Chess Strategy - Edward Lasker (icecream ebook reader .txt) 📗

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Diag. 49

In Diagram 49 White seeks to queen his pawn.

 

1. K-Q4, K-K2; 2. K-K5

With this move White assumes the opposition. That is, he moves into the same rank or file, separated by one square only, so that both Kings stand on squares of the same colour. White has moved last, it is Black’s turn to move; it is said in this case that “White has the opposition.” We shall soon see that Black is only able to draw the game, if he succeeds in assuming the opposition himself (which means that, having the move, he should step into opposition). 2. … K-Q 2; 3 P-Q6 (Diagram 50).

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Diag. 50

I propose now to recapitulate.

This is the critical moment, namely, when the pawn reaches the sixth rank. If now Black plays K-K1 he is lost, for White playing K-K6 has the opposition. After 4. … K-Q1, 5. P-Q7, Black is forced to allow the White King to move to K7, covering the queening square; 5. … K-B2, 6. K-K7, any; 7. P queens. But Black has a draw in the position of Diagram 50, by playing 3. … K-Q1!! (not K1). Now after 4. K-K6 he keeps the opposition himself with K-K1; and after 5. P-Q7ch, K-Q1; 6. K-Q6, he is stalemated, or else wins the pawn if White plays differently on his sixth move. The King draws against King and pawn if he commands the queening square, and if he can retain the opposition on the first rank as soon as the pawn moves into his sixth.

It is of the utmost importance that the pawn should be at his sixth; if the pawn is still further back, the opposition on the first rank is of no avail.

Diagram 51 will serve as an example. Having the move,

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Diag. 51

White would only draw with P-B5, because Black’s K-B2 wins the pawn.

But White wins as follows: 1. K-Kt6, K-B1; 2. K-B6, K-K1; 3. K-K6, K-Q1; 4. K-Q6, K-B sq:

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Diag. 52.

5. P-B5, K-Q sq. We see: Black has just assumed the opposition, but the pawn has not yet crossed to his sixth square, and White, by playing P-B6, again forces Black to give up the opposition. It might be more clear to put it in this way: with P-B6 White wins the opposition, in that he brings about a position with Black to move. Therefore the game is won for White. Since the opposition on the outside rank is of no avail, when the pawn has not yet played to his sixth square, the weaker side must try to keep away the opposing King from the sixth rank until the pawn has reached that rank. This is possible in positions such as that in Diagram 53, where the stronger

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Diag. 53

King is not more than one rank ahead of his pawn, and the weaker King can assume the opposition. In the position in Diagram 53 Black plays K-Q4 and maintains the opposition until the pawn moves, after which a typical position, similar to the one treated in connection with Diagram 50 is brought about.

If White has the move, however, he wins easily by 1. K-B4, thus:

 

1. … K-Q3

2. K-Kt5 K-B2

3. K-B5 K-Kt2

4. K-Q6 K-B1

5. K-B6

and there is opposition on the eighth rank whilst the pawn has not reached the sixth.

If the King is more than one rank ahead of his pawn, as in Diagram 54, the end-game can always be won, for if Black

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Diag. 54

takes the opposition with K-Q3, White deprives him of it again, winning a move by P-B3, and the position is similar to that in Diagram 53, with White to move.

 

1. … K-Q3

2. P-B3 K-B3

3. K-B4 and wins.

This settles all typical end-games of King and pawn against King. There is, however, one exception to the rules set out, namely, when a ROOK’S PAWN is concerned. Here the isolated King always succeeds in drawing if he can reach the corner where the pawn has to queen, for he cannot be driven out again. The Rook’s pawn affords another opportunity for the weaker side to draw. Diagram 55 will illustrate this, and similar positions are of frequent occurrence in practice. Here Black draws with 1. … K-B5. As he threatens to capture the pawn, White must play 2. P-R4. Then after the reply K-B4, White is still unable to cut the opponent off from the corner with K-Kt7, as the loss of the pawn is still threatened through K-Kt5. And after 3. P-R5 Black attains the position which is typical for this end-game, namely the opposition against the King on the Rook’s file. The latter cannot escape without giving up the contested corner, and the game is drawn. 3. … K-B3; 4. K-R7, K-B2; 5. K-R8, K-B1; 6. P-R6, K-B2; 7. P-R7, K-B1: and White is stalemated.

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Diag. 55

End-games with a majority of one pawn, when both sides still have pawns, are much more simple to manipulate.

Such games result in positions of which Diagram 56 is a

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Diag. 56

typical instance. Here White does not even need to Queen his passed pawn. The mere threat forces the win. For the pawn at Kt4 reduces the mobility of the Black King, in so far as the latter must at all times be ready to reach the queening square in as few moves as the pawn, or else the pawn would queen unmolested. The White King can therefore capture the opposing Bishop’s pawn in peace and then queen his own.

1. K-K4, K-K3; 2. P-Kt5, K-K2; 3. K-K5, K-B2; 4. K-Q6, and so on; or 1. … K-Kt4 KxP; 3. K-Q6, K-B4; 4. KxP, K-K3; 5. K-Kt7, and so on.

Such positions as Diagram 56 are also reached when there are several pawns on each wing. The stronger side exchanges pawns on the wing where there is a majority until the extra pawn is passed.

The winning process is not quite so simple when all the pawns are on the same wing, because exchanges are of no use unless the King can assume the opposition in front of the last remaining pawn (compare notes to Diagram 53).

In Diagram 57, for instance, White must not play P-B4. Therefore he can only win by gaining the Knight’s Pawn,

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Diag. 57

that is, by bringing his King to B5. This he achieves by forcing the Black King to relinquish the opposition with 1. P-B3.

1. … K-B3; 2. K-K5, K-Kt2; 3. K-Q6, K-Kt3; 4. K-Q5, K-Kt2; 5. K-B5, K-R3; 6. K-B6, and wins, as Black must abandon the pawn.

This position, being of frequent occurrence, is most important, and I recommend it as a valuable study in the use of the opposition.

Before I discuss positions of greater complexity, in which the only way to