In the probably concerted cycloadditions of the sterically hindered thiocarbonyl ylide 1 with fumaronitrile, maleonitrile, and dimethyl fumarate, the dipolarophile configuration is retained whereas retention/inversion 99: 1 for dimethyl maleate (51 times less reactive than fumarate) signals a small involvement of a two-step pathway. The latter becomes dominant when two acceptor groups stabilize the anionic terminus of a zwitterionic intermediate. ...