Triangulation: Losing a Move to Win
White to play and win, after Triangulation
PlayThe position is winning, but only if it were the defender's turn. Triangulation is the art of wasting exactly one move with your king so the same position returns with the other side to play.
No signup needed. The opponent never gives up, and every mistake gets explained.
Triangulation: Losing a Move to Win
Win against perfect defense
Setting up the board…
The theory
Triangulation sounds exotic and is actually the plainest idea in endgame play: some positions are lost for whoever must move, so arrange to arrive there when it's not your turn.
Mutual zugzwang. In blocked pawn positions there are square-pairs where the kings glare at each other and any move loses ground. If reaching the stand-off with the OPPONENT to move wins, your task is pure tempo arithmetic.
The triangle. A king can return to its square in three moves via two neighbors; a defending king confined to two squares (its post and one retreat) can only return in two. Three versus two: after your triangle the position repeats with the move passed to the defender, who must now give way.
Where it appears. Blocked central pawns (this drill), queen endings, even the Lucena's cousin positions. The prerequisite is always the same: know WHICH square-pair is the zugzwang, then dance.
Against the tablebase defender approximate play achieves nothing here: the position repeats forever until you demonstrate the triangle precisely. This is the drill that turns 'I've heard of triangulation' into technique.