Outpost

An outpost is just occupying a vital square in the opponents territory with one of your pieces that can not be dislodged by a pawn without damaging effects. Jeremy Silman calls such a square that can provide home to a piece as 'support point'. While any piece could be posted on support points, why the knight alone causes a rumble in your opponents stomach?!

Aarthie,R (2249) - Zhao Xue (2372) [C05] 9th Asian Women Chennai IND, 05.09.2001 Outpost that could squeeze: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.c3 c5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.Ngf3 g6 8.h4 cxd4 9.cxd4 f5 10.exf6 Nxf6 11.Nf1 Qb6 12.Ng3 Bb4+ 13.Kf1 Bd7 14.Bg5 Be7 15.Rc1 Nb4 16.Bb1 Nxa2 17.Bxa2 Qa6+ 18.Kg1 Qxa2 19.Ne5 Outpost decides the game! 19...Qa5 20.h5 Rg8 21.hxg6 hxg6 22.Qf3 Qd8 23.Rh7 Rf8 [If 23...Nxh7 24.Qf7# checkmate!] 24.Qd3 trying to enter via g6 24...Rg8 25.Rh8 Black resigned as 25...Rxh8 [25...Qb6 26.Bxf6 Rxh8 27.Qxg6+ Kd8 28.Bxe7+ Kxe7 29.Qf7+ Kd8 30.Qxd7# ; 25...Bf8 26.Rxg8 b6 27.Qxg6+ Ke7 28.Qxf6+ Ke8 29.Qf7# ] 26.Qxg6+ Kf8 27.Qf7# 1-0

Manik,M (2425) - Dudas,J (2269) [B42] TCh-SVK SVK , 17.03.2001 Outpost to unsettle opponents king: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Qc7 6.0-0 Nf6 7.c4 Nc6 8.Nb3 Ne5 9.Qe2 Nxd3 10.Qxd3 Ng4 11.Qh3 h5 12.Nc3 Bd6 13.f4 Qb6+ 14.Kh1 Nf2+ 15.Rxf2 Qxf2 16.Be3 Qxb2 17.Bd4 Qa3 18.Bxg7 Rh7 19.Bf6 Be7 20.Bxe7 Qxe7 21.e5 clearing the route and proving a nice support point for the knight. 21...Kd8 22.Ne4 it is no secret where the knight is heading to 22...Kc7 23.Nd6 outpost! 23...f5 If you believe that you can take up this position and beat the online chess engine please click here. 24.Rd1 b6 not forced in anyway! But the knight occupying such an advanced outpost in the vicinity of the opponents king wins the psychological war! 25.c5 Rb8 It is difficult to choose the best among the several loosing moves. 26.Qc3 Black resigned as 26...Kd8 27.cxb6 clears the way for White queen to attack the bishop, that is already attacked by the knight. 27...Qf8 28.Qc7+ Ke7 29.Qxb8 Rh8 30.b7 wins easily.. 1-0

Rozentalis,E (2588) - Mikanovic,G (2273) [B40] It Montreal CAN, 07.08.2001 Outpost to cover up mobilisation of forces 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.b3 Nc6 4.Bb2 Nf6 5.e5 Nd5 6.g3 Be7 7.c4 Nc7 8.Bg2 0-0 9.0-0 b6 10.d4 cxd4 11.Nxd4 Bb7 12.Nc3 Qb8 13.Nxc6 Bxc6 14.Bxc6 dxc6 15.Qd7 Re8 16.Qxc6 Na6 17.Nb5 Rc8 18.Qf3 Nc5 19.Rad1 a6 20.Nd6 sitting pretty on the support point where pawns can not dislodge the knight anymore and exchange will result in a passed pawn for White. 20...Rf8 21.b4 Na4 difficult to choose the best when all possibilities look bad! 22.Ba1 Qc7 23.Qb3 Qc6 24.Rd4 Ready to switch the attack to kingside or double the rooks on the open file under the cover of the outpost. 24...b5 25.c5 a passer! 25...Ra7 26.a3 Rc7 27.Rfd1 h6 28.Qd3 Ra8 [If 28...Bxd6 29.exd6 will create a 'criminal' who will prove to be too tough to be kept under lock and key!] 29.Ne4 Rac8 30.Qf3 Qa8 31.Qh5 Rf8 [If 31...Rd8 then 32.Nd6 outpost can be used to take up the under cover operation of mobilising the forces on Black's kingside attack!] 32.Nf6+ Sac!! 32...gxf6 [32...Kh8 is not going to save the day either as 33.Rd7 provides enough pressure to breakthrough 33...Bd8 (If 33...gxf6 34.Qxh6+ Kg8 35.exf6 Bxf6 36.Bxf6 will force mate!) 34.Rxc7 Bxc7 35.Rd7 ] 33.Rd7 letting Black escape! [33.Rg4+ forces mate: 33...Kh7 34.Rh4 Qb7 35.Qxh6+ Kg8 36.Qh7# ] 33...Rxd7 34.Rxd7 We are not sure if Black lost on time or resigned here. If resigned, why? There is plenty of fight left, after 34...f5 35.Rxe7 Qd8 36.Rxe6 [36.Ra7 Qd3 with the possibility of several checks or forking the unsupported bishop, can open up chances for a draw.] 36...fxe6 37.Qg6+ Kh8 38.Qxh6+ Kg8 39.Qxe6+ Rf7 40.Kg2 Qa8+ 41.f3 Qd8 still there is plenty of fight left. The moral of the story is that the knight on the edge of the board with all its landing squares taken away, is as good as dead. On sharp contrast, the knight that occupies an advanced support point right in to the heart of the opponents position creates active play. It can induce panic in your opponents mind and force a mistake or two! 1-0

Blackburne,J - Schiffers,E [C01] Nuremberg Nuremberg, 1896 Outpost to create passers: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.exd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Bd6 6.Bd3 0-0 7.Bg5 c6 8.Ne2 Bg4 9.Ne5 Bh5 10.c3 Bg6 11.f4 Bxd3 12.Qxd3 Be7 13.Bxf6 Bxf6 14.Ng3 Nd7 15.0-0-0 Bxe5 16.fxe5 Nb6 17.h4 Qd7 18.Rdf1 c5 19.Nf5 Kh8 20.Qg3 Rg8 21.Nd6 Raf8 22.dxc5 Nc4 23.Rf2 Nxd6 24.cxd6 Re8 25.Rd1 Qe6 26.Rfd2 d4 27.Rxd4 Qxa2 28.d7 Rd8 29.Qf3 Qe6 30.Qd5 Qh6+ 31.R1d2 Qe3 32.Re4 Qh6 33.Qxf7 Rgf8 34.e6 1-0

Gual Pascual,A (2400) - Moncayo Romero,E (2220) [A90] III Sants Hostafrancs Open Barcelona ESP, 04.09.2001 Jumping in and around the support point: 1.d4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.Nc3 f5 4.Nf3 c6 5.g3 Nf6 6.Bg2 Bd6 7.0-0 0-0 8.Qc2 Ne4 9.Rb1 Nd7 10.b4 Qe7 11.b5 Ndf6 12.c5 Bc7 13.Bf4 Nxc3 14.Qxc3 Ne4 15.Qe3 Bxf4 16.gxf4 Bd7 17.bxc6 Bxc6 18.Ne5 g5 19.f3 gxf4 20.Qxf4 Nc3 21.Rb2 Bb5 22.Qe3 Nxe2+ 23.Rxe2 Bxe2 24.Qxe2 f4 25.Kh1 Kh8 26.Bh3 Rf6 27.Ng4 Rf5 28.Nf2 Rf6 29.Qe5 Qg7 30.Rg1 Rg6 31.Qxg7+ Kxg7 32.Rb1 b6 33.Nd3 Rf6 34.Ne5 Rh6 35.Bf1 Rh5 36.c6 Rc8 37.Ba6 Rc7 38.Bb7 Rf5 39.Nd3 Rff7 40.Re1 Rce7 41.Bc8 Rf6 42.Bd7 Rf8 43.Rxe6 Rxe6 44.Bxe6 Kf6 45.Nxf4 Ke7 46.c7 1-0