Knights Can Move Backwards

 After a couple of wins, I managed to lose after blundering my Knight. Here was the position:

lichess link

All I needed to do was to retreat my Knight to e6. The evaluation bar showed that I was clearly ahead. After playing my Queen to g5 and checking the White King, I forgot about my Knight and ended up losing it. It was a game with errors on both sides but if I had retreated my Knight my position would have been fairly secure. It just didn't enter my head during the heat of battle.

I need to play more regularly and restrict myself to one game every one or two days. The only way to become battle hardened is play several games daily. I will lose some and win some but over the space of a few weeks I should see my rating slowly climb into the 1600s and maybe even beyond. The lesson to be learned from this game is that KNIGHTS CAN MOVE BACKWARDS.

Back in the Fray

After not playing a single online game against a human opponent since June 10th 2025, I played a 1- + 5 game today (July 29th) and won. This took my ranking from 1537 to 1555. See Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1: ranking as of June 10th 2025

Figure 2: ranking as of July 29th 2025

It wasn't a great game and we both made blunders but eventually I emerged victorious. Here is a link to the game. I played the French Defense against White's d4 but I hadn't seen his second move before. See Figure 3.

Figure 3: White plays f4 instead of the more common d4

I asked Gemini the question:

What is the opening called in chess where White plays 1. e4, Black responds with 1. ... e6 but White follows this with 2. f4 instead of the more common 2. d4? Can you provide some information about the best continuation for Black after White's second move?

Here was the response:

Of course. The chess opening that begins with the moves 1.e4 e6 followed by 2.f4 is known as the King's Gambit, French Variation. It is sometimes also referred to as the La Bourdonnais Variation of the French Defence.

This is an aggressive but somewhat unusual and dubious attempt by White. By playing 2.f4, White signals an intention to play in the style of the King's Gambit, fighting for control of the e5 square and preparing a potential kingside attack. However, by delaying the standard d2−d4 push, White allows Black to strike back in the center immediately and exploit the fact that 2.f4 weakens White's own king position.

Best Continuation for Black

The overwhelming consensus among chess theorists and top players is that Black's best response is the most principled one:

2....d5

This move is strong for several reasons:

• It immediately challenges White's control of the center by attacking the e4 pawn.
• It opens lines for Black's pieces, particularly the light-squared bishop.
• It forces White to make a decision about the central tension, often leading to a position that is more comfortable for Black.

After Black's 2....d5, White has three main replies. In all cases, Black can achieve a very good position.

1. White Plays 3.e5 (The Main Line)

This is the most common response, where White advances the e-pawn, creating a structure similar to the Advance Variation of the French Defence.

The game continues: 3....c5

This is the standard and best reply. Black immediately begins to chip away at the base of White's pawn chain (the d4 square, even before a pawn is there). A typical continuation is:

4.Nf3 Nc6 5.c3 Qb6 6.d4 cxd4 7.cxd4

We have reached a key position for this line. Black has a very comfortable game. White's pawn on f4 supports the e5 point, but it also serves as a long-term weakness for the White king. Black will continue with moves like ...Nh6−f5 or ...Bd7 and has excellent counter-attacking chances. Black's position is considered at least equal, if not slightly preferable.

2. White Plays 3.exd5 (The Exchange)

White chooses to release the central tension by capturing on d5. The game continues: 3....exd5

Black simply recaptures. In this now-open position, White's 2.f4 move looks particularly out of place. It has weakened the king's position (especially the e1−h4 diagonal) without providing any real benefit. Black has easy and comfortable development.

For example: 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.d4 Bd6. Black has a solid pawn structure, active pieces, and can target the weaknesses around White's king. Black has already equalized and can start playing for an advantage.

3. White Plays 3.Nc3

White defends the e4 pawn with the knight. The game continues: 3....dxe4

Black can simply capture the pawn. After 4.Nxe4, Black can continue with standard developing moves like 4....Nd7 (preparing to challenge the e4 knight with ...Ngf6) or 4....Nf6. Again, the f4 pawn is more of a liability for White than a strength, and Black has no problems achieving a good position.

Summary

The King's Gambit, French Variation (1.e4 e6 2.f4) is an aggressive try by White that is not considered theoretically dangerous. By responding with the principled 2....d5!, Black can immediately seize the initiative and obtain a comfortable to slightly better position by exploiting the central and king-safety weaknesses created by White's second move.

Hiatus

Since arriving in Australia on June 19th 2025, I've not played a game on Lichess. My last game was on June 15th so it's now over four weeks. I need to get back into the swing of things. My current rating is 1537 in Rapid (10 + 5) after playing 80 games. Already I feel that I am quite out of practice.

Since writing the above, I received the following email:

Figure 1

I'm confused Maia seems to have been around for some years now. Agadmator makes mention of it four years ago. Anyway, I took advantage of the offer and signed up using my Lichess account. So far I've played three games in a 15 + 10 format and won all of them. My rating is currently 1909. Figure 2 shows a profile screenshot.

Figure 2

So far I've only played the Regular, starting with 1500 and rising meteorically to 1909. This rating is certainly inflated but I'll perservere with it for a while as it's quite relaxing and explore some of the other modules. 

UPDATE: I simply found the user interface incomprehensible and could make little sense of it. I'm abandoning it and returning to Lichess that at least makes sense. Just a waste of time really but at least it got me back into playing active chess on a more regular basis ... hopefully.

Another See-Sawing Game

This is a sad game in which fortunes fluctuated and at one point I was + 4.8 up. However, the turning point came on move 24 when I played 24. Nf4?? See Figure 1.

Figure 1: game

Even though the computer had been recommending that I play Ne7+ for some time, it was crucial to play it here because my Knight had to move after being threatened by the pawn. Once I played my Knight to f4, I lost my e pawn and that was that. My excuse is that I'd drifted into mild time trouble and played the Knight move instantly without regarding the consequences.

I think this loss came down to time management. I was down to 2:26 on the clock versus Black's 7:10. This was too wide a discrepancy. I'd been playing some untimed games against the computer on my phone the night before and perhaps this didn't help. I need to play with time controls even against the computer.

A Lost Opportunity

My latest game, which I lost, held the promise of a win at one point. Figure 1 shows the situation after White blundered with his Queen move.

Figure 1: game

A few moves later and the rating bar was at -4.1. See Figure 2. It was up to me to consolidate my sizeable advantage by playing b5 but I played the ineffective 23. ... Qd7? and the evaluation bar fell to -1.6.

Figure 2: game

I still had 5 minutes and 46 seconds left on my clock but for some reason I dithered and I eventually got into time trouble. My opponent was much higher rated at 1624 and so I only lost 6 rating points but it shows I can hold my own against that level of opponent but only if I keep my nerve. It failed me here.

The Great Escape

Oh dear, I came close to losing two games in a row today. See my previous post titled Lost in Nine Moves. After my 15th move, I was in trouble. See Figure 1. I'd moved my Knight to f6 and had promptly trapped my Bishop. The evaluation bar was at +3.4 but all I could do was soldier on.

Figure 1: game

My opportunity came on move 25 when it looked as if my Knight on g5 was about to be dislodged and allow White to move his Queen to h3 and force checkmate. See Figure 2.

Figure 2: game

You have to feel sorry for White because he really had me on the ropes but with 21. ... Re3 it was all over and I very nearly didn't spot this move. Now, not only can the Queen not reach h3 but it is under attack and has nowhere to retreat to. This game has truly earned the title "The Great Escape".

Lost in Nine Moves

Today I suffered my quickest and perhaps most humiliating defeat, losing in a mere eight moves. Let's recapitulate the disaster. It was an unusual opening and my first blunder occurred on move 6 when I played played 6. ... Bg4?? Figure 1 showed the position just before I made the move. I should have played 6. ... Bd6, defending my e pawn and consolidating my position. As it is, if White plays h3, then I have to take the Knight with my Bishop or lose my e pawn.

Figure 1: game

White promptly played 7. Bxf5+ and suddenly I was in trouble. I'm used to having more closed positions arising from the French Defence and I was unprepared to deal with my King being in such an exposed position. After I wisely moved my King to e2, White captured my e pawn with his Knight, leaving his Queen exposed. Alarm bells should have sounded but I just assumed my opponent had blundered. This was a fatal mistake as the final position in Figure 2 shows.

Figure 2: game

Fortunately I only lost 8 rating points but there are important lessons to be learned from this:

• if the King is in an exposed position be very careful, anticipate attacks and sacrifices
• if your opponent offers a Queen, don't assume that it's a blunder
• never underestimate your opponent
• if your opponent spends 1 minute and 12 seconds before taking my f7 pawn, then the move has been carefully thought out and an equal amount of time needs to afforded the response

I remember being annoyed that my opponent was taking so much time and I wasn't using my time to anticipate what moves he might make. I assumed White's initial move of 1. Nc3 was weak because it allowed me to play 1. ... d5 and after 2. e4  d5 (whereby I dislodged his Knight), I felt that I was in a comfortable and dominant position. After 3. ... e5, he moved his Knight for a second time but this freed up his White-squared Bishop that caused all my later troubles. White played a clever opening and I basically fell into an opening trap. Now I need to win back my lost rating points.