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72-405: Although most of the rules in blind chess are consistent with normal chess , there are a few modifications to the equipment to aid blind and visually impaired players: After making every move, each player is required to announce their move aloud to their opponent. Instead of writing the moves on a chess score sheet , the visually impaired player writes the moves in braille or records the moves on

144-465: A Swiss system tournament or round-robin tournament ) or, in the case of casual play, mutual agreement, in which case some kind of random choice such as flipping a coin can be employed. A common method is for one player to conceal a pawn of each color in either hand; the other player chooses a hand to open and receives the color of the piece that is revealed. Each type of chess piece has its own method of movement. A piece moves to

216-412: A chessboard . Each type of piece moves in a distinct way. The object of the game is to checkmate the opponent's king ; checkmate occurs when a king is threatened with capture and has no escape. A game can end in various ways besides checkmate: a player can resign , and there are several ways a game can end in a draw . While the exact origins of chess are unclear, modern rules first took form during

288-448: A through h , from White's left (i.e. the queenside ) to White's right. Similarly, the horizontal ranks are numbered from 1 to 8 , starting from the one nearest White's side of the board. Each square of the board, then, is uniquely identified by its file letter and rank number. The white king, for example, starts the game on square e1 . The black knight on b8 can move to a6 or c6 . In formal competition, each player

360-479: A voice recorder . IBCA Executive Board This chess organization article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This parasport organization article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Rules of chess The rules of chess (also known as the laws of chess ) govern the play of the game of chess . Chess is a two-player abstract strategy board game . Each player controls sixteen pieces of six types on

432-452: A 1988 game between Vitaly Tseshkovsky and Glenn Flear at Wijk aan Zee shows an instance of "zugzwang" where the obligation to move makes the defense more difficult, but it does not mean the loss of the game. A draw by agreement was reached eleven moves later. A special case of zugzwang is reciprocal zugzwang or mutual zugzwang , which is a position such that whoever is to move is in zugzwang. Studying positions of reciprocal zugzwang

504-457: A computer device are published by other organizers and governing bodies. Although the touch-move rule is generally observed even in non-organized, non-sanctioned play, the interpretation of that rule to special situations such as capturing, castling, and promotion is not obvious; thus it is elaborated further in FIDE rules. The movement of pieces is to be done with one hand. Once the hand is taken off

576-425: A crushing attack (e.g. 31.Qxf3 Qh2#; 31.Rb1 Rxf2 32.Qxg4 Qh2#). That leaves only moves of White's b-pawn, which Black can ignore, e.g. 31.b3 Kg7 32.b4 Kh6 33.bxc5 bxc5 and White has run out of moves. 0–1 In this 1959 game between future World Champion Bobby Fischer and Héctor Rossetto , 33.Bb3! puts Black in zugzwang. If Black moves the king, White plays Rb8, winning a piece (...Rxc7 Rxf8); if Black moves

648-422: A draw based on claiming no progress or no effort, to be ruled by the arbiter. These rules have been relevant when playing with mechanical clocks, which do not allow setting an increment and are today with digital clocks of second importance only, as playing with increment is recommended. Each square of the chessboard is identified with a unique pair of a letter and a number. The vertical files are labeled

720-403: A draw offer. Under FIDE Laws, a resignation by one player results in a draw if their opponent has no way to checkmate them via any series of legal moves, or a loss by that player otherwise. The game ends in a draw if any of these conditions occur: In addition, in the FIDE rules, if a player has run out of time (see below), or has resigned, but the position is such that there is no way for

792-479: A famous instance of this rule.) With mechanical clocks only, flag-fall for both players can occur. With digital clocks, the clock indicates which flag fell first, and this information is valid. In the last period of a standard chess game or rapid games, if played without increment, a special set of rules applies regarding the clock, referenced as "Quickplay Finishes". These rules allow a player with under two minutes time to request an increment introduced, or request

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864-455: A lone king). According to John Nunn , positions of reciprocal zugzwang are surprisingly important in the analysis of endgames. The word comes from German Zug 'move' + Zwang 'compulsion', so that Zugzwang means 'being forced to make a move'. Originally the term was used interchangeably with the term Zugpflicht 'obligation to make a move' as a general game rule. Games like chess and checkers have "zugzwang" (or "zugpflicht"):

936-416: A misnomer to call this a true zugzwang position. See also Immortal Zugzwang Game § Objections to the sobriquet . This game between Wilhelm Steinitz and Emanuel Lasker in the 1896–97 World Chess Championship , is an early example of zugzwang in the middlegame. After Lasker's 34...Re8–g8!, Steinitz had no playable moves, and resigned . White's bishop cannot move because that would allow

1008-413: A piece after moving it, the move cannot be retracted unless the move is illegal . As for the touch-move rule , an arbiter who observes a violation of this rule must intervene immediately. When castling, a player should first move the king with one hand and then move the rook with the same hand. In the case of a promotion , if a player releases the pawn on the eighth rank, the player must promote

1080-531: A player must always make a move on their turn even if this is to their disadvantage. Over time, the term became especially associated with chess. According to chess historian Edward Winter , the term had been in use in German chess circles in the 19th century. Pages 353–358 of the September 1858 Deutsche Schachzeitung had an unsigned article "Zugzwang, Zugwahl und Privilegien" . Friedrich Amelung employed

1152-408: A similar position in the same endgame, giving a maneuver ( triangulation ) that resulted in the superior side reaching the initial position, but now with the inferior side on move and in zugzwang. Walker wrote of the superior side's decisive move: "throwing the move upon Black, in the initial position, and thereby winning". Paul Morphy is credited with composing the position illustrated "while still

1224-477: A situation where none of the available options lead to a good outcome. The term zugzwang was used in German chess literature in 1858 or earlier, and the first known use of the term in English was by World Champion Emanuel Lasker in 1905. The concept of zugzwang was known to chess players many centuries before the term was coined, appearing in an endgame study published in 1604 by Alessandro Salvio , one of

1296-452: A tempo, so moving the knight would allow the bishop to capture the kingside pawns. The black king must give way. and White has a winning position. Either one of White's queenside pawns will promote or the white king will attack and win the black kingside pawns and a kingside pawn will promote. Black resigned seven moves later. Andy Soltis says that this is "perhaps Fischer's most famous endgame". This position from

1368-420: A vacant square except when capturing an opponent's piece. Except for any move of the knight and castling , pieces cannot jump over other pieces. A piece is captured (or taken ) when an attacking enemy piece replaces it on its square. The captured piece is thereby permanently removed from the game. The king can be put in check but cannot be captured (see below). Castling consists of moving

1440-414: A young boy". After 1.Ra6, Black is in zugzwang and must allow mate on the next move with 1...bxa6 2.b7# or 1...B (moves) 2.Rxa7#. There are three types of chess positions: either none, one, or both of the players would be at a disadvantage if it were their turn to move. The great majority of positions are of the first type. In chess literature, most writers call positions of the second type zugzwang , and

1512-439: Is detrimental . Play continues until a king is checkmated , a player resigns , or a draw is declared, as explained below. In addition, if the game is being played under a time control , a player who exceeds the time limit loses the game unless they cannot be checkmated. The official chess rules do not include a procedure for determining who plays White. Instead, this decision is left open to tournament-specific rules (e.g.

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1584-426: Is pinned against its own king) may still deliver check to the opposing player. It is illegal to make a move that places or leaves one's king in check. The possible ways to get out of check are: In informal games, it is customary to announce "check" when making a move that puts the opponent's king in check. In formal competitions, however, check is rarely announced. If a player's king is placed in check and there

1656-488: Is 2...g5, whereupon White promotes a pawn first and then checkmates with 3.hxg5 h4 4.g6 h3 5.g7 h2 6.g8=Q h1=Q 7.Qg7 # . Joseph Bertin refers to zugzwang in The Noble Game of Chess (1735), wherein he documents 19 rules about chess play. His 18th rule is: "To play well the latter end of a game, you must calculate who has the move, on which the game always depends." François-André Danican Philidor wrote in 1777 of

1728-479: Is 5.Nc3!? bxc3 6.Bxc3, which just leaves Black with a serious positional advantage and an extra pawn. Other moves lose material in more obvious ways. However, since Black would win even without the zugzwang, it is debatable whether the position is true zugzwang. Even if White could pass his move he would still lose, albeit more slowly, after 1...R5f3 2.Bxf3 Rxf3, trapping the queen and thus winning queen and bishop for two rooks. Wolfgang Heidenfeld thus considers it

1800-514: Is a burden. He cites as an example of this phenomenon in Hodgson versus Arkell at Newcastle 2001. The position diagrammed arose after 1. c4 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. a3 a6 6. Rb1 Rb8 7. b4 cxb4 8. axb4 b5 9. cxb5 axb5 (see diagram). Here Rowson remarks, Both sides want to push their d-pawn and play Bf4/...Bf5, but White has to go first so Black gets to play ...d5 before White can play d4. This doesn't matter much, but it already points to

1872-490: Is a fundamental principle in chess, ensuring that players commit to moves deliberated mentally, without physically experimenting on the board. According to this rule, a player who touches a piece with the intention of moving it must then move it if legally possible. This rule also applies to capturing: a player who touches an opponent's piece must capture it if a legal capture is available. Special considerations apply for castling and pawn promotion, reflecting their unique nature in

1944-531: Is a reciprocal zugzwang. An extreme type of reciprocal zugzwang, called trébuchet , is shown in the diagram. It is also called a full-point mutual zugzwang because it will result in a loss for the player in zugzwang, resulting in a full point for the opponent. Whoever is to move in this position must abandon their own pawn , thus allowing the opponent to capture it and proceed to promote their own pawn, resulting in an easily winnable position. Corresponding squares are squares of mutual zugzwang. When there

2016-531: Is different. USCF Rule 14E defines "insufficient material to win on time", that is lone king, king plus knight, king plus bishop, and king plus two knights opposed by no pawns, and there is no forced win in the final position. Hence to win on time with this material, the USCF rule requires that a win can be forced from that position, while the FIDE rule merely requires a win to be possible. (See Monika Soćko rules appeal in 2008 and Women's World Chess Championship 2008 for

2088-428: Is impossible for either side, such as the diagrammed position; these too are dead positions. USCF rules, for games played under a time control that does not include delay or increment, allow draw claims for "insufficient losing chances". For example, if each player has only a king and a knight, checkmate is only achievable with the co-operation of both players, even if it is not a dead position. The touch-move rule

2160-411: Is in the analysis of endgames. A position of mutual zugzwang is closely related to a game with a Conway value of zero in game theory . In a position with reciprocal zugzwang, only the player to move is actually in zugzwang. However, the player who is not in zugzwang must play carefully because one inaccurate move can cause them to be put in zugzwang. That is in contrast to regular zugzwang, because

2232-433: Is no legal move that player can make to escape check, then the king is said to be checkmated , the game ends, and that player loses. Unlike the other pieces, the king is never captured. The diagram shows an example checkmate position. The white king is threatened by the black queen; the empty square to which the king could move is also threatened; and the king cannot capture the queen, because it would then be in check by

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2304-529: Is obliged to record each move as it is played in algebraic chess notation in order to settle disputes about illegal positions, overstepping time control, and making claims of draws by the fifty-move rule or repetition of position. Moves recorded in any other systems of notation cannot be used in evidence in such a dispute. Other chess notation systems include ICCF numeric notation for international correspondence chess and descriptive chess notation , formerly standard in English speaking countries. The current rule

2376-432: Is only one pair of corresponding squares, they are called mined squares . A player will fall into zugzwang if they move their king onto the square and their opponent is able to move onto the corresponding square. In the diagram here, if either king moves onto the square marked with the dot of the same color, it falls into zugzwang if the other king moves into the mined square near them. Zugzwang usually works in favor of

2448-412: Is played on a chessboard , a square board divided into a grid of 64 squares (eight-by-eight) of alternating color (similar to the board used in draughts ). Regardless of the actual colors of the board, the lighter-colored squares are called "light" or "white", and the darker-colored squares are called "dark" or "black". Sixteen "white" and sixteen "black" pieces are placed on the board at the beginning of

2520-478: Is that a move must be made on the board before it is written on paper or recorded with an electronic device. Zugzwang Zugzwang (from German  'compulsion to move'; pronounced [ˈtsuːktsvaŋ] ) 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 will worsen their position. Although

2592-512: Is then promoted (converted) to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight of the same color at the choice of the player (a queen is usually chosen). The choice is not limited to previously captured pieces. Hence it is theoretically possible for a player to have up to nine queens or up to ten rooks, bishops, or knights if all of the player's pawns are promoted. A king is in check when it is under attack by at least one enemy piece. A piece unable to move because it would place its own king in check (it

2664-482: Is very rarely seen in the middlegame . The game Fritz Sämisch – Aron Nimzowitsch , Copenhagen 1923, is often called the "Immortal Zugzwang Game". According to Nimzowitsch, writing in the Wiener Schachzeitung in 1925, this term originated in "Danish chess circles". Some consider the final position to be an extremely rare instance of zugzwang occurring in the middlegame. It ended with White resigning in

2736-485: The Middle Ages. The rules continued to be slightly modified until the early 19th century, when they reached essentially their current form. The rules also varied somewhat from region to region. Today, the standard rules are set by FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs), the international governing body for chess. Slight modifications are made by some national organizations for their own purposes. There are variations of

2808-468: The advance of the white king. In many cases, the player having the move can put the other player in zugzwang by using triangulation . This often occurs in king and pawn endgames. Pieces other than the king can also triangulate to achieve zugzwang, such as in the Philidor position . Zugzwang is a mainstay of chess compositions and occurs frequently in endgame studies . Some zugzwang positions occurred in

2880-441: The black king must abandon its attack on the white rook and thus allow the white king to trap the knight: 3...Kc4 4.Kg3 (or Kg4) Kd4 5.Re1 and White wins. The concept of zugzwang is also seen in the 1585 endgame study by Giulio Cesare Polerio , published in 1604 by Alessandro Salvio , one of the earliest writers on the game. The only way for White to win is 1.Ra1 Kxa1 2.Kc2, placing Black in zugzwang. The only legal move

2952-492: The challenge that White faces here; his most natural continuations allow Black to play the moves he wants to. I would therefore say that White is in 'Zugzwang Lite' and that he remains in this state for several moves. The game continued 10. Nf3 d5 11. d4 Nf6 12. Bf4 Rb6 13. 0-0 Bf5 14. Rb3 0-0 15. Ne5 Ne4 16. h3 h5!? 17. Kh2 . The position is still almost symmetrical, and White can find nothing useful to do with his extra move. Rowson whimsically suggests 17.h4!?, forcing Black to be

International Braille Chess Association - Misplaced Pages Continue

3024-438: The crushing ...Rg2+. The queen cannot move without abandoning either its defense of the bishop on g5 or of the g2 square, where it is preventing ...Qg2#. Attempting to push the f-pawn to promotion with 35.f6 loses the bishop: 35...Rxg5 36. f7 Rg2+, forcing mate . The move 35.Kg1 allows 35...Qh1+ 36.Kf2 Qg2+ followed by capturing the bishop. The rook cannot leave the first rank , as that would allow 35...Qh1#. Rook moves along

3096-426: The elementary (and common) king and rook versus king endgame , and the king and rook (or differently-named pieces with the same powers) have been chess pieces since the earliest versions of the game. Other than basic checkmates , the earliest published use of zugzwang may be in this study by Zairab Katai, which was published sometime between 813 and 833, discussing shatranj . After puts Black in zugzwang, since

3168-437: The endgame when the number of pieces, and so the number of possible moves, is reduced, and the exact move chosen is often critical. The first diagram shows the simplest possible example of zugzwang. If it is White's move, they must either stalemate Black with 1.Kc6 or abandon the pawn , allowing 1...Kxc7 with a draw. If it is Black's move, the only legal move is 1...Kb7, which allows White to win with 2.Kd7 followed by queening

3240-400: The enemy pawn as if it had moved only one square. This capture is legal only on the move immediately following the pawn's advance. The diagrams demonstrate an instance of this: if the white pawn moves from a2 to a4, the black pawn on b4 can capture it en passant , moving from b4 to a3, and the white pawn on a4 is removed from the board. If a player advances a pawn to its eighth rank, the pawn

3312-469: The fifty-move rule will eventually come into effect. More often, the players will simply agree to a draw. A dead position is defined as a position where neither player can checkmate their opponent's king by any sequence of legal moves. According to the rules of chess the game is immediately terminated the moment a dead position appears on the board. Some basic endings are always dead positions; for example: Blocked positions can arise in which progress

3384-490: The final position Black has no direct threats, and no clear plan to improve the already excellent positioning of his pieces, and yet any move by White loses instantly." Soltis writes that his "candidate for the ideal zugzwang game" is the following game Soltis 1978 , p. 55, Podgaets– Dvoretsky , USSR 1974: 1. d4 c5 2. d5 e5 3. e4 d6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. h3 Bxf3 7. Qxf3 Bg5! 8. Bb5+ Kf8! Black exchanges off his bad bishop , but does not allow White to do

3456-483: The first rank other than 35.Rg1 allow 35...Qxf5, when 36.Bxh4 is impossible because of 36...Rg2+; for example, 35.Rd1 Qxf5 36.d5 Bd7, winning. That leaves only 35.Rg1, when Black wins with 35...Rxg5! 36.Qxg5 (36.Rxg5? Qh1#) Qd6+ 37.Rg3 hxg3+ 38.Qxg3 Be8 39.h4 Qxg3+ 40.Kxg3 b5! 41.axb5 a4! and Black queens first. Colin Crouch calls the final position, "An even more perfect middlegame zugzwang than ... Sämisch–Nimzowitsch ... in

3528-402: The first writers on the game, and in shatranj studies dating back to the early 9th century, over 1000 years before the first known use of the term. International chess notation uses the symbol " ⊙ " to indicate a zugzwang position. Positions with zugzwang occur fairly often in chess endgames , especially in king and pawn endgames and elementary checkmates (such as a rook and king against

3600-492: The game. A player who touches a piece to adjust its physical position within a square must first alert the opponent by saying J'adoube or "I adjust". Once the game has started, only the player with the move may touch the pieces on the board. The following rules are applicable to games in organized tournaments and matches, sanctioned by FIDE. They mention timing (chess clocks), arbiters (or, in USCF play, directors), keeping score, and adjournment. The FIDE Laws of Chess define

3672-495: The game. The board is placed so that a white square is in each player's near-right corner. Horizontal rows are called ranks , and vertical columns are called files . Each player controls sixteen pieces: At the beginning of the game, the pieces are arranged as shown in the diagram: for each side one king , one queen , two rooks , two bishops , two knights , and eight pawns . The pieces are placed, one per square, as follows: Popular mnemonics used to remember

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3744-446: The king two squares towards a rook, then placing the rook on the other side of the king, adjacent to it. Castling is only permissible if all of the following conditions hold: An unmoved king and an unmoved rook of the same color on the same rank are said to have castling rights . When a pawn advances two squares on its initial move and ends the turn adjacent to an enemy pawn on the same rank , it may be captured en passant by

3816-400: The opponent to give checkmate by any series of legal moves, the game is a draw. FIDE's competitive rules of play allow a player to claim a draw in either of two situations: These rules help prevent games from being extended indefinitely in tournaments. There is no longer a rule specifically defining perpetual check as a draw. In such a situation, either the threefold repetition rule or

3888-433: The pawn on the next move. The second diagram is another simple example. Black, on move, must allow White to play Kc5 or Ke5, when White wins one or more pawns and can advance their own pawn toward promotion . White, on move, must retreat their king , when Black is out of danger. The squares d4 and d6 are corresponding squares . Whenever the white king is on d4 with White to move, the black king must be on d6 to prevent

3960-415: The pawn. After the pawn has moved, the player may touch any piece not on the board and the promotion is not finalized until the new piece is released on the promotion square. Although it is a common practice in informal play, under FIDE rules an upturned rook may not be used to represent a promoted queen; such a move would be treated as a legal rook promotion. If the correct piece is not immediately available,

4032-691: The player may stop the clocks and call the arbiter. Tournament games are played under time constraints, called time controls , using a chess clock . Each player is timed separately and must make moves within the time control or forfeit the game. There are different types of time controls applied. For standard chess, different periods can be defined with different fixed times (e.g. first 40 moves in 100 minutes, next 20 moves in 50 minutes, remaining moves in 15 minutes). For rapid and blitz chess, only one period can be defined where all moves must be performed. Additionally, an increment or delay per move may be defined. The United States Chess Federation (USCF) rule

4104-493: The position illustrated that after White plays 36.Kc3, Black "is obliged to move his rook from his king, which gives you an opportunity of taking his rook by a double check [ sic ], or making him mate ". Lasker explicitly cited a mirror image of this position (White: king on f3, queen on h4; Black: king on g1, rook on g2) as an example of zugzwang in Lasker's Manual of Chess . The British master George Walker analyzed

4176-513: The position in the diagram. White has a few pawn moves which do not lose material, but eventually he will have to move one of his pieces. If he plays 1.Rc1 or Rd1, then 1...Re2 traps White's queen; 1.Kh2 fails to 1...R5f3, also trapping the queen, since White cannot play 2.Bxf3 because the bishop is pinned to the king; 1.g4 runs into 1...R5f3 2.Bxf3 ? Rh2 mate. Angos analyzes 1.a3 a5 2.axb4 axb4 3.h4 Kh8 (waiting) 4.b3 Kg8 and White has run out of waiting moves and must lose material. Best in this line

4248-440: The position shown, White has just gotten his king to a6, where it attacks the black pawn on b6, tying down the black king to defend it. White now needs to get his bishop to f7 or e8 to attack the pawn on g6. Play continued: Now the bishop is able to make a tempo move. It is able to move while still attacking the pawn on g6, and preventing the black king from moving to c6. and Black is in zugzwang. Knights are unable to lose

4320-517: The rook, 33...Ra8 or Re8, then not only does White gain a queen with 34.c8=Q+, but the black rook will also be lost after 35.Qxa8, 35.Qxe8 or 35.Rxe7+ (depending on Black's move); if Black moves the knight, Be6 will win Black's rook. That leaves only pawn moves, and they quickly run out. The game concluded: Jonathan Rowson coined the term Zugzwang Lite to describe a situation, sometimes arising in symmetrical opening variations, where White's "extra move"

4392-444: The rook. Either player may resign at any time, conceding the game to the opponent. To indicate resignation, the player may say "I resign". Tipping over the king also indicates resignation, but it should be distinguished from accidentally knocking the king over. Stopping both clocks is not an indication of resigning, since clocks can be stopped to call the arbiter. An offer of a handshake is sometimes used, but it could be mistaken for

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4464-405: The rules for fast chess , correspondence chess , online chess , and Chess960 . Besides the basic moves of the pieces, rules also govern the equipment used, time control , conduct and ethics of players, accommodations for physically challenged players, and recording of moves using chess notation . Procedures for resolving irregularities that can occur during a game are provided as well. Chess

4536-504: The rules for standard chess, rapid chess , blitz chess , and guidelines for Chess960 . For standard chess, the players must record the moves, which is optional in rapid chess and blitz Chess. Some rules are specifically adapted for blind and visually impaired players. These rules are used for over-the-board (OTB) games. The rules for correspondence chess are defined by the ICCF . Rules for computer chess and for online chess played on

4608-477: The same. 9. Bxg5 Qxg5 10. h4 Qe7 11. Be2 h5 12. a4 g6 13. g3 Kg7 14. 0-0 Nh6 15. Nd1 Nd7 16. Ne3 Rhf8 17. a5 f5 18. exf5 e4! 19. Qg2 Nxf5 20. Nxf5+ Rxf5 21. a6 b6 22. g4? hxg4 23. Bxg4 Rf4 24. Rae1 Ne5! 25. Rxe4 Rxe4 26. Qxe4 Qxh4 27. Bf3 Rf8!! 28. Bh1 If instead 28.Qxh4 then 28...Nxf3+ followed by 29...Nxh4 leaves Black a piece ahead. 28... Ng4 29. Qg2 (first diagram) Rf3!! 30. c4 Kh6!! (second diagram) Now all of White's piece moves allow checkmate or ...Rxf2 with

4680-428: The second game of the 1971 candidates match between Bobby Fischer and Mark Taimanov . In the position in the diagram, Black is in zugzwang because he would rather not move, but he must: a king move would lose the knight, while a knight move would allow the passed pawn to advance. The game continued: and Black is again in zugzwang. The game ended shortly (because the pawn will slip through and promote ): In

4752-414: The setup are "queen on her own color" and "white on right". The latter refers to setting up the board so that the square closest to each player's right is white. The player controlling the white pieces is named "White"; the player controlling the black pieces is named "Black". White moves first, then players alternate moves. Making a move is required; it is not legal to skip a move, even when having to move

4824-469: The stronger side, but sometimes it aids the defense. In this position based on a game between Zoltán Varga and Péter Ács , it saves the game for the defense: Reciprocal zugzwang. Reciprocal zugzwang again. Reciprocal zugzwang again. This position is a draw and the players agreed to a draw a few moves later. Alex Angos notes that, "As the number of pieces on the board increases, the probability for zugzwang to occur decreases." As such, zugzwang

4896-471: The superior side usually has a waiting move or can triangulate to put the opponent in zugzwang. The diagram shows a position of reciprocal zugzwang. If Black is to move, 1... Kd7 is forced, which loses because White will move 2. Kb7, promote the pawn, and win. If White is to move the result is a draw as White must either stalemate Black with 1. Kc6 or allow Black to capture the pawn. Since each side would be in zugzwang if it were their move, it

4968-408: The term is used less precisely in games such as chess, it is used specifically in combinatorial game theory to denote a move that directly changes the outcome of the game from a win to a loss. Putting the opponent in zugzwang is a common way to help the superior side win a game, and in some cases it is necessary in order to make the win possible. More generally, the term can also be used to describe

5040-510: The term zugzwang in English was on page 166 of the February 1905 issue of Lasker's Chess Magazine . The term did not become common in English-language chess sources until the 1930s, after the publication of the English translation of Nimzowitsch's My System in 1929. The concept of zugzwang, if not the term, must have been known to players for many centuries. Zugzwang is required to win

5112-464: The terms Zugzwang , Tempozwang and Tempozugzwang on pages 257–259 of the September 1896 issue of the same magazine. When a perceived example of zugzwang occurred in the third game of the 1896–97 world championship match between Steinitz and Lasker, after 34...Rg8, the Deutsche Schachzeitung (December 1896, page 368) reported that "White has died of zugzwang". The earliest known use of

5184-453: The third type reciprocal zugzwang or mutual zugzwang . Some writers call the second type a squeeze and the third type zugzwang . Normally in chess, having tempo is desirable because the player who is to move has the advantage of being able to choose a move that improves their situation. Zugzwang typically occurs when "the player to move cannot do anything without making an important concession". Zugzwang most often occurs in

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