Two Pawns, Only Half a Point: g and h vs h
White to play and draw
PlayYou are a whole pawn up and still the honest verdict is a draw. When the surviving passer is a rook pawn and the defender guards the corner, an extra pawn can be worth nothing.
No signup needed. The opponent never gives up, and every mistake gets explained.
Two Pawns, Only Half a Point: g and h vs h
Hold the draw against perfect play
Waking the engine…
The theory
Material counts for less in pawn endings than almost anywhere else on the board. The g and h pawns against a lone h pawn is a famous case where a full extra pawn does not win.
Why the corner saves the game. The h-file is a rook-pawn file, and a rook pawn queens in the corner. If the defending king reaches that corner or the square in front of it, the attacker cannot drive it out without stalemate, so the pawns can never be converted into a mating attack.
The trap of pushing. The natural instinct is to advance and trade the g-pawn to open lines. But every trade that leaves only rook pawns steers straight into the drawn corner. Progress here is an illusion, and the tablebase confirms the verdict is a draw.
In this drill you hold the balance with an extra pawn on the board. Keep the fortress intact, avoid the tempting but losing trade, and take the half point the position is worth.