Deflecting Knight Sacrifice to Promote a Pawn
White to play and win
PlayYour h-pawn wants to run, and the black knight on e6 stands close to its path. Give up your own knight to drag that knight away, then lead with your king. The rule: when the knight threatens checks, keep your king two squares from it on a diagonal, with one square in between, so the checks come as late as possible.
Updated
New to this ending? Learn the method first: Knight Endgames
No signup needed. The opponent never gives up, and every mistake gets explained.
Sacrifice to Clear the Pawn's Path
White to play and win · Win against perfect defense
Waking the engine…
The theory
Watch the method: press play to see the winning idea run, or step through it move by move.
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. In knight against knight and pawn, this deflection sacrifice is not a trick but the standard winning method: the defending knight lives on the pawn's path, and only material can pull it off.
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
Defend the Passed Pawn From Behind
White to play and win
The Knight Guards the Blockaded Pawn
White to play and win
The Knight's Pawn Exception
Black to play and win
All 21 knight endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)