Triangulation: Losing a Move to Win
White to play and win
PlayYou have the winning position but the wrong side to move. Triangulation is the maneuver that hands the move back to your opponent and drops them into zugzwang.
No signup needed. The opponent never gives up, and every mistake gets explained.
Triangulation: Losing a Move to Win
Win against perfect defense
Waking the engine…
The theory
Triangulation is a way to lose a single move on purpose so that the same position arises with your opponent to move.
The idea. Your king can travel to a key square by two different routes, one a move longer than the other. The enemy king has no such spare route, so you can hand it the obligation to move.
Zugzwang follows. Forced to move, the defending king surrenders the opposition or a guarding duty, and your king breaks through.
In this drill the defender plays perfectly. Trace the triangle, return the position with the enemy to move, and win.