A king and pawn endgame is one where only kings and pawns are left. The result is exact: one move or one square of king placement turns a win into a draw.
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Any endgame can become one when the last pieces are traded, so deciding whether to trade means knowing whether this ending wins. There is no piece left to rescue a mistake.
How to do it
- 1Walk your king in front of your pawn before pushing it.
- 2Use the opposition to make the defending king step aside.
- 3Before trading into one, count who queens first and whether the king catches the pawn.
For your level
Walk your king in front of your pawn. The king goes first. The pawn follows.
Check you have it
Question 1 of 1
Play the moves through and count. How much material has the attacker won?
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Common mistakes
- Pushing the pawn before the king is in front of it.
- Trading the last pieces without counting the race.
Questions
- Is an extra pawn always winning in a king and pawn endgame?
- No. If the defending king gets in front of the pawn and keeps the opposition, it is usually a draw. A rook's pawn is a draw once the defending king reaches the corner.
- When does king and pawn against king win?
- For a pawn not on the a- or h-file, it wins when the attacking king reaches a key square of the pawn. If the defending king gets in front first and keeps the opposition, it is a draw.