Opposition (chess)
The opposition in chess is a position in both of the kings face at a certain distance. However, it is only of importance in the endgame , because otherwise the moves of the pieces cancel their effect.
Details
A distinction is to be made between: The close opposition or ordinary opposition , in which the kings are only separated by a square on a line, row or diagonal. The close opposition on a line or row is important. In this case, the two kings block each other's direct path to the front, and the player whose turn it is must reveal a (possibly important) space to the other. Very often the opposition is then directly connected with the pressure to act . Especially in pawn endings this forced move can be exploited by forcing the opposing king to give up the opposition and thus the blockade of an important square (for example a key square ). Then your own king can invade the opposing position. It is also said that the party that can achieve this has the opposition.
The kings are diagonally through a field isolated from ( diagonal opposition ), so because of the clock is pressed, although no field is immediately freed. But either the transition into the horizontal or vertical opposition must be allowed, or space must be given up. An example of this can be found in the so-called triangle maneuver .
The far opposition , in which the kings face each other on a line separated by three or even five squares, is often the starting point for the transition to the near opposition. Calculations can be terminated when the far opposition is reached, if one knows that the position can be transferred to the near opposition.
The following scenario represents a training method to internalize the principle of opposition: Both parties only receive the king on their own back row as a pawn. Whoever manages to reach the opposing back row first wins.
There is another generalization of the notion of opposition (sometimes not very appropriately referred to as virtual opposition). Consider the squares occupied by the two kings as opposite corner points of an imaginary rectangle (consisting of the squares on the chessboard). If all corner fields of this rectangle have the same color, then there is opposition, otherwise not. One can consider that the opposition positions described above are special cases of this general situation: If the rectangle has a side the length of a square, then the kings are on a line or row. If the rectangle is a square (with sides three, five or seven), then there is diagonal opposition. The main purpose of these general opposition positions is to convert them into the local opposition.
Examples
Diagram 1. If it is not your turn, you hold the opposition |
Diagram 2: White should immediately the key field b6 go |
Diagram 3: 1. Kf1 only ! drew |
As the examples show, close opposition is a means that both the attacker and the defender can use to conquer key areas. The key fields are marked with an X in the diagrams, their occupation by the attacking king decides the game. In diagram 2 , 1. Ke4? Kd6 2. Kd4 Kc6 only for a draw, but 1. Kc5 wins ! Kd7 2. Kb6 .
Diagram 3 shows how the distance opposition can be used to conquer the near opposition. White to move only stops with 1. Kf1! Kf4 2. Kf2! Ke4 3rd Ke2! draw. On the other hand, 1. Kf2 fails? on 1st ... Kf4! 2. Ke2 Ke4 !, and Black has the opposition, which leads to the filling of a key field.
literature
- Walter Bähr: Opposition and critical areas in the pawn endgame . Self-published, Freiburg im Breisgau, 1936.
- Herbert Bastian (with input from Michael Negele): The father of opposition theory , a historical review of the concept of opposition in chess, Schach (magazine) , 2018/3 pages 48–55.