Pawn Endgames
Kings and pawns only, where one tempo decides the game: outside passed pawns, the Réti manoeuvre, triangulation, breakthroughs and more, with exact results.
With only kings and pawns left, there is nowhere to hide. Every pawn ending is either won, drawn or lost, and often a single tempo decides which. They are also where many other endings lead: knowing which pawn endings are won tells you when to trade the last pieces.
Each lesson gives the idea, a checklist of what it needs, each condition shown with the move that keeps the result and one that throws it away, then the method move by move, a model game and positions to solve.
Lessons
- 1The Outside Passed PawnA passed pawn far from the others is worth more than a pawn: it drags the enemy king away, and your king eats the pawns it leaves behind. Even with level material, it often wins.
- 2The Square of the Pawn and the Réti ManoeuvreCan the king catch the pawn? The square tells you at a glance. And when it says no, a king that chases two goals at once can still get there in time.
- 3Triangulation: Losing a MoveSometimes the position is perfect except for one thing: it is your move. Walk the king around a triangle, come back to the same square, and hand the move to your opponent.
- 4The Protected Passed PawnA passed pawn guarded by another pawn cannot be taken by the king. It ties the defending king down for good, and leaves your king free to decide the game.
- 5The Pawn BreakthroughThree pawns against three, and no passed pawn in sight. Give up two of them, and the third one queens.
- 6Rook Pawns, the Wrong Bishop and StalemateA rook pawn is the hardest pawn to win with. Get your king to the corner in front of it, and the only way to drive it out is stalemate, even when the opponent has an extra bishop.
How these lessons were checked
Every position with up to seven pieces is checked against the Lichess endgame tablebase, which knows its exact result; larger positions, like the model games, are checked with Stockfish. A move shown as working keeps the best result available, a win or a draw; a move shown as failing throws it away. Every exercise has one answer: the only move that keeps the result, or, where several do, the only one that makes progress without losing time (by the tablebase's count of moves to the next pawn move or capture). The number under the board is the exact result where the tablebase covers the position.