Lesson 14: Beginner KP Endgames

We likened two fighting kings to sumo wrestlers, and called the three squares that face the opposing king the wrestler's "belly":



But whose belly is really in charge here?

• if white to move, black's belly is in charge because c4,d4,e4 are off-limits to white
• if black to move, white's belly is in charge, for similar reasons

Serious chess people call this "opposition" and treat it as a noun, an item of sorts that you can have or lose. "White has the opposition" means white's belly is in charge, in our analogy.

So what? Well if white's belly is in charge, he can maintain his belly all the way to d8, controlling that square. Similarly, if black's belly is in charge, he can control d1.

So what? If white can walk a pawn with him on his way to control d8, he promotes and wins. And the same applies to black, seeking promotion on d1.