Knight and Pawn vs King: Defending the Pawn From the Rear
White to play and win
PlayYour king is far from the b-pawn, so for a few moves the knight must keep it alive alone. The rule: a knight defends its own passed pawn best from behind. If the black king takes the knight there, he is left outside the square of the pawn.
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Defend the Passed Pawn From Behind
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.
The obvious push throws the win away: 1.b4+ Kxb4, and a knight alone cannot mate.
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)