The Floating Square: Judging the Race
Black to play and win
PlayThe floating square is a shortcut for connected passed pawns: it tells you at a glance whether a king can catch them. Here it reveals a win for the side with the distant runner.
No signup needed. The opponent never gives up, and every mistake gets explained.
The Floating Square: Judging the Race
Win against perfect defense
Waking the engine…
The theory
The floating square extends the rule of the square to trickier races, letting you evaluate whether a king stops passed pawns without deep calculation.
Picture the square. Frame the passed pawn inside its promotion square and see whether the enemy king can step inside in time. Distant runners often fall outside its reach.
Two duties, one king. When the defender must both stop connected pawns and chase a far passer, it cannot manage both, and one pawn slips through.
In this drill the defense is perfect. Read the floating square, push the far pawn, and win.