Opposition in chess
Stockfish 16.1 · runs in your browserPlay Ke4. The kings face each other on e4 and e6 with one square between them; Black moves next.
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Play a move by typing it, like e4, Nf3 or e7e8q, then press Enter.
Commentary
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Best move
Kings have direct opposition when they face each other on a rank or file with one square between them. The side to move must give way if it moves its king. Try Ke4 to create that geometry and inspect Black's replies.
Try the moves
Choose an example, play the suggested move, then reset to compare another legal move.
Rules and examples
The board positions are original teaching examples. Rule references and further practice are linked below.
Rules: FIDE Laws of Chess, effective 1 January 2023. https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/E012023
Rule replay: python-chess 1.11.2 (GPL-3.0-or-later). The shared browser engine retains its Stockfish GPL-3.0 notice. No engine score is claimed by these demonstrations.
See the referenceA move on the board
8/8/4k3/8/8/4K3/4P3/8 w - - 0 1
8/8/4k3/8/4K3/8/4P3/8 b - - 1 1
- Ke4The kings face each other on e4 and e6 with one square between them; Black moves next.
The kings face each other on e4 and e6 with one square between them; Black moves next.
Original teaching example replayed with python-chess 1.11.2, 2026-10-18.
Analysis runs on Stockfish 16.1 in your browser, compiled to WebAssembly by stockfish.js. Stockfish is free software under the GNU General Public License v3; its source code is on GitHub.