Blocked Pawns and Their Key Squares
White to play and win
PlayThe pawns on b5 and b6 are blocked, so this is a race between the kings. Blocked pawns have key squares too, on the pawn's own rank. The rule: the king that first reaches a key square of the enemy pawn wins that pawn.
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Blocked Pawns: Racing for the Key Squares
White to play and win · Win against perfect defense
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The theory
Watch the method: press play to see the winning idea run, or step through it move by move.
Count the race before you move. A king move like Kg2 wastes a tempo: Black's king reaches d6 first, guards c6 and e6, and your king cannot get in. That is only a draw.
A blocked pawn cannot advance, but it can still be won, and a won pawn wins games. When the base of a pawn chain is jammed against an enemy pawn, you attack it by reaching one of its key squares first.
Key squares for a blocked pawn. They sit on the pawn's own rank, three files to its left and three to its right. A king that occupies one wins the pawn, whoever is to move. The routes are often the same length, so take the one that also wins the opposition.
Winning the pawn is not always winning the game. Reaching a key square only wins the pawn. If the position left behind is a drawn king and pawn ending, or a bare rook pawn, the capture is worthless. Here the surviving b-pawn still wins, so the race is worth running.
In this drill the enemy king will try to reach the pawn first. Count the routes, take the one that also wins the opposition, and collect the pawn.
Keep going
Separated Pawns Defend Each Other
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Doubled Pawns Against a Bare King
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Inside the Square and Still Too Slow
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All 68 king & pawn positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)