Passed Pawns and the Rule of the Square: Order Matters
White to play and win
PlayYour two a-pawns are close to queening, but Black has a runner too, the h-pawn. Deal with his runner before you push. Here the move that stops it is also a waiting move, and it leaves Black in zugzwang.
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Stop the Runner First, Then Queen
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.
Taking on g5 loses too. After Kxg5 h3 the h-pawn is two squares from h1, and your king on g5 is outside its square: h3, h1, f1 and f3.
When both sides are racing, the order of moves is everything, and the obvious move is usually the losing one.
Stop the runner first. The h-pawn is three moves from queening, and only Kh3 or Kf3 deal with it. Kh3 blocks the road outright: h4 cannot advance, and if g4+ then Kxh4 kills the pair.
Do not push too early. a7 immediately loses, because it empties a6 and lets the black king into b7 to take the new pawn. Kxg5 loses too: the h-pawn simply queens.
Then the a-pawns decide. Once the black king has committed to the wrong side, a7 is the only move and the pawn promotes whatever he plays.
In this drill the defense never cracks. Neutralize the h-pawn, then run.
Keep going
Mined Squares: c4 and b6
White to play and draw
Winning with a Frozen King
White to play and win
The Bishop Sacrifice That Buries a King
White to play and win
All 68 king & pawn positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)