King walk
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In chess, a king walk, also known as a king march, steel king, or wandering king (Template:Langx, 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 Template:Chessgloss to Template:Chessgloss, or vice versa) to reach a safer position. Alternatively, it may travel up the board, often involved in a Template:Chessgloss against the opposing king.[1]
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.[2][3] In contrast, Wilhelm Steinitz, often known as the father of modern chess, was renowned for his maxim that "the king is a fighting piece".[4][5] Dutch chess historian and author Tim Krabbé has documented over one hundred such games.[1]
Because of the rarity of such tactics, those that reap rewards for the attacking player often have Template:Chessgloss bestowed upon them.[6][7] Perhaps the most famous in recent history,[8] 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.[9]
Example games
- Short vs. Timman, Tilburg 1991. Alekhine Defense: Modern, Alburt Variation (B04), Template:ChessAN.[10] 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), Template:ChessAN.[11] Alekhine conjures up an attack in the endgame, and his king joins the fray.
See also
- Chess tactics
- King hunt – where the king is involuntarily chased up the board by the opponent and often checkmated
References
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- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ "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" Template:Webarchive, Arthur Bisguier, United States Chess Federation website
- ↑ "Wilhelm Steinitz (1836–1900)" Template:Webarchive, 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
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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External links
- "His Majesty steps out" capanegra, Chessgames.com
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