Pawn versus King

Overview

The oldest study material in chess: one pawn decides everything. The result depends less on the material than on king activity — who controls the key squares in front of the pawn and who wins the opposition.

Key squares and opposition

Every pawn has a cluster of key squares two ranks ahead. If the attacking king occupies any of them, the pawn queens regardless of whose turn it is. The defensive side fights for the opposition: standing directly opposite the attacker so that he must eventually step aside.

A model win

With the king already leading the pawn, progress is straightforward: push the pawn only as far as the key squares allow, take the opposition, and promote.

Practice positions

Play each position out against the engine from the exact spot on the board — unrated, you take the strong side.