The Pendulum Defense
White to play and draw
PlayDown to a single pawn each with the kings locked close, you hold the draw by swinging your king like a pendulum between two squares, always covering both duties at once.
No signup needed. The opponent never gives up, and every mistake gets explained.
The Pendulum Defense
Hold the draw against perfect play
Waking the engine…
The theory
Some king and pawn draws are held not by charging forward but by patient shuffling. The pendulum is a defensive maneuver where the king oscillates between two squares.
Two duties, one king. The defending king often must guard its own pawn's road and simultaneously deny the enemy king a key square. The pendulum finds the pair of squares that covers both, no matter which way the attacker probes.
Keep the opposition. Each swing preserves the opposition or the right waiting move, so the attacker can never make progress. Step to the wrong square once and the balance breaks.
In this drill you defend against relentless probing. Swing your king correctly every move and the tablebase can never convert.