Chess Endgame Study: Triangulation

[austinedwards7]

damn Tj Miller, you know your chess

[baar34]

at the starting position: white wins with d6 and after cxd6, white plays kd5. and whites gonna take the pawn next move cuz the black king has to move back

[42024247514]

Zuuuuuuuuugzwaaaaaaaaaaaang !

[42024247514]

OMG thank you sooooo much ! i finaly get it ! opposition knowledge is nice , but nut much without triangulation !!!!!!

[AdrianTregoning]

Do you have any videos with triangulation in the middlegame?

[BertisWorldYT]

"zugzwang" is german.

you pronounce it: "tzoog-tzvawng"

[CaptainSvy]

Thank you very much for the lesson!

[Jonny19191]

1. D6

2. CxD6

3.Kd5

The rest is easy

[HellSaint1000]

@Jonny19191 1. d6 Kd8 is the correct move sequence, no 1... cxd6 Yes, it is winning for white anyway with 9. Kxc7... but is a bit longer set of moves

[Ultraexamon]

wouldn't 1. Kd4 work also?

[shinyninetales999]

wow, very good video

[TheReddwarff100]

I little tip.

If you want to improve at chess up to a high level.

Study the end game more than anything else.

Avoid studying the openings to much.

[teneight78]

@TheReddwarff100 yes massa

[jolly113]

wonderful video

[vedachala1]

Hai jrob i am vedachala,i like this video of Triangulation very much.Plz upload strongest openings of whote and black.

[greatcornholio]

@vedachala1 He has a bunch of strong openings uploaded. But consider that the knowledge of the opening from your opponent is one of the key factors to tell how strong an opening is.

[holderlindediotima]

Nice video. Thanks for sharing.

[selti1]

JUST BRILLIANT

THANK YOU!!!!!

[TheLorax11]

thanks! the end game is key in securing a W

[longliveboazania]

tnx for sharing your talent

[dr05guitar]

likin your videos

[Weirdgus]

awesome vid, thanks for sharing this!

[PaladinswordSaurfang]

interesting vid, too bad i'll probably never get into that exact position and happen to remember this

[mattfca]

wow. i never knew this technique. thanks!

[tresmeses9]

Que buen video lástima que no entiendo inglés solo spanish

[philnoll]

Hi Jrobi. You oughtta show that triangulation is not the only way to get opposition.

There's also the pawn sacrifice d6

Either (1. d6 cxd6 2. Kd5 Ke8 3. Ke6!)

or (1. d6 Kd8 2. d7 Ke7 3. d8=Q Kxd8 4. Kf6)

[kevinzki21]

shiz ive been doing this technique in every end game i play but i never knew there was such a known name for it.. .. which is triangulation.....

[michaeljimpogi23]

this is helpful^^

[mboylan74]

Great video

I learned something new - cheers

[Slaying350]

cool tactics

[zgorl]

I'm curious to see an example of triangulation in a middle game...

[Doublemac88]

It is rare because there are still so many pieces on the board that the opposition is not important.

[teneight78]

@zgorl there is no triangulation in the middle game. a requirement of triangulation is to have limited moves available.

[Fluffisnoterm]

The correct pronounciation is the one Eloviat is suggesting. It's the correct way to pronounce it in German.

[NimW]

hi, what do you propose the best way to study endgames?

for example, i saw a challenge on your website jrobichess . com of king + queen VS queen + rook.

I could not solve it and never quite reached a mate even after trying for 30 minutes.

where would i go from there? what do i do now?

take care

Nimrod Weinberg

[NimW]

correction:

king + queen VS king + rook

[Jenna83184]

wow, this is really helpful. My endgame is really weak and I can't tell you how many times I've been faced with a similar scenario and lost!

[byakuugan86]

@Jenna83184 I also have some helpful endgame videos

[SpongeInPyjama]

Amazing jrobbi!

more videos of opposition and non-opposition and more stuff like this. i really need to understand the logic behind everything in chess!

[adm432]

thx for uploading ;)

[Elorviat]

The fellow who told you how to pronounce "zugzwang" is incorrect. The "a" is not pronounced like the "a" in "mate", but like the word "awe" or the exasperation "ah". The IPA spelling is ˈtsuːktsvaŋ. The best I can render it for English speakers is Ts-oo-ck-ts-v-ah-ng.

I always thought it funny that people seem to have no difficulty with the proper pronunciation of the "zug" and "zw" portions, but miss the "a".

[scath7]

I've heard Joshua Waitzkin (International Master) pronounce it exactly like "zoogswong", so I'll go with that lol

[Elorviat]

@scath7

He's pronouncing it wrong then.

[scionescire]

@ scath7: I'm German, the word is (originally) from German, so believe me, Eloviat is right (whether he is German or not) ;-)

[Libertarianist]

I'd play the obvious, d6, if black plays d6, then d5 d8 d6 c7 b7 d7

If black plays d8 then d7 forcing black king to bounce between d8 and e7 until the white king swings around the other side.

I know, you wanted to teach triangulation.

[conard3]

@Libertarianist Well that doesn't work if the white pawns were on d4 and c5 and black pawn is on c6 and the kings are on e4 and e6 . There in that position you must use the triangulation. Because the black king can sit in front of the remaining white pawn-stalemate.

[princeofarabia2020]

your efforts are amazing

[GreyuZaru]

Thank you very much for making this video! I often run into problems like this in the endgame, so triangulation is very helpful to know.

[azmasti]

thanks buddy for posting a detailed analysis and teaching us the short cut rules that enable us to avoid heavy and often burdensome calculation in the end game.... Love your style!!! Do keep it up

[Tgsteveb]

I'm learning so much watching these videos, Your down to earth attitude is teaching me to be a better player and I thank you.

[studybuddydave]

Hey, do you ever play on fics? We should play some time, I could learn alot analyzing a game with you :)

[capricornwon07]

Thanks for the post I've been in that situation and did not know the triangulation i will definately practice it.

[mangaissofun]

aaaaaaaaaaw munching up pawns yum yum

[darkoli9]

yo thats such a dope ass move yo u know im go be winning games cos of this sun word ....u is one clever thinking ass real live gstar yo

[Greenmigs31]

its kinda like passing lol

[silentswordman93]

i played chess for long but don't know this techniques thanks for guide

[rejwin]

Thanks :) It helped a lot

[Paulecf]

Others have seen d6 as one way of winning (castleblock a year ago to name one) and in the lines the black king cannot reach c7. It is a good idea to check this with software and then your questions will be answered. Thanks for your reply.

[w4rrior94]

good vid

[Paulecf]

Alec, you must have missed the third move: 3 Ke6! as posted, not kxd6 which does draw. I have just rechecked this with Fritz11 to be sure.

[graveemporer]

5:05 what about umpasont or something like that, cant black capture pawn?

[jrobichess]

I talk about it in the video - basically if the pawn is taken white just promotes. However it wouldn't be enpassant because black's pawn would have to be on white's 3rd rank in order for that to happen. Thanks for checking out the vid!

[jblaze024x]

@jrobichess you the man.. jrobi

[amenslemirii]

@jrobichess  How about d6? It looks winning...

[PaladinswordSaurfang]

@graveemporer "en passant" not "umpasont"

[Arthounot]

@graveemporer Enpassant,.

[SydneyFC010]

@graveemporer idiot

[graveemporer]

@SydneyFC010 i was asking an innocent question back when i did not really know the rules of the game and was simply trying to find out as much as i could before i started playing. You are insulting a person who has never tried the game before and wanted to know more about it before blindly jumping in. YOU sir are the idiot.

[antoniov64]

d6 does not win after cxd Kd5 Ke8!

[Paulecf]

antoniov: d6 does win. Please see previous posts. The key is Ke6 on move three. Any software will confirm this.

[jerkhead777]

heh heh .....wow

i saw this video, and i played triangulation in my chess games, ive won 2 chess end games from triangulation

thanks for the advice!

[memoryfull21]

d6 is a win for white

[jrobichess]

Still winning, just one set of moves longer if black doesn't take. Thanks for checking out the vid!

[XreiterX]

very good video... thx

[ilikemashtvshow]

great video series! thank you

[NinjaBearPOOF]

Excellent! Thanks.

[alex49carson]

black eventually K e4

[alex49carson]

what if Rg4

[JamesEF90]

That's really helpful, Thanks for all your videos, these are really entertaining and informative, they're easy to understand, and I like all the arrows that show possible moves and captures, very helpful for visualizing coverage on the board.

[gwk326]

Thanks for the technique, great strategy!

[fezzjr]

im curious as to what you meant when you said you had to redo your vid bc of the first example.... just curious as to how the ranks would make a difference

[Paulecf]

1. d6 is the correct and quickest way to win; Pisagor23 is incorrect because of 3Ke6, instead of taking the pawn, which confirms the opposition. Checked with Fritz11 1. d6+ cxd6+ 2. Kd5 Ke8 3. Ke6 Kd8 4.

Kxd6 Kc8 5. c7 Kb7 6. Kd7 etc

[Promezheus]

I would play 1. d6. He is defintely no genius.

[jrobichess]

Sometimes there are more ways to win, and this one was an example of Triangulation. That being said, I definitely don't claim to be a genius. =)

Thanks for checking out the vid!

[Pisagor23]

d6 doesnt win as you assume, i think you ignored black's Ke8 move.

1.d6 cxd6 2.Kd5 Ke8 3.Kxd6 Kd8 = draw

[IT3LLItLikeItIs]

great!!! on which software do u guys play chess online? i would love to play with u guys

[jrobichess]

Free internet chess server with the babas graphical client is my current favorite. I have a video on it if you're interested.

[Alk1992alk92]

@jrobichess I would be interested in this if you could link it to me, Thanks

[wearehcck]

genius

[jrobichess]

Thanks for checking it out!

[BongBeastyPimp]

hey was up<ive been playing for 5 years and my rating veries on some days. my rating is somewhere 1800. i really want to play in a game and see where i stand i dont no what yuor rated but its all in good funn ha hahaha well keep making videos i really injoyed chess legends. i hope we could play

[ajsahaf]

I saw this a couple days ago, and today I sort of.. sort of used the technique in a game and got a draw in a an all pawns endgame, I was down a pawn

[jrobichess]

That's awesome ajsahaf! Here's to future wins!

[rolfch1p]

thanks for a great video! I used your strategy in a tournament :)

[jrobichess]

Thanks rolfch1p!

[syddalboy]

oh i found something nice white could move it's pawn up to d6 and black would capture with his pawn then white could move to d5. and now it is black turn to move and it could not support its pawn anymore wherever it goes to

[kenyudbzto]

Very nice. I'd heard of all of these concepts before, but these are very good examples. I'm really glad there's someone like you putting up videos like these. ;)

Though I still curse 'zugzwang'. I've got into that 2 times with my school's 3rd best player and ended up losing because of it... though it did help me win against him once too...

[chessmastor]

Great tips for the kids, keep em coming.

[Nimzomyth68]

Opposition and Triangulation are great guidelines for these sort of positions. They are fallible though as rules. For more detail I recommend a study of corresponding squares. Great vid though.

[netruno]

Wow! I never realized that just a simple move to buy for time lets you get the opposition and a crushing advantage! You and Triangulation are brilliant! *tips hat in respect*

[mcscheijgrond79]

AAAH i guess its about (op)POSITION?

t for yr videos very clear eplaining

[jrobichess]

Thanks mcscheijgrond79!

[lordofllamas42]

on the first example, white could also win by d6+! cxd6+ Kd5 Kd8 Kxd6 Kc8 c7 Kb7 Kd7 if Ke8 instead of Kd8, Ke6!

[jrobichess]

Definitely more than one winning way there - thanks for checking it out!

[flamboyant514]

nice video mate, thanks

[jrobichess]

Thanks flamboyant514!

[edmaximus]

That's great. I ve been in bot positions but never knew they had a name for it. I've sat for days trying to think of what to do - know I know to triangulate.

[jrobichess]

Glad it helped edmaximus!

[bassieeee7]

I used triangulation and opposition in my games and it is really helpfull! It gave me crushing advantages in the endgame, your videos are great keep it up!

[jrobichess]

Glad to hear it bassieeee7! Thanks for checking out the vid!

[austrailianpirate]

hey wha'ts that game where it's chess, but it has like 2 or 3 stories, like different levels above the regular board?

[Shorty20122012]

in the position at 9:26, maybe white should have checked the king with the rook at E4 then took the black pawn .....

[sgjvm410h]

I think the problem in that is that although it would lead to a pawn trade (rook takes f3/king takes c4), it would be black to move. first he either gets his unprotected rook out or trades. now black has a very open black pawn that will soon promote whereas the only pawn white has left is blocked behind a reinforced pawn.

[BeauG1990]

Yeah true. it is a fairly dynamic concept that would be extremely hard to use if your opponent still has pieces left. ie. Knights, Rooks, as they can easily guard squares that you want to use triangulation with.

[BeauG1990]

Yeah man thats a great strategy ill definitely try that next time im in an endgame position like these ones i play alot of chess in my spare time so ive played alot of endgames but yeah i honestly never would of thought of this, thanks for uploading.

[williamportor]

Very helpful...thanks!

[geonerd]

Please do a video on Related Squares! 'Triangulation' is OK for limited situations, but doesn't really get to the heart of the concept.

TY

[N73B60]

nice trick.

i mean.. in chess there are no tricks, just well thought plays.

i mean... the triangulation was already there, but someone named it "triangulation" and understood that this set of moves could be used in every similar situation, promoting it to the level of "technique".

so i would say: well thought! i haven't thought it before. thanks.

[zdrak2]

A nice example of triangulation, but it isn't necessary here. White can win by 1.d6+ without all the song and dance.

[guitarstrike]

no dude, its called triangulation. i read it on chessmaster.trust me...

[samsr078]

Superb video!

[kosamf]

very interesting

[DeepGlue555]

Fritz 6 does this to me too, but i think thats called striangulation.

[Myleanne14]

good video, thanks for the advice

[prodigy0521]

Thank you..i can use this in tomorrows tournament^^.....i wan to be just like wesley so....Im from philippines too.... thanks for the upload

[60moonwalk03]

great! these moves would give me an advantage in a game

[PhilomathBret]

If move A gives you a losing position, that doesn't mean that you have to do move B if that also gives you a losing position :)

[manuelfranco1]

Hey nice video! You forgot to mention in the second position the tricky move e3+. If that happens white can't simply take the pawn because that ensures the opposition and a draw for black! White must instead play Kd3.

[metricprime]

...um...it does ensure opposition, but the opposition was only applied when the pawn was there, if he takes the pawn, white will win from a pawn push on the queen side (but we're not going to argue about that). The goal of this was to ensure the e pawn does not push, and it has achieved that goal, even if there is opposition when King captures pawn at e3.

[manuelfranco1]

Just to make sure we are talking about the same thing, metricprime: in the second position play goes 1. Kd2 e3+ and you say 2. Kxe3 Ke5 is still a win for white. Can you show me a forced win for white? I can't seem to find it...it looks like a draw (with best play for black of course).

[metricprime]

ha, sry for the late reply, but this way black is left with no way of attacking, if black goes for the pawns on the left, white can push a pawn down on the right, white's king is able to protect the pawn on the left no matter what. If Black King moves back, white can attack from the right.

[inholtz]

euh d6+ is also winning ;)

d6 ...xd6 then Kd5 and the black king must go away from the pawn

[spiky1265]

no it is not winning if black plays correctly.

[rpmangin]

uh yeah it is but black can trick white: if 1. d6+ cxd6+ 2. Kd5 Ke8! (black's best response, obviously not 2. ...Kd8 3. Kxd6 Kc8 4. c7 wins) 3. Ke6! (if 3. Kxd6 Kd8 4. c7+ Kc8 draws) Kd8 (if 3. ...d5 4. c7) 4. Kxd6 and wins

[cardeater473]

in the match between spassky and tal...when spassky moved his king to d2...c3...d3...did his king have to go to d2..or could it have gone...c2...c3 then d3...would that work too?

[airontheb616124]

thank you for that great ticnic keep up the good work thanks help me!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bearsfan1X3X]

These videos are an amazing help to me! Thanks a lot. Now i have an opening and i know more about my endgame thanks to you.

Keep up the good work!

[TheAccount111]

Thanks for making the vid, no one has been able to explain this to me like you just did. Well done.

[pinkyfrogs23]

This video was very helpful to me.

[jrobichess]

Glad to hear it pinkyfrogs23!

[sallom899]

awesome... simply awesome! thanks!

[jrobichess]

Thanks sallom899!

[Daxin100]

I'm really glad that you're taking the time to make these videos. Keep up the good work!

[jrobichess]

Thanks Daxin100 - I appreciate the comment!

[athensathens]

Wow, thank you!

[jrobichess]

Thanks for checking it out!

[CardKeyOh]

Man, I love your videos! Thanks :D

[jrobichess]

Thanks for checking it out CardKeyOh!

[jrobichess]

Thanks for checking out the vid and commenting DWZ1330!

[ed4governor]

Love your videos. FYI, German "z"s are pronounced like an English "ts". The "u" in that instance is like "oo." So "Zug" is pronounced "tsoog." Additionally, the "w"s are like "v"s. The "a" is like an English "ah" not like the "a" in clang. So "zwang" becomes "tsvahng" Completed is Zugzwang for the English speaker would look like "Tsoog-tsvahng."

Keep up the great videos!

[jrobichess]

That's great ed4governor - thanks for sharing your knowledge on the pronounciation!

[frooshante]

you're a cool guy, jrobi!

[jrobichess]

Thanks! =)

[25710]

Thanks Jrobi, I just used this technique on one of my friend and I was able to beat him 8).

[jrobichess]

That's great!

[simonkaey]

that is seriously cool. i never knew that but i kinda had the idea but didnt know how to use it.

gr8

job buddy.

[jrobichess]

Thanks simonkaey!

[imsoworried]

hey after watching this vid i won 3 games in a tournament i owe u not one but three thank u very much j

[jrobichess]

That's awesome news imsoworried! Congratulations on your wins and thanks for the comment!

[831NicaKoOL]

man you are a great teacher!!.... I'm 22 years old... and nobody EVER taught me or mentioned this to me... Keep teaching us more... so we can get a better level and maybe who knows, become a GM... thank you!!

[jrobichess]

Thanks 831NicaKoOL!

[KingDutto]

this is good stuff! where a good place to start in learning end games? cheers

[moponyo]

you just improved my play!!THANKS

[jrobichess]

Glad to hear it moponyo! Thanks for checking out the vid!

[l3lue2ain]

I don't know how you got so good in such a short period of time but I am so happy I found you randomly.

[jrobichess]

Thanks l3lue2ain! I still have a lot of work to do but it's definitely been fun exploring and pursuing things chess-related.

[l3lue2ain]

I have been watching you I again explored the reti and I got punished after Queen check takes pawn he got so much more position over me I must be doing something wrong it even worked out "Ideal" but I got my queen pinned to my king and then Knight forked me.

[erlico82]

could have saved me a lot of games:)

[stephang4g]

thank you very much jrobi this video on triangulation will without a doubt be valuable in endgames.

[jrobichess]

Thanks for the comment Stephen!

[yourtubeyourass21]

Very nice video, thank you. I dont normally play chess but yeah excellent video. I just watched it for the hell of it.

[jrobichess]

Thanks for checking it out!

The 1st example triangulation is not needed, but the 2nd and 3rd are perfect examples. White to move EX1 KingD4 (black