Ask Coach Jessica: Outflanking and Other Endgame Techniques

Take the guesswork out of endgames. Learn your technique and you'll feel so much more confident! Chesscat123 wants to know what outflanking is and how to use it.

To outflank simply means to go around...with the king! It is used in conjunction with opposition. The point is to push another king back or prevent him from moving forward. You use opposition and outflanking when shepherding a little pawn to the other side of the board, or when trying to break through a group of pawns. By, Mrs Jessica E Prescott (aka BoundingOwl).

chess bishop looking through telescope
Bishop looking through telescope.

Have you been watching Anand win the Candidates? Remember, Vishy Anand is the former World Champion and recently lost to current World Champion Magnus Carlsen. Vishy's earned the right to challenge Magnus again later this year! In one of my favorite games from the tournament, he displayed excellent knowledge of the endgame. So, before I get to "outflanking," let me show you why Vishy knows his endgames, and why you should, too!

Anand is Black in this picture. See how he notates his games? You always notate, right? (Photo © Vadim Lavrenko, Kirill Merkuryev & Anastasiya Karlovich)
 
The king becomes a fighting piece in the endgame. Watch Anand's king march up the board!
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If you do a little "fantasy chess" right now, you might pluck the black queen right off the board, and play, what? Qc7 mate of course! So, what should White play next?
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cool king on throne
The hero of our example- the white king.

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So how do you outflank? Simply by doing the turning maneuver!
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After opposition, when your opponent goes to one side, you go to the other.
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Try this puzzle. It's White to move and win. First, take opposition. Then outflank the black king, almost like you are chasing him toward your pawns! Remember that you'll want your king to be in front of your pawn to shepherd it to the other side.
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Nice! You basically kicked the black king out of play! If you played 3.Kc7, that works also!
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Here is a challenging example. How does White get around the pawn and break through? Hint: Sometimes passed pawns are more powerful than a rook!
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Great work, kids!
pawn in cape

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