One Tempo Turns the Draw into a Win

White to play and win

Play

Almost the same position, but the defending king starts one square further away, and that single tempo flips the result. Now the knight and king can evict the bishop before help arrives and the pawn queens.

No signup needed. The opponent never gives up, and every mistake gets explained.

One Tempo Turns the Draw into a Win

Win against perfect defense

Waking the engine…

The theory

The line between a draw and a win in knight and pawn versus bishop can be a single tempo. When the defending king is one step too slow, the fortress cracks.

Exploit the slow king. The bishop guards the queening square, but if the king cannot back it up, the knight and king can force the bishop away.

Take the square. Attack the bishop with the knight or cover the promotion square yourself. Once the bishop must abandon its diagonal, the pawn promotes.

In this drill precision matters on every move. Keep the enemy king locked out and convert the extra pawn into a queen.

Keep going

Follow the full curriculum (free)