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This other question asks about why white resigns at the end (Why did Polgar resign?), but running through the game, I am confused at move 49 where the board looks like this, white to move:

Polgar-Kasparov:

8/8/1k6/p6p/3n3r/PNR5/6K1/8 w KQ - 49 50

The next move is white to take the pawn with her knight, and have the knight taken by the king. Since the knight would be lost, why not take the black knight instead?

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  • I voted to close this question because it asks for someone else's opinion on why does white exchange knight for a pawn here. It could be for other reasons. And, most of the answers were based on their own opinions. Notice the word "I asume" was added.
    – user26887
    Commented Dec 21, 2021 at 18:05
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    @TobyHarnish There's only one answer, and it includes Judit's reasons for why she made the exchange. No need to close this question.
    – Herb
    Commented Dec 22, 2021 at 16:03
  • @Herb, I thought the site says that the only questions we should ask is those questions which can be answered with facts and sources. However, this questions shows none. No source or facts can answer it. The only way to answer it is by someone else's opinion. Therefore, according to the site, it is proper for this question to be closed.
    – user26887
    Commented Dec 22, 2021 at 16:07
  • @TobyHarnish See this meta question on opinion-based questions. chess.meta.stackexchange.com/q/880/9025. And again, the question is answered with sourced facts from Judit's autobiography as to why she made the exchange. Please read it again.
    – Herb
    Commented Dec 22, 2021 at 16:15

2 Answers 2

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After taking:

8/8/1k6/p6p/3r4/P1R5/6K1/8 w KQ - 49 50

Judith Polgar must have assessed this position to be easily winning for black. I assume black would just win the white pawn and proceed to promote the a-pawn.

Now, while a knight is generally worth much more than a pawn, the endgame King,Rook,Knight vs King,Rook is usually a draw. So Polgar must have hoped to win or blockade the h-pawn and reach a drawn endgame of the K,R,N vs K,R-variety. I guess she knew this wouldn't work out, but the rationale was to set a more difficult technical task to Kasparov than the above rook endgame.

Edit: I looked up the game in her autobiographical best games collection and it turns out, I was half right:

"Following the text move, the rook ending after 50.Nxd4 Rxd4 would be lost for me. Black would advance his pawns to my fourth rank and then activate his king using the rook as shield."

She then proceeds to give 50.Nxa5 an exclamation mark, explaining that it is a study-like way to a draw, because apparently she wins the black pawn by force (which I didn't see).

So, she did assume the rook ending to be lost (erroneously, according to Stephen's comment), but she actually saw that she would win the h-pawn as well, leading to a drawn endgame.

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  • Thanks. Since the game continues for another 40 moves, I guess she wasn't far off!
    – Corvus
    Commented Mar 2, 2015 at 11:17
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    "I guess she knew this wouldn't work out" I don't think so. KRN vs KR is usually a draw (and it actually was a theoretical draw at some point in this game). This game is one of the rare cases where the stronger side has been able to win, and I've seen it used as an example almost always when people discuss the KRNvKR ending. So I think Polgar's decision was even better than this answer seems to imply.
    – JiK
    Commented Mar 2, 2015 at 11:44
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    The position after Nxd4 Rxd4 is actually a draw (says a FinalGen tablebase). I don't see any reason to assume that Judit thought it was winning for Black - she only needed to believe that the other position would be easier to hold in practice.
    – Stephen
    Commented Mar 2, 2015 at 13:58
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    I might be able to look up the game in her autobiography and shed some light on her actual thoughts later today.
    – BlindKungFuMaster
    Commented Mar 4, 2015 at 11:55
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Pawns are OP in the endgame, because you can promote them to basically whatever you want (Except a King, but still)

Knights will, erm, always be knights. Plus, the only way knights can mate is when the opponent king is trapped, which does not happen when there are grandmasters and little pieces on the board. Queens, however, can mate in a ton of ways

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