Knight vs Pawn: Lateral Control of the Queening Square

A knight draws against a pawn on the seventh rank in two ways. The clean way is to stand in front of the pawn. When the enemy king blocks that square, there is a second way: control the queening square from the side, along the pawn's own rank, never from behind.

Two circuits from the second rank. Brought beside the pawn, the knight runs two routes: one that keeps watching the queening square (here e2-c3-a2) and one that goes to win the pawn (e2-d4-b3-c1). Side control also keeps a check in reserve, so if the pawn queens the knight forks king and new queen.

The order of preference. Against a seventh-rank pawn on a central file: knight in front is a draw; failing that, knight guarding the queening square from the same rank is a draw; neither, and the pawn promotes. From behind the pawn the knight still eyes the queening square, but the king evicts it (1.Nd3+ Kd2!) and it lands outside both circuits.

In this drill the defender pushes the pawn and hides the king behind it. Check with the knight, take the second rank, and hold with the circuit.