Defending Down a Pawn: the h-Pawn Corner
White to play and draw
PlayThe opponent is a pawn up with f and h pawns against your lone h pawn, yet the door to a draw stays open. The rook pawn and the locked h-files are your lifeline.
No signup needed. The opponent never gives up, and every mistake gets explained.
Defending Down a Pawn: the h-Pawn Corner
Hold the draw against perfect play
Waking the engine…
The theory
Being a pawn down in a king and pawn ending is usually fatal, but the f and h pawns against a lone h pawn is a known exception where the defender can survive.
The locked h-pawns. When the two h-pawns block each other, the attacker is effectively left with only the f-pawn to force a decision. A single f-pawn cannot both promote and cover the defender's corner, so the extra material loses much of its value.
The drawing corner. The h-file is a rook-pawn file. If your king can plant itself in the corner ahead of the passed pawn, the attacker faces stalemate every time it tries to squeeze you out. That corner is the destination for your king from the first move.
In this drill you defend with the smaller army. Steer your king to the corner, keep the h-pawns locked, and refuse to be pushed aside. Perfect play from the other side still ends in a draw.