Answers.Body: <p>Pawns are OP in the endgame, because you can promote them to basically whatever you want (Except a King, but still)</p>
  <p>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</p>
  
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Answers.Body: <p><strong>After taking:</strong></p>
  
  <pre><code>8/8/1k6/p6p/3r4/P1R5/6K1/8 w KQ - 49 50
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>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.</p>
  
  <p>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.</p>
  
  <p>Edit: I looked up the game in her autobiographical best games collection and it turns out, I was half right:</p>
  
  <p>"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."</p>
  
  <p>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).</p>
  
  <p>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.</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2015-03-02T11:17:50.440Z
Answers.Text: Thanks. Since the game continues for another 40 moves, I guess she wasn't far off!
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Answers.Text: _"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.
Answers.UserDisplayName: JiK
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Answers.Text: 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.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Stephen
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Answers.Text: I might be able to look up the game in her autobiography and shed some light on her actual thoughts later today.
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Body: <p>This other question asks about why white resigns at the end (<a href="https://chess.stackexchange.com/q/7867/6963">Why did Polgar resign?</a>), but running through the game, I am confused at move 49 where the board looks like this, white to move:</p>
  
  <p><strong>Polgar-Kasparov:</strong></p>
  
  <pre><code>8/8/1k6/p6p/3n3r/PNR5/6K1/8 w KQ - 49 50
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>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?</p>
  
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Comments.CreationDate: 2021-12-22T16:03:48.340Z
Comments.Text: @TobyHarnish There's only one answer, and it includes Judit's reasons for why she made the exchange. No need to close this question.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Herb
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Comments.CreationDate: 2021-12-22T16:15:01.940Z
Comments.Text: @TobyHarnish See this meta question on opinion-based questions. https://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.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Herb
Tags: <analysis><endgame>
Title: Why does white exchange knight for a pawn here?
ThreadText: # Why does white exchange knight for a pawn here?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2015-03-02)
  
  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?
  
  **Tags:** analysis, endgame
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: @TobyHarnish There's only one answer, and it includes Judit's reasons for why she made the exchange. No need to close this question.  
  > **username_1**: @TobyHarnish See this meta question on opinion-based questions. https://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.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2015-03-02. Score: 6 | Accepted answer
  
  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 username_5's comment), but she actually saw that she would win the h-pawn as well, leading to a drawn endgame.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Thanks. Since the game continues for another 40 moves, I guess she wasn't far off!  
  > **username_4**: _"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.  
  > **username_5**: 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.  
  > **username_3**: I might be able to look up the game in her autobiography and shed some light on her actual thoughts later today.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2021-12-17. Score: -3
  
  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
  
  
  ---
  
  