Flight square

{{Short description|Safe square that a piece can move to if threatened}} {{Chess diagram | floatright |

| | | | |rd| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |xx| |xx| | | | | |xx|kl|xx| | | | | |xx| |xx| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

| Flight squares are marked with crosses. }}

In chess, a '''flight square''' or '''escape square''' is a safe square to which a piece, especially a king,<ref>Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 141. ''flight''.</ref> can move if it is threatened.

Providing one's piece with flight squares can prevent the opponent from winning {{chessgloss|material}} or delivering checkmate. For example, in the Morphy Defence, the white c-pawn may be advanced to provide White's {{chessgloss|light-squared bishop}} with a flight square. Conversely, it is possible to take away an enemy piece's flight squares, known as domination. {{AN chess|pos=toc}}

== Luft == {{Chess diagram | floatright |

| | | | |rd| | |kd | |rl| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |pd| | | | | | | | | | | |pl|pl|pl | | | | | | | |kl

| If it is Black to move, 1...Re1# is checkmate. If it is White's turn, he must create a ''luft'' by advancing either the g-pawn or h-pawn. Then after capturing the opponent's passed pawn, White should win this game. }}

In chess, a '''{{lang|de|luft}}''' (German for "air", sometimes also "space" or "breath") designates the space or square left by a pawn move into which a king (usually a castled one) may then retreat, especially such a space made intentionally to avoid back-rank checkmate.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Larry |first=Evans|title=New ideas in chess|date=2011|publisher=Cardoza Publishing|isbn=978-1-58042-274-1|oclc=646112792}}</ref> A move leaving such a space is often said to "give the king some luft". The term "luft", "lufting", or "lufted" may also be used (as an English participle) to refer to the movement of the relevant pawn creating luft.<ref>{{cite web|title=Queen Sacrifices| website=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tcknS97en0| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917212919/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tcknS97en0 | archive-date=17 September 2021 }} (At the 45:26 mark, GM Ben Finegold of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Atlanta examines a game lost because the player is unable to luft due to his own pieces blocking his pawns.)</ref>

Preventing an opponent from lufting a pawn (for example by pinning it or moving a piece to the square in front of it) is a tactic that may lead to checkmate. A king's access to his luft might also be denied by the opponent subjecting the space or square to attack.

The German {{lang|de|luft}} is a close cognate to the English "lift", which is also used in chess, e.g., {{chessgloss|rook lift}}. {{clear}}

=== Examples === {{Chess diagram|floatright|51=|37=|38=|39=|40=bd|41=nd|42=|43=|44=|45=|46=|47=|48=nd|49=xo|50=pl|52=|35=|53=|54=|55=|56=pl|57=pl|58=xx|59=|60=|61=qd|62=|63=|64=|65=kl|66=|36=|34=||17=||kd||||ql|||pd|xx|pd||||18=|33=|19=xo|20=pd|21=xo|22=nl|23=|24=|25=|26=|27=nl|28=|29=nl|30=bl|31=|32=|67=}}In the diagram, "X"s mark ''luft'' to which the king can escape back-rank checkmate delivered by the queen. Theoretical enemy knights in the indicated positions deny the king access to his ''luft''. Black dots indicate squares from which diagonally moving enemy pieces could also deny access. The pawn structure seen in Black's position is {{chessgloss|hole|less secure}} than White's, but it is a risk commonly accepted to fianchetto. {{clear}}

{{Chess diagram|floatright|51=rd|37=pl|38=|39=|40=nl|41=|42=rl|43=|44=pl|45=|46=|47=|48=|49=|50=pl|52=|35=|53=|54=|55=|56=pl|57=pl|58=kl|59=|60=|61=|62=|63=|64=|65=|66=|36=|34=||17=pd|||||qd||kd||||||rd|pd|18=|33=|19=|20=pd|21=|22=nd|23=|24=|25=oo|26=|27=pd|28=|29=pd|30=bl|31=|32=|67=}}Being up a queen in the diagrammed position, Black will win unless the threat of Ng6, which sets up checkmate via Rh8{{chessAN|#}}, is overlooked. Black would not be able to capture the knight or create luft because his f-pawn is pinned by White's bishop, and his g-pawn cannot advance if a piece is on g6 blockading it. White's king is temporarily safe from check in his luft. Black can neutralize the Ng6 threat with ...Qb8, as then Ng6 can be met by the discovered check ...Nf5+, stopping the threat of Rh8#. {{clear}}

==See also== *Pawn structure

==References== {{reflist}}

'''Bibliography''' *{{cite book | last=Brace | first=Edward R. | year=1977 | title=An Illustrated Dictionary of Chess | publisher=Hamlyn Publishing Group | isbn=1-55521-394-4 }} *{{cite book | last=Evans | first=Larry | title=New ideas in chess | publisher=Cardoza Publishing | publication-place=Las Vegas, Nev. | date=2011 | isbn=978-1-58042-274-1 | oclc=646112792 }} *{{cite book |last1=Hooper |first1=David |authorlink1=David Vincent Hooper |last2=Whyld |first2=Kenneth |authorlink2=Kenneth Whyld |title=The Oxford Companion to Chess |publisher=Oxford University Press |edition=2nd |year=1996 |orig-date=First pub. 1992 |isbn=0-19-280049-3 }}

Category:Chess terminology Category:Chess strategy