Wandering King (chess)
In chess, a wandering king is understood to be a king who, in the middle game, is not protected by a pawn wall, as is usually the case, but moves freely across the field - usually in the crossfire of opposing pieces.
A wandering king is a disadvantage for the player in most cases, but not always. Chess patron Tim Krabbé collects wandering kings who penetrate the opposing half of the board in the middle game and whose side remains victorious under the name Steel-Kings .
In the endgame , the king usually plays an active role - in this case one does not speak of a wandering king.
Game examples
Fernpartie, 1981/82
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The black king wandered into the opposing camp, driven by white attacks, and was checkmated there: 33. Re1 – b1 +! Bf5xb1 34. Rh1xb1 + Kb2xb1 35. Qg3 – b3 + Kb1 – a1 36. Kd2 – c1! and because Black is powerless after 36.… Qh8 – h6 + 37. Kc1 – c2 d4 – d3 + 38. Qb3xd3, he gave up here.
Often a wandering king is forced through material sacrifices. Sometimes the remaining material is then not sufficient more, the king matt to set. In the immortal draw game , Black could at least force eternal chess :
Vienna, 1872
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It was followed by 16.… Bc8 – b7 +! 17. Kc6 – b5!
17. Kc6xb7? leads to mate after 17.… Kd8 – d7 18. Qd1 – g4 + Kd7d6 and Rh8 – b8 # 17.… Bb7 – a6 + 18. Kb5 – c6 with a draw . (18. Kb5 – a4? La6 – c4 and b6 – b5 #)
If the wandering king has sufficient support from his own pieces, his side can also win.
Vienna, 1898
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The black king is no more secure than the white one because castling is prevented. In the game, White's king finally came into safe cover, after which White himself had the decisive attack: 25.… Qh3 – g2 + 26. Kd5 – c4 b7 – b5 + 27. Kc4 – d3 Qg2 – f3 + 28. Kd3 – c2 Qf3 – f2 + 29 Kc2 – b3 Rd8 – c8 30. Rc1 – c2 Qf2xf4 31. Kb3 – b2 Sc6 – a5 32. Kb2 – a1 Qf4 – c4 33. e5 – e6 Sa5 – c6 34. Qb1 – d1 h7 – h5 35. Re1 – g1 Th8 -H7? 36.Rg1xg7! along with Matt.
In exceptional cases, a wandering king himself becomes the decisive attack figure.
Tilburg, 1991
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White paralyzed his opponent, but the f3 knight is prevented from supporting the attack by the mate threat from the black battery of bishop and queen on g2. Short solved the problem by playing the king himself forward to reinforce the mating attack - Black had no defense:
- 32. Kh2 – g3 !! Rc8 – e8 33. Kg3 – f4! 33.… Bb7 – c8 34. Kf4 – g5!
Timman gave up here. 34.… Bc8xd7 follows 35. Kg5 – h6 and White mates on the next move with Qf6 – g7. If Black plays 34 ... Kg8 – h7, White takes the then unprotected g6 pawn with 35. Qf6-xg6 + (f7 is tied) and mates a few moves later.
Double hiking kings
Games in which the kings of both sides wander are particularly rare.
Minsk, 1971
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White moved out of chess here and at the same time offered one - symptomatic of double wandering kings. But that didn't help him, because the black king got under on c8, while the white king had to go all the way out: 24. Kd2 – e3 + Kd7 – c8 25. Qh6 – g7 f5 – f4 +! 26. Ke3xf4 Qb2xf2 + Kf4 – g5 Qf2xg2 + . White gave up.
Łódź, 1953
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Here both sides have chased the opposing king across the board. Black, with a minus figure, tried further material sacrifices, but in the end he turned his opponent into a steel king: 48.… Rf1 – f3 +! 49. Ke3xf3! Be2xf3 leads to eternal check Qc1 – h1 + 50. Kf3 – g4 Rb1 – g1 + 51. Rd3 – g3 Qh1xe4 + 52. Kg4 – g5 Rg1xg3 + 53. Kg5 – f6 Rg3 – f3 +! A second tower sacrifice in the same field! After 53 ... g7 – g5 White turns the tables and quickly mates with Re8 – d8 + and Qd2 – a5 +. 54.Be2xf3 Qe4xf3 + 55. Ng7 – f5! Qf3xf5 + 56. Kf6 – g7 g6 – g5 The threat of eternal chess. 57. Qd2 – h2! Parry everything. Qf5 – g6 + 58. Kg7 – h8 f7 – f6 59. Re8 – a8 a6 – a5 60. Qh2 – b2 Black resigned.
Examples from the opening
As already mentioned, a wandering king is sometimes forced through material sacrifices in the opening. Sometimes they go on a trip voluntarily.
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Wilhelm Steinitz invented an opening with the Steinitz Gambit in which the king willingly walks across the board: 1. e2 – e4 e7 – e5 2. Nb1 – c3 Nb8 – c6 3. f2 – f4 e5xf4 4. d2 – d4 Qd8– h4 + 5. Ke1 – e2 In order to free Bf1, the king must move to the queenside. It goes without saying that white is then not good. Nevertheless, Steinitz had a positive balance with his gambit due to his ability and the surprise effect.
Sometimes a hiking king can still be good at the opening.
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In this variant of Sicilian - Sveshnikov , Black already seems to be about to run out: White threatens 11. Nb5 – c7 # or (as an answer to 10.… Nf6 – d7) 11. Nb5xd6 #, and on z. B. 11.… a6xb5 12. Bf1xb5 + Ne7 – c6 13. d5xc6 Ra8xa4? 14. c6 – c7 + the fight is over. But with 11.… Ke8 – d7 !! saves black the day. A mistake would now be 12. Nb5 – a7 + ?? Kd7 – c7 13. Qa4 – a5 + b7 – b6 14. Qa5xa6 Kc7 – b8 !, and the wandering king wins a piece. Forced is 12. Nb5 – a3 + b7 – b5 , with chances on both sides.
Web links
Tim Krabbé's Chess Diary: Example of a Steel King, Entry 362
Individual evidence
- ^ Rolf Schwarz: Sicilian with 5.… e7 – e5 , 2nd edition. Schachverlag Rudi Schmaus, Heidelberg 1981, p. 188