King and pawn vs king: opposition

By the end you can

• Know when K+P vs K is won
• Take the opposition
• Know the key squares

The lesson

With a king and one pawn against a lone king, the attacking king must lead the pawn. The key idea is opposition: kings facing each other with one square in between. The player who does NOT have to move holds the opposition, and the other king must give way.

For a pawn that is not on the edge, the attacker wins if his king reaches one of the key squares two ranks in front of the pawn (for a pawn on e4: d6, e6, f6). Once the king stands on the sixth rank in front of its pawn, the position is won no matter who is to move.

For the defender: stay in front of the pawn and take the opposition whenever possible. With a rook’s pawn (a- or h-pawn), the defender draws if his king reaches the corner.

Key points to remember

• King in front of the pawn
• Opposition = facing kings, opponent to move
• Key squares two ranks ahead of the pawn
• Rook’s pawn: corner = draw

Examples

Homework

Play K+P vs K from both sides against the engine until you win and draw every time.

Free further reading

• Chess Fundamentals, José Raúl Capablanca (1921, public domain)

More endgames lessons

• Mini-games: pawn wars and queen vs pawns (Foundation)
• Can the king catch the pawn? The rule of the square (Novice)
• Passed pawns and promotion races (Class F)
• The Lucena position: building a bridge (Class E)
• The Philidor defence: holding rook endings (Class E)
• Converting extra material (Class E)