Bishop and Pawns: The Frozen King Win
White to play and win, after Kling and Horwitz, 1851
PlayYou are not going to post the bishop anywhere. You are going to give it away on h1. Because a black king buried in the corner behind its own h2 pawn has no moves at all. And then he must push pawns and lose the race.
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The Bishop Sacrifice That Buries a King
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.
This is the most spectacular way to freeze a king: you throw the bishop away to bury it in the corner, and then win a pawn race you appear to be losing on material.
The sacrifice. Bf3+ takes h1 away from the h-pawn, and if the king comes to g1, Bh1 forces Kxh1, because there is nothing else. The black king now sits on h1 with his own pawn on h2 blocking the only way out.
The seal. Kf1! and the king has no legal move: g1 and g2 are covered by your king, and the h2 pawn cannot advance into its own king's square. The king is frozen, and Black has to touch a pawn.
The race. d5 exd5 e4 d6 e3 d7 e2+ Kxe2, and your d-pawn queens first. Black queens too and gets mated a few moves later, because his king never left the corner.
In this drill the first three moves are all only moves. Do not look for a safe square for the bishop, it is the price of the corner.
Keep going
The Floating Square: When One Pawn Must Queen
Black to play and win
The Floating Square That Falls Short
Black to play and draw
Two Files Apart: The King Wins Both Pawns
White to play and win
All 68 king & pawn positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)