Zugzwang and the opposition
A position where every move makes things worse, and how the kings use it.
The idea
Every move makes things worse, but you still have to move.
- The kings face each other with one square between: the opposition.
- Black has to move, and every king move gives way.
- White’s king gets past, and the pawn goes on to become a queen.
In a game: In king and pawn endings, face the enemy king one square apart, with your opponent to move.
How the lesson begins
Zugzwang is a German word for “compulsion to move”. It is a position where the player to move would love to pass, because every move makes things worse. It matters most in endings with few pieces.
Here White’s king and pawn face the black king, with one square between the kings. This is called the opposition. It is Black’s move, and Black is in zugzwang: whichever way the king steps, White’s king gets past. Press Next move.
- 1... Kd7 Any king move loses. The king has to give way.
- 2. Kf6 White’s king steps past the black king, and Black cannot stop the pawn from promoting.
A question
The same position, but now it is White’s move. What is the result?
Show the answer
It is a draw: White would like to pass.
Right. White must move, and no move keeps the opposition. Whoever has to move in this position is in zugzwang.
In numbers
In the puzzle bank
795 puzzles in GreyChess’s bank practise it. Half of them are rated between 1,187 and 2,420.
The piece that makes the first move of the answer: king 57%, pawn 32%, rook 5%, bishop 3%, knight 2%, queen 1%, in puzzles from the Lichess puzzle database.
Positions to practise
120 positions in the study, every result proved by the tablebase: 41 are wins, 59 draws and 20 losses for the side to move, with best play on both sides.