King and pawn vs King (basic endgame)

Why should I learn it?

Understanding how to make your King and pawn cooperate against a lone King in order to achieve a successful promotion (and eventual checkmate) is key to any kind of King and pawn endgame. From this simple position you learn important concepts (the King clears the way for the pawn, seeks to give opposition, outflanks the opposing King, etc.) which you will then be able to apply to most other King and pawn endings, no matter how complex. Think of it as a blueprint for King and pawn endings, which in their turn are the most important kind of endgames, and you begin to grasp its importance.

When do I use it?

In King and pawn vs King positions, but not just in these. As your chess level improves, you will find yourself playing more and more endgames with smaller-than-piece advantages for either side. In these cases, knowledge of how to push a pawn to promotion (or of how to thwart your opponent’s bid for it!) will prove invaluable. Besides that, the concepts learned here will last you your chess life and many different endgame positions will benefit from them.

Link to Practice Problems

King and pawn vs King problem #1

Step-by-Step Guide on King and pawn vs King

White to move. With precision, White could easily promote the pawn and win the game.

Hint: Try not to let the Black king get in front of your king if (1) the pawn can’t be moved or if (2) moving the pawn would let it go past the king.

The goal here is to bring the White king into the front of the pawn to prevent the Black king from blocking the pawn.

(1. Kf2 is good also.)

…Kd7

Looking to beat the White king into controlling the center of the board.

Racing towards the center. Movng the pawn here would be contradicting to our goal of moving in front of the pawn.

(2. Kd3 is also good.)

(2. Kc3 is also winning but needs more calculation.)

…Ke6

Trying to get hold of the center.

By going in front of the enemy king, White has gained control over three squares, preventing Black from closing in.

(3. Kd4 is also winning but requires more moves. 3. …Kd6 4. e3! Ke6 5. Ke4 Kd6 6. Kf5. The Black king got in front of our king but remember the hint earlier. We were still able to move our pawn!

However, 4. e4?? forces the game into a draw after 4. …Ke6 5. Ke3 Ke5 6. Kd3 Ke6 7. Kd4 Ke6 and the process repeats itself. Now that the White king is behind the pawn, it becomes easy for Black to block the pawn and force the draw.)

…Kd6

Not letting go of the center.

Now, the White king prevents the Black king from jumping over the e5 and e6 squares.

…Kd5

Black tries to get closer to the pawn this time. However, take note that the White king also has control over e4.

e4+!

Thanks to the White king, the pawn is now able to march and check the king.

…Kd6

Moving away from check while preventing the White king from going to the e-file.

After Kf6, the White king now controls the e5, e6 and e7 squares while the pawn controls d5. This makes it harder for Black to block the pawn while making sure that the pawn stays behind the White king.

…Kd7

Black tries to trick White into a draw with 7. Ke5?? Ke7 and both kings would be facing each other with the pawn being unable to move.

The only move that makes progress. This makes it so that the Black king will be forced to retreat to the 8th rank.

…Ke8

Any other move lets the White king jump to f7, securing the pawn’s advance to the promotion square since the White king would control e6, e7 and e8, making the Black king unable to touch the pawn.

This makes it so that the Black king would be forced to take either the d8 or f8 squares in its next move.

(8. e6?? leads to a draw since the pawn is no longer behind the White king and the Black king could go in front of the White king in its next move. 8. …Kf8 9. e7+ Ke8 10. Ke6 ½ – ½)

…Kf8

Now, the White king is free to jump into the d7 square.

(If 8. …Kd8 then we answer with 9. Kf7)

After Kd7, White now has control over the e6, e7, and e8 squares in which the pawn would travel through.

…Kf7

Black tries to get closer to the pawn again. However, like we said earlier, the White king has already secured the pawn’s path, letting it march without worry.

10 . e6+