"The Fortress" - knight vs. rook and pawn

by ChessBase
7/13/2026 – In the series ‘The Fortress’, Dorian Rogozenco presents a classic fortress motif in every issue of ChessBase Magazine. Anyone not yet familiar with the subject will be amazed at the escape routes that can open up in the endgame, even when facing a serious material disadvantage! In the latest issue, CBM #233, the former German national coach presents a motif featuring a knight against a rook and a pawn. The article includes a detailed video explaining the construction and mechanics of the fortress, as well as five interactive videos featuring feedback on your attempts to solve the exercises. Take a look at this week’s CBM free sample and enjoy!
“Mate is great!” – Tactical training with Oliver Reeh, “The 8th rank” – Andy Woodward analyses his game against Magnus Carlsen from TePe Sigeman 2026, “A modern Nimzo-Indian” – Andrei Volokitin introduces readers to "his" system and much more!
ChessBase Magazine offers top-class training material for club players and professionals! World-class players analyse their finest games and explain the ideas behind the moves. Opening specialists present the latest trends in opening theory and exciting ideas for your repertoire. Master trainers in tactics, strategy and endgames show you exactly the tricks and techniques you need to become a successful tournament player! Available as a download (including the magazine as a PDF file).
Included: CBM #232 as a “ChessBase Book” for iPad, tablet, Mac etc.! At books.chessbase.com

 

"Knight vs. rook and pawn" - free sample from ChessBase Magazine #232

Clicking on the image takes you to the preview on books.chessbase.com

Normally, a game in which you are down not only a pawn but also an exchange is, of course, lost - especially in the endgame. And yet, certain positions can still be held to a draw despite the material disadvantage with the help of a fortress motif. The classic motif discussed in Dorian Rogozenco’s article this time looks like this:

The knight prevents the white pawn from promoting and jumps back and forth between the promotion square and the squares h6, f6, and e7. But be careful: In this specific position, 1…Nf6 would, of course, lose immediately due to the pin 2.Rf1. The other two moves, however, maintain the fortress.

After 1…Ne7, White can attempt to approach the black fortress with his king in two ways: Aftr 2.Rg2 Ng8 3.Kd6, the knight can move safely to f6 (and, on top of that, threaten the fork …Ne8). And after, for example, 4.Ke5, the knight simply returns to g8. If the white king tries on the other side, it can force the following position:

Only if the king manages to move from h6 to h7 can they win the game. Black’s task is therefore clear, and only 1…Kf6 maintains the fortress. But with 2.Rg2 Kf7 3.Rg6, White can further increase the pressure. Once again, there is only one move that saves Black: 3…Ne7 forces White to move his rook again—because after 4.Kh6 Nxg6 5.Kh7 Ne7, the knight is back in time.

Following the video presentation on the fortress, Dorian Rogozenco invites you to put your newly acquired knowledge to the test in five interactive videos. Enjoy!

Clicking on the image takes you to the preview on books.chessbase.com

The complete training programme from ChessBase Magazine 232 at a glance:

Clicking on the image loads a short preview from the included PDF file.

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See also

Decisive provocation

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See also

Two roads to Rome

6/19/2026 – The standard sacrifice 20...Bxh3! in the diagram position works for Black, and after 21.gxh3 Qxh3 22.Bd3 he even has two winning moves. I'm curious to see which one you'll choose!
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Video

60m The Two Knights

This entry into the 60 minutes series concentrates on the Modern variation of the Italian game where White opens the centre early : 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d4 exd4 5 e5!. This line can be reached by various move orders, most frequently from the Scotch 3 d4 exd4 4 Bc4. It's a sharp variation and Grandmasters such as Evgeny Sveshnikov have used it frequently,with very good results. It's a perfect line for club players to adopt which is relatively easy to learn and which contains many traps. All the main responses are covered here, including 5...d5, 5...Ng4 and 5...Ne4 and the conclusion is that is is difficult for Black to equalize in a straightforward way. Problems are being posed, which over the board might prove tough to solve.