Strategy · Size the risk

Simplify when ahead

Turning an advantage into a win is an endgame skill. Off the board, knowing when to simplify, and when not to, comes only with practice there too, as this week’s task asks.

On the board, White is a knight ahead. Black's rook is its only active piece, and it threatens ...Rxe1 mate. Rxe8+ Kxe8 answers the threat and trades off that rook. With nothing left to attack with, Black cannot stop the extra knight from deciding the game.