Corresponding Squares: Drawing Dedrle's Pawn Ending
Black to play and draw, after Dedrle, 1921
PlayThe white king is miles away and this is still a razor-thin draw. Your b4 pawn is the target, three squares win the game for White if his king reaches one of them. And you keep him out with a system of corresponding squares.
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Corresponding Squares: Dedrle's Draw
Black to play and draw · Hold the draw against perfect play
Waking the engine…
The theory
Watch the method: press play to see the winning idea run, or step through it move by move.
The key squares are c4, d4 and e4. If the white king lands on any of them he wins your b4 pawn and the game. The b-pawns are locked against each other for good, so neither side ever gets a pawn move there: that is why b4 is a fixed target and why those three squares decide the game. And his a-pawn can advance whenever he likes: from d5 or e5 your king is inside its square. So it is not a threat.
Dedrle's 1921 study is the cleanest introduction to corresponding squares in a pawn ending. The b-pawns are locked, so there is no fortress to build and no pawn race to run: there is only a set of squares, and a rule for shadowing the enemy king.
The key squares. White wins if his king reaches c4, d4 or e4, because from there he collects the b4 pawn and his two pawns decide the game. Your entire task is to keep him off all three.
The correspondence. Work backwards from the key squares. White's king on d3, f3 or h3 must be answered by your king on d5. His king on e3 or g3 must be answered by e5. While he is still on the second rank, you wait on d6 or e6. When he comes further up, you hold the lateral opposition, walking the d- and e-files.
Why guessing fails. The pairs are not symmetrical: three white squares map onto the single square d5. Guess and you lose, count and the draw is easy.
In this drill the defensive moves are only moves. Learn the table.
Keep going
The Wing Pawn Is Bait
White to play and win
Fix the Pawns and Draw
Black to play and draw
The Tempo Count Decides
White to play and win
All 68 king & pawn positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)