In
chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...
, opposition (or direct opposition) is a situation in which two
kings are two squares apart on the same or . Since kings cannot move adjacent to each other, each king prevents the other's advance, creating a mutual blockade. In this situation, the player not having to move is said to ''have the opposition''. It is a special type of
zugzwang
Zugzwang (German for "compulsion to move", ) is a situation found in chess and other turn-based games wherein one player is put at a disadvantage because of their obligation to make a move; a player is said to be "in zugzwang" when any legal move ...
and most often occurs in
endgames with only kings and
pawns. The side with the move may have to move their king away, potentially allowing the opposing king access to important squares. Taking the opposition is a means to an end, normally to force the opponent's king to move to a weaker position, and is not always the best thing to do.
There are extensions of direct opposition, such as
diagonal opposition and
distant opposition, which can be conducive to reaching direct opposition. All three types may be referred to simply as ''opposition'' if the type is unambiguous in context.
Direct opposition
''Direct opposition'' is a position in which the kings are on the same rank or file and are separated by one square. When the term ''opposition'' is used, it normally refers to direct opposition.
In this diagram, the player whose turn it is ''not'' to move has the opposition. If it is Black's turn to move, White has the opposition and wins. (See
King and pawn versus king endgame
The chess endgame with a king and a pawn versus a king is one of the most important and fundamental endgames, other than the basic checkmates. It is an important endgame for chess players to master, since most other endgames have the potential of ...
.) If it were White's turn to move, Black would have the opposition and the position would be a
draw
Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn may refer to:
Common uses
* Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them
* Drawing (manufacturing), a process where metal, glass, or plastic or anything ...
.
In order to ensure correct play in situations like in the diagram, it may be helpful to remember that each time the pawn steps forward, it must be without giving check. If the pawn checks the opponent's king, the opposition will be lost and the game drawn.
Example
In the game
Svetozar Gligorić
Svetozar Gligorić (Serbian Cyrillic: Светозар Глигорић, 2 February 1923 – 14 August 2012) was a Serbian and Yugoslav chess grandmaster and musician. He won the championship of Yugoslavia a record twelve times, and is consider ...
–
Bobby Fischer
Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Championships at the age of 14. In 1964, he won with an 11 ...
, 1959, Black can draw by keeping the white king from getting to any of the
key squares (marked by dots). This is accomplished by not allowing White to get the opposition, and seizing the opposition if the white king advances.
: 57... Kb8!
This is the only move to draw. (In the actual game the players
agreed to a draw at this point.) Other moves allow White to get the opposition and then get to a key square. If the white king gets to a key square, White wins. For example 57...Kb7? 58.Kb5, then the black king moves and the white king gets to a key square and then wins by forcing
promotion
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
of the pawn.
: 58. Kc5 Kc7
: 59. Kb5 Kb7
: 60. Ka5 Ka7
and Black draws. In this sequence, any other moves by Black lose.
Diagonal opposition
Opposition along a is called ''diagonal opposition''. Sometimes diagonal opposition is used to achieve direct opposition. An example is the position in the first diagram, with Black to move. White has the direct opposition in this position, but it does him no good because his king cannot attack the black pawn after the black king moves away. White needs to achieve direct opposition closer to the pawn.
:1... Kf8 2. Kd6
and White has the diagonal opposition (second diagram).
:2... Ke8 3. Ke6
White now has direct opposition on a useful square, and White wins:
: 3... Kf8 4. Kd7 Kg8 5. Ke7 Kh8 6. f6 gxf6 7. Kf7
7.Kxf6 also wins for White.
Distant opposition
''Distant opposition'' is a position in which the kings are on the same rank or file but are separated by more than one square. If there are an odd number of squares between the kings, the player not having the move has the (distant) opposition. As with diagonal opposition, it is often converted to direct opposition, as in the diagram:
:1. Ke2
White takes the distant opposition.
:1... Ke7 2. Ke3 Ke6 3. Ke4
Taking the direct opposition; and now Black must step aside.
:3... Kd6
If 3...Kf6 then White plays the corresponding 4.Kf4!
:4. Kd4
4.Kf5 would lead to both pawns queening.
:4... Kc6
4...Ke6 5.Kc5 and White is way ahead in the queening race.
:5. Ke5
and White has a choice of which pawn he wins, using the created passed pawn as an
outside passed pawn unless he can promote it directly.
Black can be tricky and try:
:1... Kf8
The point is if 2.Ke3 then 2...Ke7 and now Black has the distant opposition and draws. Similarly, if 2.Kf3 then 2...Kf7. White must remember that the aim of the opposition is to penetrate, so to step sideways and forward with ...
:2. Kd3 Ke7
Otherwise White will be able to penetrate with Kc5, and will win the race to queen.
:3. Ke3!
White again has the distant opposition,
transposing into the main line.
Teaching tool
This position is very similar to the previous position. White is to checkmate, moving the rook only once in the process. The main line is:
:1. Kg2
Taking the distant opposition.
:1... Kg7 2. Kg3 Kg6 3. Kg4 Kh6
Since the black king has been forced to step aside to the h-file, White can now penetrate on the f-file.
:4. Kf5 Kg7
If 4...Kh5 then 5.Rh1.
:5. Kg5 Kh7 6. Kf6 Kg8
If 6...Kh8 then 7.Kf7 Kh7 8.Rh1#.
:7. Kg6 Kh8 8. Rf8#
Again, Black can be tricky and try:
:1... Kh8 2. Kf3!
Again, White penetrates. If 2.Kg3 then 2...Kg7 3.Kh3 Kh7 gives Black the distant opposition.
:2... Kg7
If 2...Kh7 then 3.Kf4!
:3. Kg3 etc.
Purpose
Yuri Averbakh
Yuri Lvovich Averbakh (russian: Ю́рий Льво́вич Аверба́х; 8 February 1922 – 7 May 2022) was a Russian chess grandmaster and author. He was chairman of the USSR Chess Federation from 1973 to 1978. He was the first centenari ...
pointed out that the opposition is a means to an end; the end is ''penetration to a ''.
This can be a square in front of a pawn, so the king can lead it to the
queening square, or into a critical zone to win an enemy blocked pawn.
In the diagram, White should play
:1. Kc5
Taking the opposition by 1.Ke4 merely
draws.
This second position shows a simpler example. If White takes the opposition with 1.Ke6 he makes no progress. The winning move is
:1. Kc7
(See
King and pawn versus king endgame
The chess endgame with a king and a pawn versus a king is one of the most important and fundamental endgames, other than the basic checkmates. It is an important endgame for chess players to master, since most other endgames have the potential of ...
.)
See also
*
Corresponding squares
In chess, two squares are corresponding squares (also known as relative squares, sister squares, or coordinate squares) if the occupation of one of these squares by a king requires the enemy king to move to the other square in order to hold the pos ...
*
Triangulation (chess)
Triangulation is a tactic used in chess to put one's opponent in zugzwang (a position when it is a disadvantage to move). Triangulation is also called ''losing a tempo'' or ''losing a move''.
Triangulation occurs most commonly in endgames with o ...
*
Zugzwang
Zugzwang (German for "compulsion to move", ) is a situation found in chess and other turn-based games wherein one player is put at a disadvantage because of their obligation to make a move; a player is said to be "in zugzwang" when any legal move ...
References
Bibliography
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Further reading
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{{Chess
Chess terminology
Chess tactics
Chess theory
Chess endgames