Can the king catch the pawn? The rule of the square
In short
Imagine a square drawn from the pawn to its promotion square and the same distance sideways. If the defending king can step inside that square on its move, it catches the pawn.
By the end you can
- Draw the square of a pawn
- Decide quickly whether a king catches a passed pawn
The lesson
Imagine a square drawn from the pawn to its promotion square and the same distance sideways. If the defending king can step inside that square on its move, it catches the pawn. If not, the pawn promotes.
Remember that a pawn on its starting rank can move two squares, so draw the square from the square in front of it. Also check that nothing blocks the king’s path.
Key points to remember
- Draw the square from pawn to promotion square
- King inside the square (on its move) catches the pawn
- Two-square first move: count from one rank ahead
Examples
Show the moves
1. Kd2 Kb7 2. Kc3 a3 3. Kb3 Ka6 4. Kxa3 Kb5
Homework
Set up 10 king-vs-pawn positions and predict the result before playing them out.
More endgames lessons
- Mini-games: pawn wars and queen vs pawns (Foundation)
- 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)