Triangulation

Triangulation is a way for a king to lose a move. The king takes two moves to reach a square it could have reached in one, and the opponent is the one who has to give way.

1. It shows up when the pawns are fixed and the opposition decides the pawn ending.
2. Your king steps to the side, back, and then onto the square you wanted, using three king moves instead of one.
3. The opponent cannot copy all three without stepping off the opposition.
4. The diagram below is the opposition with no extra pawns, so it is only the king shape. Use it to see a king step aside and come back to a neighboring square. Pawn endgame puzzles are the place to practice the full idea.

On the board