A dead drawn endgame is one that cannot be won against correct defence, even with extra material. Three to know: the defending king in front of the pawn and off its key squares, the wrong bishop, and the Philidor position.
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Knowing them tells you what to trade into and what to avoid. A defender who knows the pattern holds it calmly, and an attacker who knows it stops trying to win a position with nothing in it.
How to do it
- 1Defending, put your king in front of the pawn and keep the opposition.
- 2Look for stalemate, which saves many positions that look lost.
- 3Attacking, check the known draws before you trade pieces.
For your level
Put your king in front of the pawn. Stay there. Often it is a draw.
Check you have it
Pitch it for:
Question 1 of 1
Play the moves through. How does the game end?
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Common mistakes
- Trading into a drawn endgame while winning, because the extra pawn looked like enough.
- Resigning a known draw because the material looks hopeless.
Questions
- Is a rook's pawn always a draw if the defending king gets in front?
- With only the kings and the pawn, yes. Once the defending king reaches the corner in front of a rook's pawn, it cannot be driven out, and the game is drawn.