Waiting move (tempo move) - chess term
Waiting move
Definition
A waiting move (sometimes called tempo move or passing move) is a move that deliberately avoids changing the essential features of a position—no direct threats are created, no pieces are exchanged, and no tactical lines are forced. Its primary purpose is to pass the move back to the opponent while keeping one’s own position flexible or improving it only marginally (e.g., by putting a king on a slightly safer square).
How It Is Used
Waiting moves appear in all three phases of the game:
- Opening: Sometimes a side is unsure of the opponent’s plan or wishes to avoid revealing its own. For example, Black’s …h6 in many 1. d4 openings serves as a modest waiting move, limiting a bishop or knight but mostly asking White, “What next?”
- Middlegame: In maneuvering positions—especially in the maneuvering phase">maneuvering phase of closed structures—players may shuffle pieces or push a harmless pawn (e.g., Rf8–e8–f8) to tempt the opponent into committing.
- Endgame: Here waiting moves are most critical. In king-and-pawn endings, a single tempo often decides opposition or zugzwang. The classic “triangulation” maneuver is a sequence of waiting moves.
Strategic Significance
The waiting move is closely linked to the concept of zugzwang—a position in which every legal move worsens the defender’s game. By “doing nothing,” the player hopes the opponent will finally run out of harmless moves and concede a structural or tactical weakness. Key strategic roles include:
- Testing Plans: See whether an opponent commits to a pawn break.
- Preserving Flexibility: Keep your pieces on optimal squares until the moment to strike.
- Inducing Errors: Prolong complexity; opponents may become impatient.
- Winning a Tempo in Endgames: Force zugzwang, obtain the distant or diagonal opposition, or outflank.
Illustrative Examples
1. Classic Endgame Triangulation
Position after 1…Kf7 (Black to move): White king on e3, pawns a2, b2, f2, g2, h2; Black king on f7, pawns a7, b7, f6, g7, h7. White wants the opposition with the king on e4 versus f6 but it is Black’s move.
White plays the waiting maneuver 2. Kd4! Ke6 3. Ke4, “losing” a tempo through triangulation. Now Black must move, and after 3…g6 4. g4 White penetrates.
2. Nimzowitsch – Sämisch, Copenhagen 1923
In a blocked French structure, Nimzowitsch played the famous waiting maneuver …Kh8–g8–h8, essentially “passing” for three moves while Sämisch ran out of improvements and eventually weakened his queenside. This game is often cited in Nimzowitsch’s My System as an illustration of prophylaxis.
3. World Championship Example: Karpov – Kasparov, Moscow 1985 (Game 23)
In a tense Queen’s Gambit Declined middlegame, Kasparov employed the waiting move 17…h6!? He avoided any immediate pawn break yet subtly restricted White’s bishop and invited Karpov to commit on the queenside first. The smallest shift allowed Black’s …c5 break under ideal circumstances, setting the stage for Kasparov’s eventual win and match victory.
Historical Notes & Anecdotes
- The concept predates modern competitive chess; Philidor’s 18th-century endgame studies already feature “spare tempo” king moves.
- Mikhail Tal, famed for tactical fireworks, occasionally inserted cheeky waiting moves (e.g., Re1-e2-e1) to provoke over-reaction before unleashing combinations.
- In the infamous “Toiletgate” World Championship match (Topalov – Kramnik, Elista 2006) the press joked that Kramnik’s frequent trips to the restroom were psychological “waiting moves.”
Interesting Facts
- Unlike in many other board games (Go, Checkers), chess has no legal way to
pass
; the waiting move is the closest equivalent. - Computer engines often
see through
waiting moves instantly, but human grandmasters sometimes spend half an hour deciding which harmless pawn push carries the least risk. - Even an apparent blunder can serve as a waiting move. In some fortress endgames a sacrificed pawn merely forces the opponent to spend tempi capturing it, recreating the same setup but with roles reversed.
Quick Reference Checklist
Before playing a waiting move, ask:
- Does my move avoid creating new weaknesses?
- Do I maintain or gain the opposition/tempo advantage?
- Am I prepared for every reasonable reply?
- What do I hope my opponent will commit to next?
Mnemonic
“If you can’t improve, make them move.”