Any Key Square By Any Route
Jan Drtina, 1908| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 | 8 | ||||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h |
With a king and pawn versus a lone king, it is important to get the attacking king to any key square and the path to a key square is not always direct. For instance, in the diagram on the right, the key squares for the white king are b5, c5, and d5. Black can prevent the white king from reaching a key square directly, e.g.:
- 1. Kd2 Ke7
- 2. Kd3 Kd7
- 3. Kc4 Kc6 (taking the opposition).
However the white king can reach a key square (b5) by going on the other side of the pawn:
- 1. Kc2! Ke7
- 2. Kb3 Kd6
- 3. Kb4 Kc6
- 4. Kc4 (opposition, and Black is in zugzwang) Kd6
- 5. Kb5
or
- 4... Kb6
- 5. Kd5
and the white king has occupied a key square and has a winning position (Müller & Lamprecht 2007:20).
Read more about this topic: Key Square
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Death sits with his key in my lock.
Not one day is taken for granted.
Even nursery rhymes have put me in hock.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“If magistrates had true justice, and if physicians had the true art of healing, they would have no occasion for square caps; the majesty of these sciences would of itself be venerable enough. But having only imaginary knowledge, they must employ those silly tools that strike the imagination with which they have to deal; and thereby, in fact, they inspire respect.”
—Blaise Pascal (1623–1662)
“In the mountains the shortest route is from peak to peak, but for that you must have long legs. Aphorisms should be peaks: and those to whom they are spoken should be big and tall of stature.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)