"Eternal Shah": an explanation of terminology and other threats to the king in chess

In the famous sports game, chess, there are a huge number of rules of various kinds and compositions. Their number includes the “eternal check”. This is a rare composition of pieces on a chessboard, putting the king under constant threat of one of the parties. Read more about this and other subspecies of the shah in this article.

Some general information

To learn about the “eternal check” without knowing the accepted rules in the game will be useless. Each chess game aims to create a winning composition with the assassination of the king. This happens when a figure moving only 1 stand in any direction does not have any options for escape. This composition is called "mat" and it leads to victory. If there is a threat to the king, but it can be avoided, then this means a check. Since this game has thousands of different combinations, there was a place in it for the definition of “eternal check”. It happens very rarely in professional games, because opponents try to prevent this from happening in every way.

eternal check - a special combination

Line items

“Eternal check” is a way to declare a tie, because positions oblige you to do so. It all starts with the fact that the enemy makes the king of one of the teams a standard threat. The second avoids it, but the next move the enemy repeats it again. A cyclical action is created from the constant checkers and the king's departure from them. At a certain point in time, users will start repeating moves. Only a person who regularly threatens the enemy king can change this. If this does not happen, then after repeating the moves three times, one of the opponents may demand a draw in this game. Most likely, this will be a person in a losing situation, forced to fight back with all his might. The “eternal check” in chess rarely happens for a number of reasons. Firstly, to achieve such a position of the figures is extremely difficult. Secondly, the side with the worst situation on the field is trying to resort to it, but professionals are aware of this and do not allow such an outcome of events. It should be noted that there are situations when the “Eternal Shah” is put in one piece.

perpetual check

How to act in case of a check

The “eternal check” in chess is a deliberate action to exit a losing position into a draw. This is also used to take advantage in some situations. To prevent this situation on the board, you should know the rules for protecting the king from threat. The simplest option is to move the figure to an empty cell, where it will not. In this case, the “eternal check” most often appears, when each transition is accompanied by regular pursuit. To do this, the field should be free from other figures and the space around the king. The second way is to cover the commander in chief on the battlefield with another fighter. Beating her will not always be profitable, and therefore the threat will be neutralized. This method does not work if the check puts the horse of the enemy team. It is important to know that castling in the event of a threat to the king is prohibited. The third method of eliminating danger is to kill the figure from which it emanates. This is possible if after that a new check is not automatically opened.

perpetual chess check

Second hazard method

The Eternal Shah is not the only interesting combination in the game. There is also an “open check”, which can be found much more often on the battlefield. For his appearance, it is necessary to have allied figures standing behind each other. The player of the team does not see a threat to the king, since she is absent at the forefront. Then the enemy makes a move with the front squad, opening an attack on the second line. This only works with the bishop, queen and rook. This situation arises when a pawn is killed by the same enemy figure in the aisle, after which the king is open to move. This composition is interesting from the tactical side. The player walks with the first piece, creating an “open check”. In this case, the king is forced to defend himself. At this time, the detachment that liberated the zone for attack, you can go on the offensive. Only the king can take him away from the step, but this happens extremely rarely. There is scope for eliminating another important piece from the opponent’s board; for this, an “open check” is most often created.

the eternal chess check is

Another variety

“Double check” is a variation of the composition of figures described above. Such a concept is used if, together with an open figure, a threat is created by a fighter making a move at that moment. “Double check” is especially dangerous, because it will certainly lead to losses. It is impossible to take away the figure from which the danger emanates, and to hide behind your troops too, because attacks are carried out from two fronts. Two elephants and two horses cannot declare a “double check”. The threat must come from a straight line and a diagonal, or with the participation of the horse along with one line. Pawns can participate in the creation of such a combination, if they are on the last horizontal, turning into one of the figures. At the same time, they free the front of attack to another unit and create danger from two sides. Creating such a combination requires a lot of effort. The adversary should not see a hidden threat from the second figure with the king open.

Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/G13283/


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