The Floating Square on Defense
Black to play and draw
PlayYour passed pawns stand on a6 and e6. Their floating square does not reach the edge of the board, so the white king can hold them and there is no win. Your job is to hold the draw: keep the pawns still and answer his king with yours.
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 Floating Square That Falls Short
Black 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.
Your king has a job too: watching White's g6 and h5 pawns. Walk away with Kh6 and his king goes for e6: Kd6, a5, Kxe6, a4, Kf7, a3, g7, a2, g8=Q, a1=Q, Qg6 mate.
The floating-square rule cuts both ways. Two passed pawns on the same rank get through only if the square they define reaches the edge of the board.
Shift them one rank back and the win disappears. With pawns on a6 and e6 the square is a6-e6-e2-a2 and it stops on the second rank. The white king holds both, and the position is drawn.
Your own king is on duty. White has a connected g6 and h5 pair and your king must stay in front of it. Only Kf6 and e5 hold; Kh6, Kf8, Kg8, Kh8 and a5 lose.
Corresponding squares. White's king shuttles between c5 and c6; yours answers on f6 and g7. Hold the pairing and neither side makes progress.
In this drill the attacker probes and never lets up. Play Kf6 or e5, keep the correspondence, take the half point.
Keep going
Two Files Apart: The King Wins Both Pawns
White to play and win
Three Connected Pawns and the One Square That Wins
White to play and win
Two Passers and a King on a Leash
White to play and win
All 68 king & pawn positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)