Queen endings and queen vs pawn
In short
Against a pawn on the seventh rank supported by its king, the queen usually wins by forcing the king in front of its pawn with checks and then bringing her own king closer. The exceptions are rook and bishop pawns, where stalemate tricks can draw.
By the end you can
- Know queen vs pawn on the 7th
- Handle perpetual-check danger in queen endings
The lesson
Against a pawn on the seventh rank supported by its king, the queen usually wins by forcing the king in front of its pawn with checks and then bringing her own king closer. The exceptions are rook and bishop pawns, where stalemate tricks can draw.
In queen endings with pawns, the king’s safety matters most: an exposed king allows endless checks. The side with the passed pawn should shelter its king, often close to the enemy king.
Key points to remember
- Q vs P on 7th: check, force the king in front, approach
- Rook/bishop pawns may draw
- In queen endings: hide your king
Examples
Show the solution
36. Qe1+ Qg3+ 37. Qxg3#
Practise it
Solve puzzles on this idea: queen endgame puzzles, queen and rook endgame puzzles.
Homework
Win the queen vs pawn practice from three different starting positions.
More endgames lessons
- Mini-games: pawn wars and queen vs pawns (Foundation)
- Can the king catch the pawn? The rule of the square (Novice)
- King and pawn vs king: opposition (Class F)
- Passed pawns and promotion races (Class F)
- The Lucena position: building a bridge (Class E)
- The Philidor defence: holding rook endings (Class E)