The Knight Shields the Passed Pawn

White to play and win

Play

Knight and pawn against a bare king is a win, but the knight must guard the pawn while your king marches up to escort it. Coordinate the three and the pawn queens.

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The Knight Shields the Passed Pawn

Win against perfect defense

Waking the engine…

The theory

Knight and pawn versus king is a straightforward win, but it still requires the pieces to cooperate so the enemy king never blockades the pawn for good.

The knight defends. Early on, the knight guards the pawn and keeps the enemy king at bay while your king travels to the scene.

Hand off to the king. When your king arrives, it takes over escort duty. The knight then clears any square the enemy king clings to.

In this drill the defender will sit in front of the pawn as long as possible. Coordinate king and knight to evict it and the pawn promotes.

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