What Is the Opposition in Chess?

Why the opposition matters

Kings cannot stand next to each other, so two kings facing each other with one square between them block each other. Whoever has to move must step to the side or back, and the other king can then advance or slip past.

In king and pawn endings this decides the result. The attacking king wants to reach the squares in front of its pawn, and the defending king wants to stand in front of the pawn and stay there. Having the opposition at the right moment is often the difference between a win and a draw.

Direct, distant, and diagonal opposition

Direct opposition is the standard case: the kings are on the same file or rank with exactly one square between them. Distant opposition is the same idea with three or five squares between them. If you have the distant opposition, you can usually turn it into the direct opposition as the kings approach.

Diagonal opposition has the kings on the same diagonal with one square between them. A quick way to check any of these: if the kings are on squares of the same color and an odd number of squares apart on a line, the side not to move has the opposition.

How to use it in practice

With king and pawn against king, the attacker usually wins by getting the king in front of the pawn and taking the opposition. Once your king stands two squares in front of your pawn, it wins whoever is to move, except with a rook pawn, which is drawn when the defending king reaches the corner.

The defender does the opposite. Keep your king in front of the pawn, and when the enemy king steps up to face yours, step up to face it back. When you are forced to give ground, step straight back rather than diagonally, so you can take the opposition again when the enemy king comes forward.

A spare pawn move can change everything, because it hands the move to the opponent. Count spare tempi before you trade into a king and pawn ending.

Common questions