L’opposition

– Thème suivant : Finale Roi contre pion
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Au jeu d’échecs, l’opposition est un concept très important, qui joue un rôle essentiel et dont le thème revient fréquemment, dans les nombreuses finales.

Sommaire

Définition

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Les Rois sont en opposition.

L’opposition désigne l’opposition des Rois. Le concept ne prend donc son sens que dans la phase finale de la partie, lorsque les Rois jouent leur rôle, et s’aventurent hors du rempart protecteur derrière lequel ils se sont abrités jusque là.

L’opposition désigne la situation dans laquelle les rois se font face sur l’ échiquier.

Sur le diagramme, les deux rois sont donc en opposition. Ils se bloquent mutuellement : aucun des deux ne peut s’avancer sur la 5e rangée. Dans une telle situation, le camp qui a le trait est en donc dit « en Zugzwang » et « perd l’opposition », ce qui est généralement négatif : dans ce cas d’espèce, la perte de l’opposition permet au roi ennemi d’avancer. A contrario, « prendre l’opposition » est avantageux puisqu’il permet souvent de progresser.

Typologie

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Les différentes formes d’opposition.

Il existe différentes formes d’opposition : oppositions horizontale, opposition verticale ou diagonale, opposition cavalier, opposition immédiate ou distante. L’opposition est immédiate quand une seule case sépare les Rois, elle est distante dans tous les autres cas.

Dans le diagramme ci-dessous, pour le Roi blanc en b1, toutes les cases marquées par un Roi noir sont des positions d’opposition, pour une question de parité, chaque fois que les Rois sont sur des cases de même couleurs et sont séparés par un nombre impair de cases. Dans le cas de l’opposition diagonale, les Rois se trouvent aux extrémités d’une diagonale d’où ils se mettraient mutuellement en échec s’ils étaient des fous.

L’opposition cavalier (diagramme non fourni) est un opposition marquée par une case centrale, où les rois adverses pourraient tous les deux se rendre s’ils se déplaçaient comme un cavalier. Exemple : avec 2 rois situés en e1 et en g5, les deux rois pourront se retrouver en opposition réelle en se rapprochant de la case f3.

Seule l’opposition verticale ou horizontale est effective, l’opposition diagonale n’étant que virtuelle, mais pouvant se transformer en opposition effective. Mais comme telle, elle ne peut empêcher le Roi adverse d’avancer. Cependant, il est toujours possible de transformer une opposition distante en opposition immédiate, après quelques coups.

La loi des deux cases

L’opposition est conservée lorsque les Rois s’approchent ou s’éloignent de deux cases.

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Opposition (chess)

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In chess, opposition (or direct opposition) is the situation occurring when two kings face each other on a rank or file, with only one square in between them. In such a situation, the player not having to move is said to « have the opposition » ( Flear 2004:12). It is a special type of zugzwang and most often occurs in endgames with only kings and pawns ( Flear 2000:36). The side with the move may have to move the king away, potentially allowing the opposing king access to important squares. Taking the opposition is a means to an end (normally forcing 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.

Contents

Direct opposition

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Direct opposition. If Black is to move, White has the opposition and wins. If White is to move, then Black has the opposition and draws.

Direct opposition is when the two kings face each other along a rank or file with only one square in between. 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 ( Flear 2004:23). (See King and pawn versus king endgame.) If it was White’s turn to move, Black would have the opposition and the position would be a draw.

Example

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Gligoric vs. Fischer, 1959

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Position after 57. Kc4. Marked squares are key squares; Black draws

In the 1959 game between Svetozar Gligoric and Bobby Fischer, [1] 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 waiting move is the only move to draw. (The actual game was drawn 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 1… Kb7? 2. Kb5, then the black king moves and the white king gets to a key square and then wins by forcing promotion of the pawn.

58. Kc5 Kc7
59. Kb5 Kb7
60. Ka5 Ka7 and Black draws. All of these moves by Black are the only one that holds the draw ( Müller & Lamprecht 2007:20), ( Fischer 2008:86).

Diagonal opposition

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Black to move. White has direct opposition, but it is not sufficient to win, it must be converted to diagonal opposition first.

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Black to move, White has diagonal opposition.

Opposition along a diagonal (instead of a rank or file) is called diagonal opposition. Sometimes diagonal opposition is used to achieve direct opposition. An example is the position in the diagram on the left, 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 (diagram on the right).
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 or 7. Kxf6 win for White ( Flear 2004:33).

Distant opposition

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from Capablanca

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White takes the distant opposition after 1. Ke2

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Distant opposition is when the kings face off over a longer distance. 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 on the right ( Capablanca & de Firmian 2006:41):

  1. Ke2 (White takes the distant opposition) … Ke7

  2. Ke3 Ke6

  3. Ke4 (takes the direct opposition, and now Black must step aside) Kd6 (… Kf6 allows the corresponding Kf4!)

  4. Kd4! (Kf5 would lead to both pawns queening) Kc6 (… Ke6 5. Kc5 and is way ahead in the queening race)

  5. Ke5 (and White has a choice of which pawn he wins, and then use this as the outside passed pawn unless he can promote it directly)

Black can be tricky and try

  1. … Kf8 and if

  2. Ke3 then Ke7 and now Black has the distant opposition and draws. Similarly 2. Kf3 Kf7.

White instead should remember that the aim of the opposition is to penetrate, so step sideways and forward with

  1. … Kf8

  2. Kd3! Ke7 (otherwise White penetrates with Kc5, and will win a queening race)

  3. Ke3! (White again has the distant opposition and transposes into the main line)

Teaching tool

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Ortvin Sarapu

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Teaching tool: White is to checkmate and move the rook only once.

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) Kg7

  2. Kg3 Kg6

  3. Kg4 Kh6 (and 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 (… Kh5 5.Rh1#)

  5. Kg5 Kh7

  6. Kf6 Kg8 (… Kh8 7. Kf7 Kh7 Rh1#)

  7. Kg6 Kh8

  8. Rf8#

Again, if Black is tricky, he can try

  1. … Kh8 (again, white penetrates)

  2. Kf3! (Kg3 Kg7; Kh3 Kh7 give Black the distant opposition) Kg7 (Kh7 3. Kf4!)

  3. Kg3.

Purpose

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8 a8 black king b8 black king c8 black king d8 black king e8 black king f8 black king g8 black king h8 black king 8
7 a7 black king b7 black king c7 black king d7 black king e7 black king f7 black king g7 black king h7 black king 7
6 a6 black king b6 black circle c6 black king d6 black king e6 black king f6 black king g6 black king h6 black king 6
5 a5 black king b5 black king c5 black circle d5 black king e5 black king f5 black king g5 black king h5 black king 5
4 a4 black king b4 black king c4 white pawn d4 white king e4 cross f4 black king g4 black king h4 black king 4
3 a3 black king b3 black king c3 black king d3 black king e3 black king f3 black king g3 black king h3 black king 3
2 a2 black king b2 black king c2 black king d2 black king e2 black king f2 black king g2 black king h2 black king 2
1 a1 black king b1 black king c1 black king d1 black king e1 black king f1 black king g1 black king h1 black king 1
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The white king should simply march to a key square (c5 and then b6); taking the opposition with 1. Ke4 only draws.

Yuri Averbakh pointed out that the opposition is a means to an end; the end is penetration to a key square ( Averbakh 1987:5). 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 on the right, White should play 1. Kc5; taking the opposition by 1. Ke4 draws.

The 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).

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8 a8 black king b8 black king c8 black king d8 black king e8 black king f8 black king g8 black king h8 black king 8
7 a7 black king b7 black king c7 black king d7 black king e7 black king f7 black king g7 black king h7 black king 7
6 a6 black king b6 black king c6 black king d6 white king e6 black king f6 black king g6 black king h6 black king 6
5 a5 black king b5 black king c5 black king d5 white pawn e5 black king f5 black king g5 black king h5 black king 5
4 a4 black king b4 black king c4 black king d4 black king e4 black king f4 black king g4 black king h4 black king 4
3 a3 black king b3 black king c3 black king d3 black king e3 black king f3 black king g3 black king h3 black king 3
2 a2 black king b2 black king c2 black king d2 black king e2 black king f2 black king g2 black king h2 black king 2
1 a1 black king b1 black king c1 black king d1 black king e1 black king f1 black king g1 black king h1 black king 1
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White to move

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