Suggest

King and pawn endgames and the opposition

Chess

Win and hold king-and-pawn endings.

What coaches agree on

  • Take the opposition: face the enemy king directly with an odd number of squares between you (most often just one), so your opponent is the one who runs out of moves and has to give ground.
  • Learn the key squares in front of your pawn - two ranks ahead on its own file and the files either side, or the whole queening rank once the pawn reaches the sixth rank - because a king that reaches one of them wins the ending no matter whose move it is.
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  • Before racing a lone pawn with your king, use the rule of the square: draw a square from the pawn to its queening square, and if the defending king can step inside it this move, it catches the pawn.
  • Treat a rook pawn (the a- or h-file) as the exception: once the defending king reaches the corner it is usually a draw, even though the same escort technique wins on every other file.

Common mistakes

  • The single biggest error is pushing the pawn out ahead of or beside the king instead of letting the king lead the way - it throws away winning positions and can even turn one into a stalemate draw.
Chess Endgames- King and Pawn
Beginner

Chess Endgames- King and Pawn

Coach's take: Teaches the single most common king-and-pawn ending from both sides - including the mistake almost everyone makes first.

3.6