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EXAMPLE 23.--In this position White's best line of defence consists in keeping his p.a.w.n where it stands at R 2. As soon as the p.a.w.n is advanced it becomes easier for Black to win. On the other hand, Black's plan to win (supposing that White does not advance his p.a.w.n) may be divided into three parts. The first part will be to get his King to K R 6, at the same time keeping intact the position of his p.a.w.ns. (This is all important, since, in order to win the game, it is essential at the end that Black may be able to advance his rearmost p.a.w.n one or two squares according to the position of the White King.)

1. K - Kt 3 K - K 6 2. K - Kt 2

If 2 K - Kt 4, K - B 7; 3 P - R 4, P - Kt 3 will win. {38}

2. ........ K - B 5 3. K - B 2 K - Kt 5 4. K - Kt 2 K - R 5 5. K - Kt 1 K - R 6

The first part has been completed.

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The second part will be short and will consist in advancing the R P up the K.

6. K - R 1 P - R 4 7. K - Kt 1 P - R 5

This ends the second part.

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The third part will consist in timing the advance of the Kt P so as to play P - Kt 6 when the White King is at R 1. It now becomes evident how necessary it is to be able to move the Kt P either one or two squares according to the position of the White King, as indicated previously.[2] In this case, as it is White's move, the p.a.w.n will be advanced two squares since the White King will be in the corner, but if it were now Black's move the Kt P should only be advanced one square since the White King is at Kt 1.

8. K - R 1 P - Kt 4 9. K - Kt 1 P - Kt 5 10. K - R 1 P - Kt 6 11. P P

If K - Kt 1, P - Kt 7.

11. ........ P P 12. K - Kt 1 P - Kt 7 13. K - B 2 K - R 7

and wins.

It is in this a.n.a.lytical way that the student should try to learn. He will thus train his mind to follow a logical sequence in reasoning out any position. This example is excellent training, since it is easy to divide it into three stages and to explain the main point of each part.

The next subject we shall study is the simple {40} opposition, but before we devote our time to it I wish to call attention to two things.

11. OBTAINING A Pa.s.sED p.a.w.n

When three or more p.a.w.ns are opposed to each other in some such position as the one in Example 24, there is always a chance for one side or the other of obtaining a pa.s.sed p.a.w.n.

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EXAMPLE 24.--In the above position the way of obtaining a pa.s.sed p.a.w.n is to advance the centre p.a.w.n.

1. P - Kt 6 R P P If B P P; P - R 6, 2. P - B 6 P B P 3. P - R 6

and as in this case the White p.a.w.n is nearer to Queen than any of the Black p.a.w.ns, White will {41} win. Now if it had been Black's move Black could play

1. ........ P - Kt 3 2. B P P B P P

It would not be advisable to try to obtain a pa.s.sed p.a.w.n because the White p.a.w.ns would be nearer to Queen than the single Black p.a.w.n.

3. P P P P

and the game properly played would be a draw. The student should work this out for himself.

12. HOW TO FIND OUT WHICH p.a.w.n WILL BE FIRST TO QUEEN

When two p.a.w.ns are free, or will be free, to advance to Queen, you can find out, by counting, which p.a.w.n will be the first to succeed.

EXAMPLE 25.--In this position whoever moves first wins.

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The first thing is to find out, by counting, whether the opposing King can be in time to stop the pa.s.sed p.a.w.n from Queening. When, as in this case, it cannot be done, the point is to count which p.a.w.n comes in first. In this case the time is the same, but the p.a.w.n that reaches the eighth square first and becomes a Queen is in a position to capture the adversary's Queen when he makes one. Thus:

1. P - R 4 P - K R 4 2. P - R 5 P - R 5 3. P - Kt 6 P P

Now comes a little calculation. White can capture the p.a.w.n, but if he does so, he will not, when Queening, command the square where Black will also Queen his p.a.w.n. Therefore, instead of taking, he plays:

4. P - R 6 P - R 6 5. P - R 7 P - R 7 6. P - R 8 (Q), and wins.

The student would do well to acquaint himself with various simple endings of this sort, so as to acquire the habit of counting, and thus be able to know with ease when he can or cannot get there first. Once again I must call attention to the fact that a book cannot by itself teach how to play.

It can only serve as a guide, and the rest must be learned by experience, and if a teacher can be had at the same time, so much the faster will the student be able to learn. {43}

13. THE OPPOSITION

When Kings have to be moved, and one player can, by force, bring his King into a position similar to the one shown in the following diagram, so that his adversary is forced to move and make way for him, the player obtaining that advantage is said to have _the opposition_.

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EXAMPLE 26.--Suppose in the above position White plays

1. K - Q 4

Now Black has the option of either opposing the pa.s.sage of the White King by playing K - Q 3 or, if he prefers, he can _pa.s.s_ with his own King by replying K - B 4. Notice that the Kings are directly opposed to each other, and the number of intervening squares between them is odd--one in this case.

The opposition can take the form shown above, {44} which can be called actual or close frontal opposition; or this form:

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which can be called actual or close diagonal opposition, or, again, this form: