Knight and Pawn vs King: Defending the Pawn From the Rear
White to play and win
PlayYour king is on the wrong side of the board, so the knight has to hold the b-pawn by itself for a few moves. The key rule is simple: a knight defends its own passed pawn best from behind.
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Defend the Passed Pawn From Behind
White to play and win · Win against perfect defense
Waking the engine…
The theory
Knight and pawn against a bare king is winning, but the pawn still has to survive until the king arrives. The knight's placement decides how easy that is.
Defend from the rear. A knight behind its own passed pawn is immune. Capturing it takes the enemy king a move away from the pawn's path, and after the pawn advances the king is outside its square. Here 2.Nd2 guards b3 from behind, and 2...Kxd2 3.b4 simply queens.
Rear for your pawn, front for theirs. These are two different jobs and they need opposite squares. To stop an enemy passed pawn you get in front of it and blockade. To defend your own passed pawn you sit behind it, where the defense costs nothing and cannot be taken.
In this drill the black king will camp in front of the pawn. Hold it from behind, walk your king across, and promote.
Keep going
The Knight Guards the Blockaded Pawn
White to play and win
The Knight's Pawn Exception
Black to play and win
King and Knight Mate the King Trapped by Its Own Pawn
White to play and win
All 21 knight endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)