Chess Patterns   ❯   King Techniques   ❯   Zugzwang

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Zugzwang

Zugzwang

In chess, Zugzwang is a situation where a player is forced to make a move, but any move they make will worsen their position. The term comes from German, meaning "compulsion to move." In zugzwang, the player would prefer to pass their turn, but since this isn't allowed in chess, they must make a detrimental move.

In the diagram above, White can quickly end the game with 1.Qc1. Now the Knight is pinned and Black's pieces are in zugzwang. Black would love to leave everything as it is, but they are forced to move.
1...c4 2.Rxc4 and the outcome is inevitable. After 2...a1=Q, White now has a free line of attack against Black's King. 3.Qxa1#.

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Master Zugzwang

When we started adding a playful touch to chess learning, we looked through thousands of videos and hundreds of books to find the best resources out there. Here's our curated selection of the best content we encountered on the concept of Zugzwang. We also included some smaller creators who are growing fast and we believe deserve your attention. Check out these resources if you want to master this important chess concept.

 
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