National Scholastic Chess Foundation
 

COACHES' CORNER

Winning Technique

Once you have a winning material advantage you must be able to convert that advantage to checkmate. Many beginning players have trouble doing this, even with the most extreme advantages. Winning a game when you have a clear material advantage is called technique, or method. In the simple endgames, you must learn regular methods for delivering checkmate quickly. What if you have just seconds on your clock and you have to deliver mate with king and queen versus king?. There is no time to choose between moves - you must know exactly what you are doing. NSCF Coach Jim Santorelli teaches a simple method for delivering this mate. You drive your opponent's king toward the edge of the board, and toward the shortest corner you can drive him to. You do this by continually moving your queen a knight's move away from the opposing king! This is called "taking the knight's opposition." Here's how it works:

Follow the play on the Java Chessboard











With 1...Qg4, the queen takes the knight's opposition.

The play proceeds 2.Kd3 Qf4 3.Kc3 Qe4 4.Kb3 Qd4 5.Kc2 Qe3 [Not 5...Qb4, which wastes time by letting the king come back toward the center with 6.Kd3.]
6.Kb2 Qd3 [or 6.Kd1 Qf2] 7.Ka2 Qc3 8.Kb1 Qd2 9.Ka1










The opposing king has been herded into the corner.

Now you do not play 9...Qc2?? - it's stalemate!

It is now that you bring in your king: 9...Kc6 10.Kb1 Kb5 11.Ka1 Kb4 12.Kb1 Kb3 13.Ka1 Qc1 mate.

Endgame manuals may tell you this mate can always be delivered in 10 moves or less. This usually involves bringing your king close to the opposing king sooner, leaving you with more choices to make and more chances to stalemate. To be sure and fast, use the method shown here. Practice it with your friends, using a clock. Remember to stick with the method - don't get cute.






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