The opposition

Opposition is a king duel. The kings stand on the same line with one square between them. The side that is not to move has the opposition, because the side to move has to step off.

  1. Direct opposition is one square between the kings on a file, rank, or diagonal. Distant opposition is the same idea with three or five squares between them.
  2. When pawns are fixed, the king that has the opposition can step into the position and reach a key square.
  3. Outflanking means going around. If the enemy king steps to one side, your king steps to the other and still faces it.
  4. The diagram has no pawns, so nothing is won or lost. It only shows the king steps. White starts with the move, so Black has the direct opposition after White's first step if Black answers straight back.

On the board

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h

Starting position.

Pawn endgame puzzles

These are puzzles tagged for that material, not a claim that every one is this exact ending. Theme page

Loading puzzles.