{"id":4691,"date":"2026-08-22T14:03:41","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T14:03:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forwardchess.com\/blog\/?p=4691"},"modified":"2026-08-22T14:05:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T14:05:28","slug":"book-review-kingwalks-paths-of-glory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forwardchess.com\/blog\/book-review-kingwalks-paths-of-glory\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Kingwalks: Paths of Glory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n What is Kingwalks: Paths of Glory<\/em> about?\n <\/h2>\n\n

\n Kingwalks: Paths of Glory<\/em> by GM Yasser Seirawan and Bruce Harper is a collection of chess games built around one of the game’s most fascinating contradictions: the king voluntarily leaving its usual place of safety. The book examines successful and unsuccessful kingwalks in a wide range of situations, from preparing attacks and defending key points to escaping across the board, opening and endgame kingwalks, double kingwalks, and famous examples from the games of players such as Wilhelm Steinitz, Aron Nimzowitsch, Tigran Petrosian, Duncan Suttles and Seirawan himself.\n <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe king is a strong piece. Use it!\u201d \u2013 Reuben Fine.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are taught to keep our king safe during the opening and middlegame and only bring it out in the endgame, when it can help the pawns to promote. The king is generally valued between three and four pawns in the endgame, and hence Fine\u2019s advice above is clearly valid in the endgame. However, there have been many games where the king either stays near the centre of the board or leaves its castled position during the opening and middlegame. Of course, this is potentially a risky strategy, and it can lead to either a spectacular brilliancy or an ignominious defeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n What is a kingwalk<\/em>?<\/b>\n <\/p>\n\n

\n The authors define a kingwalk as a purposeful and voluntary king maneuver<\/b> with a strategic or tactical goal. It generally takes place in the opening or middlegame, although the authors also include compelling examples from the endgame. A kingwalk is different from a king hunt: the king is not simply being driven around by an attack, but is deliberately being moved as part of the player’s plan.\n <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Kingwalks<\/em> by GM Yasser Seirawan <\/a>and FIDE Master Bruce Harper is a book that is dedicated to examples of the wandering king, and it includes both successful and unsuccessful examples. The authors define the term kingwalk as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe term \u201ckingwalk\u201d as used in this book refers to a king maneuver with the following characteristics:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 It must be purposeful, in that the king maneuver must have a strategic or tactical goal (although, as discussed above, this goal need not be justified). <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 It should be voluntary. A kingwalk may be made under duress, in that it is the only viable defense, but it should still be a deliberate, planned strategy on the part of the player doing it, having anticipated the opponent\u2019s attack, as opposed to an unplanned blasting of the king out into the open. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 It generally occurs in the opening or middle game, as opposed to the endgame (although we have been flexible on this \u2013 compelling and clear king maneuvers in endgames have been included). <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kingwalks are therefore clearly (and in some cases, not so clearly) different from \u201cking hunts,\u201d where an attack results in the exposure of the defender\u2019s king. There is also no minimum length for a kingwalk, although naturally the longer the kingwalk, the better. But it is wrong to emphasize this factor too much, just as it\u2019s wrong to say \u201cthe longer the combination, the more impressive it is.\u201d A kingwalk of even one or two squares can be compelling. The length of a kingwalk may be a measure of its audacity, but this will depend on the circumstances.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n WHAT\u2019S INSIDE \u2013 FORWARD CHESS EBOOK\n <\/div>\n\n
\n 17 chapters exploring successful, unsuccessful and famous kingwalks from chess history\n <\/div>\n\n
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Introduction<\/div>\n
Foreword by Hans Ree<\/div>\n\n
1) Kingwalks to Prepare an Attack<\/div>\n
2) Kingwalks in Anticipation of an Endgame<\/div>\n
3) Kingwalks to Defend Key Points<\/div>\n
4) Kingwalks to Attack Key Points or Pieces<\/div>\n
5) Mating Attacks<\/div>\n
6) Escaping to Safety Across the Board<\/div>\n
7) Escaping to Safety Up the Board<\/div>\n
8) Kingwalks in the Opening<\/div>\n
9) Kingwalks in the Endgame<\/div>\n
10) Double Kingwalks<\/div>\n
11) Unsuccessful Kingwalks<\/div>\n\n
12) Wilhelm Steinitz<\/div>\n
13) Aron Nimzowitsch<\/div>\n
14) Tigran Petrosian<\/div>\n
15) Duncan Suttles<\/div>\n
16) Yasser Seirawan<\/div>\n
17) Recent Examples<\/div>\n\n
Bibliography<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Table of Contents above shows the scope of the book. General examples are given in Chapters 1 \u2013 11, while the next five chapters focus on kingwalks during the games by specific players, including one on coauthor Seirawan. Some games by coauthor Harper are also included in the book. Regarding Chapter 16, the authors write:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt least one of the authors of this book comes by his knowledge of kingwalks honestly. We have already seen some Seirawan games in the previous chapters, but now we will see that kingwalks are common in his games. Whether they are always justified and successful is, of course, a different issue\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the most famous successful kingwalk in recent years was by GM Nigel Short against GM Jan Timman in Tilburg 1991, which is analysed in the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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