The Knight Catches the Runner

White to play and draw

Play

Your king is stranded in the far corner, so the knight must stop a rook pawn on its own. Knights are clumsy in the corner, so calculate the catch carefully and the draw holds.

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

The Knight Catches the Runner

Hold the draw against perfect play

Waking the engine…

The theory

When the king cannot arrive in time, a knight must catch a passed pawn by itself. Against a rook pawn this is delicate because the knight has little room near the edge.

The catching square. Aim the knight at a square that either blocks the pawn or guards its promotion square. Miss by one tempo and the pawn queens.

Mind the corner. A knight on the rim controls fewer squares. Route it so it never gets stuck with no useful hop when the pawn advances.

In this drill the pawn will race for the eighth rank. Find the knight route that arrives just in time and the draw is yours.

Keep going

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