Mini-games: pawn wars and queen vs pawns
In short
Mini-games use only a few pieces, so a beginner can practise one idea at a time. In “pawn wars” each side has only its eight pawns; the first to promote wins.
By the end you can
- Play pawn wars and understands passed pawns
- Coordinate a queen against several pawns
The lesson
Mini-games use only a few pieces, so a beginner can practise one idea at a time. In “pawn wars” each side has only its eight pawns; the first to promote wins. Players quickly learn that a pawn with no enemy pawns in front of it — a passed pawn — is a real threat.
In “queen against pawns”, one player has a queen and the other has all eight pawns. The queen must stop every pawn from promoting. This trains the queen’s long-range moves and the idea of attacking two things at once.
Mini-games are the best bridge from learning the moves to playing whole games. Keep them short and fun, and switch sides often.
Key points to remember
- One idea at a time
- Passed pawns run to promotion
- The queen must attack two things at once
Examples
Show the moves
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4
Homework
Play five games of pawn wars and two of queen vs pawns.
More endgames lessons
- 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)
- Converting extra material (Class E)