FoxyChess › Tactics › Zugzwang
Zugzwang
Any move your opponent makes will make their position worse, but they have to move. Zugzwang decides many endgames, especially king and pawn endings.
How to spot it
Zugzwang arrives when every move your opponent has makes their position worse, and passing isn't allowed. Look for it in endgames with few pieces: a king that must step away from a pawn, a rook that must leave the file it guards.
A worked example
The trébuchet. Whoever has to move loses: White to play must leave the d4 pawn (1.Kb5 Kxd4 and the d-pawn runs home), and with Black to move the mirror image happens.
Why it works
In the middlegame there is nearly always a harmless move to make. In the endgame there may not be, and then having the move is a curse. King and pawn endings are decided by zugzwang more than by anything else.
How to defend against it
Keep spare pawn moves in reserve (a pawn that can move one square or two is worth a tempo) and avoid exchanging into pawn endings unless you have counted the tempi.
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