The Square of the Pawn
Black to play and draw
PlayA passed pawn races for the queening square; your king races to catch it. No counting of moves needed: one glance at the square decides.
No signup needed. The opponent never gives up, and every mistake gets explained.
The Square of the Pawn
Hold the draw against perfect play
Setting up the board…
The theory
When a passed pawn runs and your king chases, calculating move by move under time pressure is how half-points die. The square rule answers instantly.
The rule. Imagine a square whose side runs from the pawn to its promotion square. If the defending king, with the move, can enter that square, it catches the pawn. Outside the square, the pawn queens. No calculation required.
Two traps. (1) A pawn still on its starting rank moves two squares first: draw the square as if it stood one rank further on. (2) The rule assumes an unobstructed king walk: your own pieces or checks along the way break it, so a quick sanity-check of the path never hurts.
In this drill you defend with a bare king against pawn and king. Enter the square, escort the pawn's capture, or slip into the corner fortress: the tablebase opponent will punish a single step outside the geometry.