One of the most paradoxical and powerful ideas in chess is Zugzwang. This term of German origin literally means “compulsion to move”, where Zug means ‘move’ and Zwang means ‘compulsion’ It describes a situation where the side to move may be alright or winning in the current position, but the compulsion to make a move drastically worsens their chances as the only legal moves available are bad ones. In this case, the side to move is said to be under Zugzwang.
Sometimes chosing to do nothing helps more than taking action, however, the concept of saying ‘pass’ does not exist in Chess! This is a useful concept to remember to force your opponents into making an unfavourable choice.
Zugzwang is particularly common in endgames due to the fewer pieces left on the board leading to fewer options. It is even common to come across positions of ‘Mutual Zugzwang’: positions where both sides are under Zugzwang, where the evaluation of the position depends on whose turn it is to move.
An example of Mutual Zugzwang |
In the diagram above, White has an extra pawn in a King and pawn endgame, while Black has no pawns or pieces other than the King. Due to the material difference, White’s best result would be a win, while Black’s best result would be a draw.
Right now the pawn on e7 is only one square away from queening, with the White King supporting this pawn from d6. The Black King stands on e8, thus blocking this pawn’s advance and simultaneously, attacking it.
However, the above position is of mutual Zugzwang! This means that if it were Black’s turn to move, he would lose, while White would be forced to settle for a draw if it were White’s turn to move.
Black’s turn to move
The Black King on e8 also prevents the White’s King from coming up to d7 or d8, from where it could enable the e7 pawn to Queen. Thus, we can conclude that the Black would make a draw if he could maintain his King on e8 but lose if he moves it away.
1…Kf7 the only move available for the Black King currently would be met with 2. Kd7 still supporting the pawn on e7, and now controlling e8. Black can no more prevent White from making a Queen on the next move.
White’s turn to move
If the White King were to move away from the pawn, Black would gobble it up with his King, and the position would immediately end in a draw.
Rule of Draw due to insufficient material: When only two kings remain on the board, the game is immediately declared a draw due to insufficient material to checkmate. This rule exists because two kings alone cannot legally deliver checkmate under any circumstances, making further play pointless.
This situation falls under the broader category of dead positions, where no sequence of legal moves can lead to a checkmate.
Thus 1. Kc7 or 1. Ke5 would lead to an immediate draw due to the response 1…Ke7.
So the most logical move for White would be 1.Ke6 where his King still supports the e7 pawn. However, once placed on e6, the White King also controls the only available square for the Black King at the moment: f7. This means that the move 1.Ke6 would lead to a Stalemate, once again effectuating an immediate draw!
“Stalemate” occurs when the side whose turn it is to move has zero legal moves left and their King is Not in Check. At this moment, the game is immediately declared a draw.
The Stalemate may be a slightly disappointing version of the Checkmate, however, this concept has often produced beautiful ideas over the board. Mikhail Chigorin vs Carl Schlechter, 1905
Black to play and draw |
This famous game from over 120 years ago saw Black save a draw from a difficult position, thanks to a fantastic Stalemate trick! Can you find it?
Black is only 1 pawn down in this endgame but Black’s pawns on the Kingside are blocked by the White pawns while the White’s 2 pawns on the Queenside are mobile and connected. With his last move Qb6, White has delivered a Check and threatens to exchange Queens. After the Queen exchange, one or both of White’s queenside pawns would be ready to Queen with the help of each other and the White King. In this precarious position, Black finds a crucial resource:
Answer: 1…Ka8! The idea is that after White picks up the Queen on c7 (for free!) the position is a Stalemate! Check it out yourself.
