The Pawn Endgame is one of the first endgame strategies to learn as a beginner, because they are the most common endgame position you’ll find yourself in. Furthermore, they are also the most difficult to play because one inaccurate move can turn a position that you should come out winning in, to an automatic draw.
On the bright side, despite being the most difficult to play, once you understand the most important rule of pawn endgames, you’ll know 80% of the strategy.
Is King and pawn vs King a draw?
A common question about positions where it’s just a pawn and King left on the board, is if the game will result in a draw.
Unless you’re able to move the King in front of the pawn, it will be a draw. The King is able to stay in front of the pawn at all times and when reaching the back rank, the pawn won’t be able to promote and also be protected from capture.
Here’s the categories of pawn endgames we cover in this guide.
Pawn Endgames
- King and Pawn Endgames
- King on the Sixth Rank
- Knight Pawn Endgames
- Rook Pawn Endgames
- Philidor position: Rook and Pawn Endgame – Third Rank Defense
- King Pawn Endgame Exercises
How To Win Pawn Endgames
When it comes to winning games with just a King and pawn vs a King, the only thing you have to remember is this: Move your King In front of your pawn first. Then push the pawn up towards your King.
If you push your pawn in front of your King, it’s an automatic Draw and there’s nothing you can do.
King Pawn vs King Endgames
King on the Sixth Rank
Here’s how to win King Pawn endgames.
How do you beat king pawn in endgame?
In the Pawn’s square rule lesson, you learned that being just one pawn up in material can be more than enough to win the game. But if the pawn in itself can’t make it to the back rank to promote, the King must come to assist and escort the pawn to promotion.
In this lesson you will see that if the assisting King is able to reach the sixth rank in front of its pawn the game will be won.
There is one rule to remember when it comes to being able to protect your pawn all the way to the back rank.
Rule: Move Your King in front of the pawn. If your King is behind your pawn, the game will result in a draw.
As long as your King is in front of your pawn, the opposing King won’t be able to prevent your pawn from promoting. Inversely, if your King is behind your pawn and can’t get in front of your pawn, the game will result in a draw. The opposing King will prevent your King from moving in front of your pawn.
Example #1
Let’s have a look at the example.
Example #2
I recently had this game on lichess.org that is a good example of what to do in King pawn endgames to ensure a win.
My opponent’s blunder was allowing me to start to King-Walk around and get in front of my pawn. Once this happened, there was nothing he could do. Pawn promotion to a Queen was inevitable.
I’ve been practicing how to checkmate with a King and a Queen so I was able to checkmate before an automatic draw occurred.
Knight Pawn Endgames
In the King on the sixth rank we saw that this kind of endgame with a central or Bishop pawn ahead was won. now we will look at the Knight pawn and later on we will look at the Rook pawn.
Example
Here’s how to win Knight Pawn endgames.
Remember that the white King has to move to the edge of the board so that it can help the Knight pawn.
Let’s continue on with the Rook pawn endgame.
Rook Pawn Endgames
Known as the the Rook Pawn in Chess notation, is the name that describes a Pawn on the a-file or the h-file. We have seen that we have to be precise in pawn endgames with the Knight pawn, the same goes for the Rook Pawn, however this endgame is very different. The sides of the board provide a natural barrier that commonly produces intriguing endgame positions.
Example
The endgame with the pawn on the edge of the board isn’t very exciting, but is different form the normal pawn endgame.
Note that this endgame was in fact about which King was able to reach the important squares b7 of b8. These types of squares are known as key squares.
Philidor Position: Rook vs Rook and Pawn Endgames: Third Rank Defense
The Philidor Position, also known as the Third Rank Defense, is a position describing a Rook versus a Rook and Pawn endgame.
This position is so important that we made a dedicated page to it. To learn more, you can go to the guide on the Philidor Position.
King and Pawn Endgame Puzzles
Remember, many of these positions comes down to who’s move it is first, similar to a Zugzwang, will achieve the best possible result for that specific position, whether it’s a win or a draw. If a position is completely lost for you, turning a loss into a draw is considered a win.
Puzzle #1
Puzzle #2
Puzzle #3
Puzzle #4
Puzzle #5
Conclusion
Pawn Endgames are crucial to learn, practice, and perfect as you will have many games coming to those positions.
I hope this guide on how to win pawn endgames helped you.
