Pawn

Winning King and Pawn

Beginner

Step 1 of 4

White to move · Promote

1
Lead with your king. Walk it onto a shaded key square.
2
Each time Black's king steps aside, go forward past it. Aim for the sixth rank.
3
Your king is on the sixth rank. Push the pawn.

How to play the winning king and pawn

A king and pawn win when your king gets in front of the pawn and takes the opposition. The opposition means the kings face each other with one square between them and the other side has to move. The defending king then has to step aside and let yours through. With your king on the sixth rank in front of the pawn, it is a win whoever is to move.

Lead with your king. Walk it onto a shaded key square.

Each time Black's king steps aside, go forward past it. Aim for the sixth rank.

Your king is on the sixth rank. Push the pawn.

The kings face each other and it's your move. Push the pawn, and Black has to step aside.

Every move is checked with an endgame tablebase, which knows the exact result of every position with up to seven pieces. The computer defends perfectly, and if a move throws the result away, the trainer stops and shows you a better one.