Distant Opposition
A form of the opposition in king-and-pawn endgames in which the two kings face each other on the same file, rank, or diagonal separated by an odd number of squares greater than one.
Distant opposition follows the same underlying principle as direct opposition, that the side not to move effectively controls the key squares, but the kings are further apart.
Etymology
Opposition entered English in the late 14th century as opposicioun, from Old French oposicion (12th century) and directly from Latin oppositionem, a noun of action from opponere meaning to set against. Chess adopted the word for the standoff of two kings facing each other, where the player NOT to move holds the advantage. Distant opposition is the extension of the idea over a longer distance: Wikipedia defines it as a position in which the kings are on the same rank or file but are separated by more than one square, and notes that if there is an odd number of squares between the kings, the player not having the move has the distant opposition. The Glossary of chess likewise distinguishes direct opposition (one orthogonal square), diagonal opposition (one diagonal square) and distant opposition (multiple squares of separation). Yuri Averbakh emphasised that opposition is only a means to an end, the end being penetration to a key square. No dated first use of the specific phrase distant opposition was found in the fetched sources.
First documented: n.a. — n.a.
Translations
Translations for this term haven't been added yet.