chance with 88... Ra4?, where 88... g3! still would have saved the draw: 89.Ng4+ Kh7! 90.Rg5 Ra6 (or 90... Rf3) 91.Ne3 g2 92.Kb3 g1Q 93.Rxg1 Kh6 94.Rh1 Kg5! and 95... Rh6.
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