Chess Endgames - King and Pawn Basics

King and Pawn Basics
Kings Decide the Result

King and Pawn Basics

Every other ending leans on king and pawn play, so four rules come first: the square of the pawn, the opposition, key squares and the rook pawn exception. Each one gives a quick way to read a position and know the result before calculating.

Square of the Pawn

Verdict The pawn queens. The black king cannot step into the square.

Goal

Decide at a glance whether a king can catch a passed pawn, by drawing the square from the pawn to its queening square.

Idea

The white pawn on f4 needs four moves to queen, and the white king on a8 is too far to help. The yellow corners mark the square: f4, f8, c8 and c4. With Black to move, the king on c2 cannot step into the square, so the pawn queens. With the king on c3 it plays ... ♚d4 and the position is a draw.

Technique

  1. Count the pawn's moves to the queening square: four from f4.
  2. Draw the square with the pawn's path as one side, toward the enemy king.
  3. If the king to move can step into the square, it catches the pawn.
  4. If it cannot, the pawn queens.

1... ♚d3 2. f5 ♚d4 3. f6 ♚c5 4. f7 ♚d6 5. f8=♕+

Typical mistake

Forgetting the double step. A pawn on its starting rank is already one move closer, so draw the square from the third rank.

Exercise

Black to move. Win or draw?

Solution

Draw. The king steps into the square with ... ♚d4 and catches the pawn.

1... ♚d4 2. ♔b8 ♚e4 3. ♔c8 ♚xf4

After ... ♚d4 the white king is too far away to help, and the pawn is lost, which leaves only the kings.

Practice

Copy the position into any board or engine to practice it:


K7/8/8/8/5P2/8/2k5/8 b - - 0 1

Opposition

Verdict With Black to move, White wins. With White to move, the same position is a draw.

Goal

Win the opposition: put your king directly facing the enemy king, with one square between them, and leave the opponent to move.

Idea

The kings face each other on e5 and e7. The red squares are the squares the white king cannot use while Black holds the king there. Black has to move and must step aside, so the white king walks past with ♔d6 and the pawn follows. With White to move, the same position is a draw, because White cannot pass the move.

Technique

  1. Face the enemy king with one square between the kings (direct opposition).
  2. The side that does not have to move holds the opposition.
  3. When the enemy king must step aside, move your king to a key square: ♔d6.
  4. Push the pawn with the king in front of it: e5, e6, e7.

1... ♚f7 2. ♔d6 ♚f8 3. ♔d7 ♚f7 4. e5 ♚g6 5. e6 ♚f5 6. ♔d6 ♚f6 7. e7 ♚g5 8. e8=♕

Typical mistake

Thinking the opposition belongs to the side that moves into it. It belongs to the side that does not have to move, so the player to move often has to give way.

Exercise

White to move. Win or draw?

Solution

Draw. White is the side to move, so Black holds the opposition.

1. ♔e5 ♚e7 2. d5 ♚d7 3. ♔d4 ♚c7 4. ♔c5 ♚d7 5. d6 ♚d8

The black king mirrors the white king, and White can never make the black king step aside.

Practice

Copy the position into any board or engine to practice it:


8/4k3/8/4K3/4P3/8/8/8 b - - 0 1

Key Squares

Verdict White wins, whoever moves. The king stands on a key square.

Goal

Bring the king to a key square in front of the pawn, because from there the pawn queens by force.

Idea

For the pawn on e5, the squares d6, e6 and f6 are key squares. The white king stands on e6, so the black king cannot stop the pawn, whoever is to move.

Technique

  1. Find the key squares in front of the pawn. For a pawn on e4 or e5, they include d6, e6 and f6.
  2. Bring the king to one of them before the pawn moves.
  3. Once the king is there, push the pawn with the king in front: e6, e7.
  4. Let the king step aside only when the pawn is ready to queen.

1. ♔d6 ♚f8 2. e6 ♚g7 3. e7 ♚f7 4. ♔d7 ♚g6 5. e8=♕+

Typical mistake

Walking toward the pawn instead of the key squares. In the exercise position, 1. ♔e5 only draws.

Exercise

White to move. Win or draw? Find the first move.

Solution

White wins with ♔f5, heading for the key square f6. The natural 1. ♔e5 only draws.

1. ♔f5 ♚d6 2. ♔f6 ♚c6 3. ♔e6 ♚c5 4. e5 ♚d4 5. ♔f5 ♚c4 6. e6

The king reaches f6, a key square for the pawn on e4, and then the pawn advances.

Practice

Copy the position into any board or engine to practice it:


4k3/8/4K3/4P3/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 1

Rook Pawn Exception

Verdict Draw. The black king holds the corner.

Goal

Know that a rook pawn cannot win when the defending king reaches the corner in front of it.

Idea

On the edge file the pawn has only one side to pass. The black king reaches the corner a8, and the white king cannot drive it out. Pushing the pawn only leads to stalemate: after a7+ ... ♚a8 and ♔a6, Black has no legal move.

Technique

  1. Look at the pawn's file first. A rook pawn is the exception to every plan on this page.
  2. The defender goes to the corner and shuffles there.
  3. The stronger king cannot take away both squares next to the corner.
  4. Watch for stalemate when pushing the pawn to the seventh rank.

1. a6 ♚b8 2. a7+ ♚a8 3. ♔a6

Typical mistake

Bringing the king close and pushing the pawn. After 1. a6 ♚b8 2. a7+ ♚a8 3. ♔a6??, the position is stalemate.

Exercise

White to move. Win or draw?

Solution

Draw. The black king reaches the corner and White cannot make progress.

1. ♔g5 ♚h7 2. ♔f6 ♚h8 3. ♔f7 ♚h7 4. h6 ♚h8 5. h7 ♚xh7

The pawn can only advance to h7, where the black king simply takes it.

Practice

Copy the position into any board or engine to practice it:


k7/8/1K6/P7/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 1

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