Queen vs Bishop Pawn on the Seventh: The Draw
White to play and draw
PlayA bishop pawn on the seventh, with your king far away on d5. The queen cannot win this. When you check his king toward the pawn, he goes to the corner on a1 instead of c1, and there taking the pawn is stalemate. Only a king close enough to help mate could win, and yours is too far.
Updated
New to this ending? Learn the method first: King & Pawn Endgames
No signup needed. The opponent never gives up, and every mistake gets explained.
The Bishop Pawn Escapes
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.
Queen versus pawn is a win for the checking-and-approaching side, except when the pawn is a rook pawn or a bishop pawn. This position is the classic bishop-pawn draw.
The stalemate resource. When the queen forces the defending king in front of a bishop pawn, the king can flee toward the corner. Now taking the pawn or blocking the queening square leaves the enemy with no legal move: stalemate. The queen can never bank the tempo it needs.
The king race. The only way to beat these pawns is to have your own king close enough to help before the stalemate defense kicks in. Here it simply is not near enough.
In this drill you play the stronger side yet the draw holds all the same. Learn to recognize the pattern so you never burn moves chasing a win that is not there.
Keep going
When the Bishop Pawn Loses Anyway
White to play and win
Let the Rook Pawn Queen, Then Mate
White to play and win
The Pendulum Defense
White to play and draw
All 68 king & pawn positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)