Active king: in the endgame the king joins the fight

In short

In the middlegame your king needs shelter. It waits behind its pawns, and rooks and minor pieces stand by it. In the endgame most of the attackers have been exchanged. Now the king itself becomes a strong piece.

Nimzowitsch calls the king in the middlegame and the king in the endgame two completely different beings. In the endgame the king should take the lead and walk ahead of its pawns. Nimzowitsch compares it to a pacemaker in a cycle race. If the king stays behind its pawns, it often arrives too late.

The king is especially strong against an isolated pawn, that is, a pawn without neighbouring pawns of its own side. First it places itself directly in front of it; Nimzowitsch calls this the frontal attack. If there are still pieces on the board, they also attack the pawn that is being held fast. Its defenders then end up in awkward positions.

In a pure pawn endgame zugzwang helps, and a manoeuvre in three parts follows. Your king stands in front of the pawn, and the enemy king has to step aside. Then your king walks past it. Nimzowitsch considers this outflanking the strongest form of attack.

Start with lesson 23, where you bring your king forward early. In the game against von Holzhausen, Nimzowitsch’s king captures a pawn with 33… Kxb4 and later walks all the way to f1. In the game against Réti, his king attacks a rook and a pawn at once with 42… Kc6.

Summarised by the editors in their own words. This is not a quotation.

Hiding place and building a bridge

A king that goes far forward easily runs into a series of rook checks. Nimzowitsch therefore advises it to look for a hiding place in good time. Often this is a square directly in front of its own passed pawn. That is why the pawn should not occupy this square too early.

If there is no hiding place, you build one yourself. Your rook places itself so that it can block the checks of the enemy rook. Nimzowitsch calls this building a bridge. He counts it among the everyday manoeuvres of the endgame and yet sees the beauty of chess in it.

The king stops the pawn

As a defender, too, the king has a clear task. It places itself in front of the enemy passed pawn and blockades it. If it has to give way, it is best to go to the square directly behind. Nimzowitsch calls it the reserve blockading square.

Against Brinckmann in Bad Niendorf, Nimzowitsch’s king blockades a passed pawn with 34… Ke6. At the same time it protects a knight. According to Nimzowitsch, Black has thus achieved everything: the rook is on e2, the king on the blockading square e6.

Today’s view

Today the active king is one of the most important rules of the endgame. Nimzowitsch thought the theory of the opposition was unclear and wanted to replace it with leadership and the reserve blockading square. But the opposition is still part of the basic knowledge about pawn endgames today.

Before your king sets off, check two things: can your opponent give check? And can they create a passed pawn while your king is on its way? If queens are still on the board, the king is usually better off behind its pawns.

Where to find it in Nimzowitsch

• My System: I. Teil, 4.5 Königlicher Frontalangriff gegen einen isolierten Bauern als königliches Ideal original text not yet published

  The king in the endgame as a leader, its frontal attack against an isolated pawn, outflanking and the reserve blockading square.

• My System: I. Teil, 6.1 Die Zentralisierung original text not yet published

  How the king goes to the centre in the endgame and takes squares away from the enemy king.

• My System: I. Teil, Das Versteck und der Brückenbau original text not yet published

  How the wandering king finds a hiding place from rook checks and creates one itself by building a bridge.

• Chess Praxis: Partie 44 (original text)

  Von Holzhausen – Nimzowitsch: in the endgame the black king advances deep into the white camp.

• Chess Praxis: Partie 51 (original text)

  Brinckmann – Nimzowitsch: the black king takes over the blockade of the white passed pawn.

• Chess Praxis: Partie 10 (original text)

  Réti – Nimzowitsch: in the endgame the black king approaches the threatened wing and intervenes decisively.

In the course

• The king becomes active
• Brinckmann – Nimzowitsch, Bad Niendorf 1927
• von Holzhausen – Nimzowitsch, Dresden 1926
• Réti – Nimzowitsch, Marienbad 1925