JOIN USPerils of moving the same piece repeatedly
However in the game which follows, it is not one but both players who move the knight many times during the opening and the middle-stages of the game. The difference however is that Black wastes his moves in moving the knight while White’s knight is one of the strongest pieces on board.
White: Marco Manninen(2380)- Black: Alfred Felsberger(2395)European Championship, 1997
Queen’s Indian defence
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6
The Queen’s Indian where Black is fianchettoing his bishop on the queen side
4.g3 White wants to fianchetto on the King side
4...Ba6 5.Nbd2 Bb7 6.Bg2 c5 7.d5 exd5 8.Nh4 b5 Black has played a new move here! If 8...g6 9.cxd5 Bg7 10.Nc4 0–0 11.0–0 d6 12.Bf4 Ba6 13.Rc1 Bxc4 14.Rxc4 b5
9.cxd5 d6
If 9...Bxd5 10.e4
10.0–0 Bxd5 Tempted by the pawn! Black does not mind the swapping of the bishops He can try 10...g6 11.a4 (11.e4 Bg7 12.a4 b4 13.f4 0–0 14.Nhf3 Re8 15.Qc2 c4) 11...b4 12.Nc4 Ba6 13.Qc2 Bg7 14.Bf4 Bxc4
11...Nxd5 12.Ne4
If 12.a4 bxa4 13.Qxa4+ Qd7 (13...Nd7 14.Qe4+ Ne7 15.Nc4) 14.Nc4...Qxa4 15.Rxa4 Nd7 16.Ra6 (16.Nf5 N7b6) 16...N7b6 17.Nxb6 Nxb6 18.Bf4 leading to a slightly unclear position.
12...Nb6 13.Nc3 Qd7 If 13...b4 14.Nd5 N8d7 15.a3 Nxd5 16.Qxd5 Nb6 17.Qe4+ (17.Qc6+ Qd7 18.Qxd7+ Kxd7) 17...Qe7 18.Qf3 with a slight advantage for White.
14.e4 Na6. If 14...g6 15.Bf4 b4 16.Nd5 Bg7 17.Nxb6 axb6 18.Bxd6 Bxb2 19.Rb1 Bd4 20.e5 Nc6 21.Qe2
15.a4 b4
If 15...bxa4 16.Nxa4 Nxa4 17.Rxa4 Nb4 18.Bd2 Be7 19.Nf5 g6 20.Bc3
16.a5
If 16.Nb5 g6 17.Bf4 Rd8 18.Qe2 with White having a promising position. And if 17.Nxc7+ Qxc7 18.a5 Nd7 19.b3 puts a brake on the mobility of Black’s pieces
16...Nc8 Retreating! Here better appears 16...bxc3 17.axb6 axb6 18.Qd5
17.Nd5 Ne7. White is better now!
Diagram 1
This knight has undertaken a long and useless journey, starting from the King side (starting as early as the 2nd move), then onto the queen side and now back on the King side
18.Bg5
A good move!. If 18.Nxe7 Bxe7 19.Nf5 g6
18...Nxd5 19.exd5 f6 20.Bxf6
If 20.Re1+ Kf7 21.Qh5+ Kg8 22.Bxf6 gxf6 23.Nf5 Qf7 24.Qf3 h5
20...gxf6 21.Qe2+
Late into the game, the Black King is still stranded on the original square
21. ..Be7 22.Qxa6 0–0
Finally Black castles! But the position is tilting in White’s favour
23.Ng2. The destination now is the vital ‘e6’ square, plumb in enemy territory
23. ..f5 24.Nf4 Bf6 25.Qe2 Rfe8 26.Ne6
Making things difficult for Black now!
26...Qb7 27.Rad1 Bd4 28.Qd2
If 28.Qc2 b3
28...Qxd5 29.Nxd4. This knight has also travelled a long distance but has had a bigger impact on the game
29. ..Qxd4 30.Qxd4 cxd4 31.Rxd4
All of Black’s pawns are isolated and scattered
31. ..Re2. If 31...b3 32.Rfd1 Re2 33.R1d2
32.Rxb4 Rc8 33.Rb7 Rcc2 34.b4 d5 35.Rxa7 d4 36.Rd7 Rc4 37.a6 and Black resigned.
Diagram 2
White to play and win
1.Qxb4 axb4 2.Rxa8+ Be8 3.Bxd5 Nf3+ 4.Kg2 and White wins.