
Triangulation #1: Basics
Triangulation looks often rather unnatural. To understand it, you need a good feeling for concepts like Zugzwang.
---1In the diagram *) to the right it is White to move. If White would be allowed to skip his turn, he would do so. He would stay with his king on f2 forever making it for Black impossible to play Kg3 followed by the promotion of the f- or h-pawn. If White had the choice between moving or not, he wouldn't move. And in that case Black had no possibility to win.
But White has no choice. He must move, even if he has only loosing moves at his disposal. So in the diagram White is in Zugzwang.
---2
Now let us look to the same position with Black to move. How should he play?
- Analyzing J.H.Donner-V.Smyslov, Havana, 1964;
- Emanuel Lasker, Common Sense in Chess, 1896;
- Lev Alburt vs Garry Kasparov, Daugavpils (Latvia), 1987. See 'Triangulation (chess)' on Wikipedia.
wvo 10-2-2012. vs 1.2 tags: Zugzwang, triangulation