In chess, a king walk, also known as a king march, steel king, or wandering king (Dutch: wandelkoning, literally "wanderking"), is a maneuver where the king travels a large distance to a different part of the board in the middlegame or opening. During a king walk, the king may travel along its own side of the board (from kingside to queenside, or vice versa) to reach a safer position. Alternatively, it may travel up the board, often involved in a mating attack against the opposing king.[2]
Activating the king before the endgame is a highly unusual occurrence; before the endgame, the safety of the king is considered paramount, and players are recommended to keep it out of harm's way.[3][4] In contrast, Wilhelm Steinitz, often known as the father of modern chess, was renowned for his maxim that "the king is a fighting piece".[5][6] Dutch chess historian and author Tim Krabbé has documented over one hundred such games.[2]
Because of the rarity of such tactics, those that reap rewards for the attacking player often have brilliancy prizes bestowed upon them.[7][8] Perhaps the most famous in recent history,[9] where Nigel Short defeated Jan Timman in Tilburg in 1991, was voted as one of the hundred greatest chess games in a list compiled by master Graham Burgess, and grandmasters John Nunn and John Emms.[10]
Example games
- Short vs. Timman, Tilburg 1991. Alekhine Defense: Modern, Alburt Variation (B04), 1–0.[11] Short ties up Timman's pieces and his king can advance.
- Alekhine vs. Yates, London 1922. Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Main Line (D64), 1–0.[12] Alekhine conjures up an attack in the endgame, and his king joins the fray.
See also
References
- ^ Agadmator: Nigel Short's King March Creates a "Mental Blockage" in Chess Engines https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHcMY3Jvo2s
- ^ a b Krabbé, Tim (1985), Chess Curiosities, London: George Allen & Unwin, ISBN 0-04-794021-2
- ^ "Chess; Theory aside, the king safety is foremost", Robert Byrne, The New York Times, September 7, 1986
- ^ "Ten Tips to Winning Chess – 7. Keep your king safe" Archived 2007-08-19 at the Wayback Machine, Arthur Bisguier, United States Chess Federation website
- ^ "Wilhelm Steinitz (1836–1900)" Archived 2008-06-19 at the Wayback Machine, Jeremy Silman
- ^ "Chess; Girding the king", Robert Byrne, The New York Times, June 27, 1982
- ^ "Steel king from Utrecht", Open Chess Diary, July 11, 2003
- ^ "Steel King goes all the way", Open Chess Diary, July 4, 2007
- ^ "The outrageous king walk", Dennis Monokroussos, ChessBase, April 2, 2006
- ^ Burgess, Graham; Nunn, John; Emms, John (October 1998), The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games, Carroll & Graf, ISBN 978-0-7867-0587-0
- ^ "Nigel Short vs. Jan Timman, Interpolis 15th (1991), Tilburg NED, rd 4". Chessgames.com.
- ^ "Alexander Alekhine vs. Fred Dewhirst Yates, London (1922), rd 10". Chessgames.com.
External links
- "His Majesty steps out" capanegra, Chessgames.com
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