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Zugzwang

Submitted by GM Julio_Becerra on Wed, 07/29/2009 at 12:59am.

Zugzwang: A situation in which a player is limited to moves that cost pieces or have a damaging positional effect or A situation in a chess game in which a player is forced to make an undesirable or disadvantageous move.

According to Nimzowitsch, writing in the Wiener Schachzeitung in 1925, this term originated in "Danish chess circles.” But the man who popularized the word was the immortal Aaron Nimzowitsch himself in his classical books “My System” and “Chess Praxis.”

Today I want to show you the “Zugzwang Immortal Game” between Saemisch-Nimzowitsch, Copenhagen 1923. Harry Golombek called it the “finest possible example of Zugzwang.” Fred Reinfeld considered it Nimzowitsch’s “most famous game.”

It seems Alekhine studied “My System”, and he applied the same method to the propagator! In the game Alekhine-Nimzowitsch, San Remo 1930, we will see another impressive zugzwang, this time with Nimzowitsch as victim!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Homework!!

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Comments:

by gambit156 - 2 years ago
mumbai India
Member Since: Jun 2009
Member Points: 702

total nasty!!

by dpenaranda - 2 years ago
Costa Rica
Member Since: Feb 2009
Member Points: 135

Yes...that game it is also recognized as the Alekhine's gun.

http://www.chess.com/article/view/alekhines-gun

This is another article (in chess.com) about this zugzwang position (game) but refering to Alekhine's gun.

Thanks!

by hwatuseke - 2 years ago
Jakarta Indonesia
Member Since: Dec 2008
Member Points: 1044

Good Game

Thank's

by invaderX17 - 2 years ago
Fremont,CA United States
Member Since: Feb 2009
Member Points: 361

rf3 is for the homework. then white would be in a situation like this:

by SerbianChessStar - 2 years ago
Belgrade Serbia
Member Since: May 2009
Member Points: 4011

Rf3 for the homework

When will we get to know the answer?

by abcfls - 2 years ago
Brazil
Member Since: Mar 2008
Member Points: 95

Great article Julio! A rare and awful theme.

by WindowsEnthusiast - 2 years ago
United States
Member Since: Jun 2008
Member Points: 7968

I've seen that position before-1...Rf3! leaves White badly tied up. If 2.Qxf3 then 2...Qh2#. If 2.R(anywhere) then 2...Rxf2 wins white's queen or mates.That leaves pawn moves: 2.c3 b5 3.b3 c4 4.b4 and black has a choice of 4...g5, 4...Kh6, 4...Kh7, 4...Kh8, and 4...Kg8, which all maintain the zugzwang. Note that 4...Kf6??, 4...Kf7??, and 4...Kf8?? lose to 5.Qxf3+ (check! so Black can't play Qh2#).

by pologab - 2 years ago
Manila Philippines
Member Since: Jul 2009
Member Points: 21

a very strong strategy move...zugzwang

by I_M_Nameless - 2 years ago
Zimbabwe
Member Since: Nov 2007
Member Points: 7

Or perhaps Rh8?...

by crazy_attack - 2 years ago
chess.com United States
Member Since: Sep 2008
Member Points: 1252

Homework: is it Rf3?

by chhatch - 2 years ago
Tennessee United States
Member Since: Jun 2009
Member Points: 59

Hmm... perhaps I should have read this article before the games I just played. I encountered several such situations.

by Marshal_Dillon - 2 years ago
New Jersey United States
Member Since: Apr 2008
Member Points: 465

Ah yes, zugzwang, that condition in which any move you might choose to make automatically loses. Tongue out

by KKM - 2 years ago
atlanta United States
Member Since: Nov 2008
Member Points: 2

my favorite zugzwang is when a rook or queen checks the king on the bank rank and the king can't block the check thus forcing the king to lose a piece on the back rank nasty ^_^

by Gerik - 2 years ago
Camping in the United States
Member Since: Mar 2009
Member Points: 777

This is an excellent and highly instructive article. I have been the victim of zugzwang in several games.

by PsychoMath - 2 years ago
Billings, Montana United States
Member Since: Apr 2009
Member Points: 581

I like the idea of zugzwang... it's kind of like stalemate, except good for you.

by Politicalmusic - 2 years ago
Georgia United States
Member Since: Feb 2009
Member Points: 2458

Nice Julio... I've seen that Alekhine game puzzle a lot of time but didn't know it was from that game!  Thanks!

by madpawn - 2 years ago
London England
Member Since: Mar 2008
Member Points: 1038

I am still waiting to play a classic type game that I can call the Madpawn Immortal.

THANKS FOR POSTING.

by pawnkeeper - 2 years ago
Los Angeles United States
Member Since: Feb 2009
Member Points: 1012

Chessboy 96 says black Re2 and wins the Queen, it's not blacks turn. and if black did do that he would lose the rook and a bishop for a rook. 

by percivalfox - 2 years ago
Horst Holstein Germany
Member Since: Apr 2009
Member Points: 238

plural of Zugzwang is Zugzwängen Smile. I'm sorry, I just wanted to use my german keyboard appropriately for once^^...

by kitifolen - 2 years ago
madrid Spain
Member Since: Jun 2009
Member Points: 92

nice&intructive article...i need to do my homework now taking into account im not into chess books!!!

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