End Game Study

In our last column under this section we learned about key square. Today's our topic is opposition but in relation with key square. This kind of understanding has more practical value.

Opposition

Opposition is directly connected with the key square. Keep two things in mind

1. If you are on stronger side and you have opposition means you can occupy the key square so can promote your pawn.

2. If you are defender and you have opposition means you are not allowing your opponent to occupy the key square so preventing him/her to promote pawn.

If you haven’t any idea of Key Square kindly read our previous study on endgame here.

What is opposition?

Opposition means two kings face each other on a rank or file with odd number of squares (1, 3 and 5) in between them. In a more simplified language opposition is tool to occupy Key Square with your king or to prevent stronger side to do so if you are defender.

Who has the opposition?

The side that has not to move has the opposition. In the diagram if it is white’s turned to move than black has the opposition and vice verse.

Types of Opposition :

Direct Opposition – Distance between kings is of a rank or file. See the diagram. It is black to move so white has direct opposition.

Distance Opposition – Distance between Kings is of more than a rank or file with odd numbers. See the diagram. It is often used to achieve direct opposition. Here with white to move, white can achieve distance opposition by playing Ke2.

Diagonal Opposition – Distance between kings is of a diagonal rather than file or rank called diagonal opposition. See the diagram. It is often used to achieve direct opposition.

Remember: Opposition is a tool which can be used to achieve or penetrate to Key Square. So when ever you have chance to occupy the key square just go for it rather than getting opposition. Below is the simplest example given by Yuri Averbakh to understand.

In the Given Position. if white playing Ke4 and gaining the opposition which is blunder because of  1. Ke4 - Kd6 2. Kd4 - Kc6 and result is draw so white should go for Kc5 followed by Kb6 which is the key square for c4 pawn in order to win the game.

Practical Implication of theory :

Game 1 : In this game between Paulsen and Hengstenberg white sacrificed his rook for knight just to gain opposition and to win the game.  

Game 2 : In the game between Anderssen and Riemann, Anderssen offered rook exchange on b4 after which Riemann easily gained the opposition which resulted into full point.

Test Positions on Opposition :

Position 1 - White to Play :

Position 2 - White to Play :

Position 3 - White to Play :

Solutions will be published in next endgame study section.

Solutions for the test positions of Key Squares ( Endgame Study 25/02/2013) :

Position 1 :
1. b5 (1. Ke4 ?? b5 {draw}) 1... Kb7 2. Ke4 Kc7 3. Ke5 Kd7 4. Kd5 Kc7 5. Ke6 Kb7 6. Kd7 Ka8 7. Kc7 Ka7 8. Kc6 Ka8 9. Kxb6 Kb8 10. Ka6 Kc7 11. Ka7  1-0

Position 2 :
1. Kg6 Kc5 2. Kf5 Kd5 3. Kf4 c6 4. Ke3 Kc4 5. Ke4 c5 6. Ke3 Kd5 7. Kf4 (7. Kxd3 c4+ {is draw}) 7... c4 8. Kf5 1-0

Position 3 :
1. Ke3 Kf6 (1... Ke6 2. Ke4) 2. Kd4 e6 3. Ke4 Kf7 4. Ke5 Ke7 5. e3 (5. e4 Kd7 6. Kf6 Kd6 7. Kxg5  + - ) 5... Kf7 6. Kd6 Kf6 7. e4 Kf7 8. e5 1-0

Key Square : End Game Study

Endgame study will help you to clear your basic concept about endgame as well as sharpen your calculation skills. Capablanca the great end-game player of the century has also suggested learning endgame first in his book chess fundamentals.

What we will do is, first we will introduce concept and on the same concept we will provide three puzzles. The answer will be provided on next endgame column.

King and Pawn Endings

Before staring writing on this, I under stand that you know about the all basic rules of chess like how piece move, capture, castling etc etc. Under king and pawn ending today we will discuss about key square.

Key Square : 

Key Square is the square where if stronger side of the king occupy that square, pawn can be promoted by force to the next stop or next square. Location of the key square depends upon the pawn position which can be categorised in below mentioned ways.

1. Key Squares where pawn has not reached half of the board. (2nd , 3rd and 4th Rank)

A pawn which is in its own half of the board has 3 key squares. Similarly we can see in both diagrams, Key Squares are displayed by dark circle: two ranks ahead of the pawn on its own file and the two neighbour files.

2. Key Squares where pawn has reached half of the board (5th ,6th and 7th rank)

A pawn which is in opponent’s half has six key squares which we can see in diagrams; marked by dark circle. 

For the pawn on 7th rank

For the 7th rank there are 5 key squares as 6th square will be occupied by pawn it self on 7th rank.

3. Key Squares for Rook pawn

As we all know rook pawn is very hard to promote so has less key squares and relatively harder to reach as compare to other pawns. The key squares of the rook pawn are fixed irrespective of their position of the rank. If white king can reach to the squares marked by dark circle pawn can be promoted but if black king can reach to the squares marked by ‘X’ he can defend adequately.

4. An exception

There is an exception to the key square rule with the knight pawn on its sixth rank where you must be alert for stalemate trick as you can see in the diagram where if it is black to move, the game is draw because of stalemate whether white king is on f7 or f8.

Practical implication of the theory :

let's have a look on 2 example where proper knowledge of theory saves the day on the opposite side the result is 'lost of the game.'

Example 1 :

Example 2 :

Test Positions :
Now try to solve below 3 test positions.

Position 1 : White to play

Position 2 : White to play

Position 3 : White to play

Answers will be published on next Endgame Study article.