Pawn endgames: the part of chess that is arithmetic
The only phase of chess where the correct move can be proved rather than judged, and the only one where a single inaccuracy is immediately fatal.
- 120 positions in the course
- Difficulty 543–2345
- Section: Endgames
- 5 levels
Why pawn endings are different
With only kings and pawns left there is no piece to sacrifice for counterplay and no complication to hide a mistake in. A pawn endgame is either won, drawn or lost, and the move that changes which of the three it is usually looks identical to the move that does not.
That makes them the highest-value endings to study, because the knowledge is exact and it transfers completely. Opposition, the square rule, the outside passed pawn and the breakthrough are not heuristics -- they are results, and they are the same every time they occur.
How to spot it
- Count first. Can the king catch the pawn -- the square rule answers it in one look, without calculating.
- Ask who has the opposition, and whether you can take it by triangulating or by a spare pawn move.
- Look for a passed pawn, and specifically for an outside one. Two passed pawns on opposite wings usually beats a better king.
- Check for a breakthrough before you resign yourself to a draw. Three pawns against three on one wing very often contains one.
Three pawn endgames
Three positions from the 120 in this skill, easiest first. The highlighted squares are the move your opponent has just played. Work it out before you open the answer.
Position 1
Black to move. Find the best move.
Show the answer
56.b6 56...f3 57.a3 57...f2#
The line ends in checkmate. With only kings and pawns on the board the result is exact, and the move shown is the only one that reaches it.
The position comes from an endgame of a real game, rated 543 for difficulty. The answer reaches checkmate.
Position 2
White to move. Find the best move.
Show the answer
38...g5 39.hxg5 hxg5 40.Kf5
The line comes out level on material and ahead on position. With only kings and pawns on the board the result is exact, and the move shown is the only one that reaches it.
The position comes from an endgame of a real game, rated 1357 for difficulty. The answer reaches a winning advantage.
Position 3
Black to move. Find the best move.
Show the answer
37.Kb3 37...g5 38.hxg5 38...h4
The line comes out level on material and ahead on position. With only kings and pawns on the board the result is exact, and the move shown is the only one that reaches it.
The position comes from an endgame of a real game, rated 1913 for difficulty. The answer reaches a winning advantage.
The three ideas to learn first
The square rule, so you never calculate a king race move by move. Opposition, because most king and pawn races are decided by who is obliged to move. And the outside passed pawn, because it wins by distracting the enemy king rather than by promoting.
After those, the highest-value single piece of knowledge is which rook pawn endings are drawn. A wrong-coloured bishop or a rook pawn with the defending king in front is a draw no matter how much material you are up, and knowing it stops you trading into it.
Questions people ask
How do I get better at pawn endgames?
Learn the exact results rather than general principles: the square rule, opposition, key squares, and which rook pawn positions are drawn. Pawn endings are the one area of chess where memorised knowledge converts directly into points, because the positions repeat exactly.
What is the opposition in chess?
Two kings facing each other with one square between them, where whichever side must move has to give ground. Holding the opposition is the main technique for winning king and pawn endings and for drawing them a pawn down.
Nearby patterns
Pawn Endgames sits in Endgames. The rest of that section: