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King and Pawn vs. King

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This endgame is often considered to be an essential one for beginners to learn. Many games can be saved by simply knowing the proper techniques.

The way for the winning side to convert this game is by promoting the pawn, Thus, the objective of the drawing side is to:

  • Approach the pawn with the king and capture it.
  • If the pawn is defended, create an unbreakable blockade in front of the pawn.

The winning side aims to:

  • Promote the pawn
  • If attacked, defend the pawn and control the queening square.

Now that our objectives are evident, we can begin to study the methods to accomplish these. This gives way to 4 scenarios.

  • Weak King is Faster
  • Strong King is Faster
  • Defended Pawn, Weak King Can Blockade
  • Defended Pawn, Weak King Cannot Blockade

Rule of the Square

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If the stronger king is unable to defend the pawn, or the weak king is faster than the strong king to the pawn (it will capture the pawn before the strong king can defend it), then the rule of the square can be used to determine if the weaker king can catch and stop the pawn on time before the pawn reaches the promotion square.

a b c d e f g h
8        8
7        7
6        6
5        5
4        4
3        3
2        2
1        1
a b c d e f g h

In the above position, a square can be drawn from the current position of the a-pawn all the way to the 8th rank, and from there to the e-file. The rule is: if the king can enter the square, the king will capture the pawn and it is a draw. Otherwise, white wins. Here we can see that the black king is unable to enter the square of the pawn even on his turn, and white promotes.

  1. ...Kf6 a5 Ke6 a6 Kd7 a7 Kc7 a8=Q 1-0
a b c d e f g h
8        8
7        7
6        6
5        5
4        4
3        3
2        2
1        1
a b c d e f g h

Here, it is evident that the king will catch the pawn.

  1. ...Ke5 a5 Kd6 a6 Kc7 a7 Kb7 1/2-1/2

Shouldering

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But what if the strong king is faster? In this case, the winning technique is relatively easy. The stronger side needs to shoulder the weaker side, or prevent the weaker side from blockading/capturing the pawn.

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