Sacrifice to Clear the Pawn's Path
White to play and win
PlayThe black knight shadows your h-pawn from e6. Give your own knight away to drag the defender to the far side of the board, then escort the pawn with the king and trap the knight when it comes back.
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Sacrifice to Clear the Pawn's Path
White to play and win · Win against perfect defense
Waking the engine…
The theory
A knight that shadows a passed pawn is worth more than the material on the board. Handing over your own knight to drag it out of range is often the cleanest win.
Deflect first. 1.Nd4+ forces 1...Nxd4 and dumps the defending knight on the opposite wing, four hops away from the pawn's path.
King before pawn. The follow-up is the hard part. Only 2.Kf6 wins. Pushing 2.h5 at once gives the knight the tempo it needs and the win evaporates. Bring the king up alongside the pawn, then advance.
The corner trap. The knight can still reach h8, but that is not a rescue. With Kf6 and Kg7 the white king simply traps it there, and the pawn promotes.
In this drill the defender will shadow the pawn all the way. Strike with the deflection, count the race, and lead with the king.
Keep going
Two Knights Cage the King
White to play and draw
A Lone Knight Mates in the Corner
White to play and win
The Knight Blockade
Black to play and draw
All 16 knight endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)