Collecting chess positions is a bit like reading books: After a while, you notice they start to ‘talk to each other’. The January 2nd entry from IM Silas Lund’s calendar is an example of that: It reminds me of our earlier examples, showcasing an agile knight helping a passed pawn promote.
It comes from the Finland – Ireland match, in the 1956 Moscow Olympiad. (All the puzzles for the 2026 Calendar come from there). Matti Rantanen played White against James Walsh. The calendar asks White to find the best move in this position.
Puzzle
Let’s start with that. What would you do? Try to come up with a variation, rather than just a single move. Figure out what Black can try against your plan, and have something against it.