Knight Down With Locked Rook Pawns: Run for the Corner
White to play and draw
PlayYou are a knight down, and you can still draw. The h-pawns block each other for good, so your king only needs to reach the h1 corner behind your h2-pawn, or g1 next to it. From there Black can neither drive it out of the corner nor mate it, and the best he gets is stalemate. The rule: take the c5-pawn, then run straight for the corner.
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Locked Rook Pawns: Run for the Corner
White to play and draw · Hold the draw against perfect play
Waking the engine…
The theory
Watch the method: press play to see the winning idea run, or step through it move by move.
Before you count material, look for pawns that can never move. Here the h-pawns block each other, and that decides the game.
The corner. Your king belongs on g1 or h1, behind its h2-pawn. From there it can neither be driven out of the corner nor mated, and the best Black can get is stalemate.
The race. First take the c5-pawn, the only move, then head for the corner at once. Lingering on the queenside loses, and so does one wrong step near the corner, such as Kf1 when Black's king stands on f3.
In this drill you defend a knight down. Reach the corner and the draw is yours.
Keep going
Knight and Pawn vs Knight
White to play and win
Choosing the Barrier Square with King Support
White to play and draw
Lateral Control of the Promotion Square
White to play and draw
All 21 knight endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)