defence · recognise → explain → apply

Block a dangerous passer with a knight route

A passed pawn is tied down by a rook, and a knight can reinforce its promotion square.

Explanation styleChoose any style. Age is not playing strength; no birth date is needed.

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Notes and replay positions are saved. Practice games are temporary; export their PGN to keep them.

Choose an example

Dubov,Daniil – Firouzja,Alireza

Levitov Dubov-Firouzja Bl · 2021.05.19 · 1/2-1/2

42... Nc8 · White to move

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What to notice at 42... Nc8

The coordinated rook-and-knight defence stops the a-pawn; ...Rxa7 follows two moves later.

A legally replayed historical example, not a claim that every move is best. A game’s result does not prove every defensive position was lost or drawn.

Game source ↗

Your thinking first

Name the signal, choose a plan, and test the opponent’s most challenging response.

What do you notice?What is your plan, and why?How could the opponent resist?

Recall and explain

1. What does ...Nc8 add to Black’s blockade?

Explain it in your own words before revealing.

Make it memorable

Route the knight before the pawn runs.

Teach this to a friend in one minute. Then return to a different example and look for the same signal without being told its name.

Reflect and revisit

This is your self-assessment, not an engine grade or a promise of mastery.

Connect the ideas

Practise pawn transformations →

Sources and further reading

Original LumaChess teaching and game analysis. Topic references are credited below; no affiliation or endorsement is implied.

Exeter Chess Club — Knight outposts ↗