Elegant Square Clearing Pawn Move

 Austrian Chess player Arsenal11 must have thought he stood no worse after the solid looking g6 pawn move. After all, his King on e6 had the opposition over its White counterpart on the e4 square.

However, he overlooked the game winning space clearance move pawn to f5 EXCLAM. So what space was cleared from this temporary pawn sacrifice? The f4 square, to be occupied by White Monarch, is the answer when Black finds himself in Zugzwang( German for NO move I think) 

Not only will Black's f5 fall, but the c5 pawn could be lost in some variations. Also if Black moves his pawn f6, White's g pawn jettisons Bruce Pandolfini! 

BTW, I have heard soccer goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has more than a mild interest in the Royal Game

Protected Passed Pawn Converted to Winning Diagonal Opposition

 

Lovable NYC chess coach, writer, teacher, mainstay contributor to USCF periodical Chess life Bruce Pandolfini has an extreme fondness for the term Jettison. 

In the above diagrammed position with 3 pawns per side, Blacks protected passed d5 pawn appears stuck unless one is acquainted with the endgame principle of diagonal opposition. So note that if Black plays pawn to d4 the White Monarch is forced to capture the jettisoned peon. After the Black King captures  White's f6 button, the Kings are on same diagonal separated by a single square and White's c5 pawn will eventually fall leading to a winning KP ending for Black.

In this example Bruce's term jettison essentially deflects the White King into a losing KP ending. 

The tricky notion of opposition in Chess

 In following King and Pawn ending, Black has an extra pawn with White to move. If the opposing Kings have 1 or 3 or 5 squares between on a file, rank, or diagonal then side that just moved is said to have the opposition. Weaker chess players sometimes believe having the opposition is tantamount to winning the chess game.

The following diagram harshly refutes that ignorance. Observe that if White plays King to the f1 square,  he has the opposition with Black King places at d1. 

Now take a look at the following diagram that arose from 1. Kf1 Kd2  2. Kf2 where one observes that White still has the close opposition, BUT is losing after Pawn to g4! jettisoning the Black center pawn to its Queening square at e1!  Its clear that this kind of close opposition SUCKS! Note that the e pawn checks the White Monarch in this variant which is a vital tempo allowing Queening well before White's g pawn. 

Enter our Lord and savior DISTANT OPPOSITION  with the move Kh1 in the corner 3 squares from Black King! Now if Black plays Ke1, White plays Kg1 where g4 tactic does not work and the game is drawn after a variation involving mutual queening!  Close opposition was correct here only because of concrete analysis not some blind adherence the 4 syllable O word. Orgasm has three syllables you perverts. 

Understanding when to implement distant opposition will save you many half points!!!

Also be careful about adhering blindly to geometric motifs like “Putting your King on a square which constructs a rectangle with the other King where the corners of the rectangle are the same colored square (such as a dark square), with the usual "let the buyer beware" of no pawns interfering/between the Kings"

If I have been too sexual for you or your K-6 child, try the high quality blog at RagChess. The proprietor is careful about not disclosing his name, but seems to be an excellent and knowledgeable educator of the Royal Game.