Knight and Rook Pawn Draw: The Trapped King
Black to play and draw
PlayThe h-pawn is one step from promotion, but the white king is standing in its way. It can only free the pawn by stepping out to g7 or g8. Keep those two squares covered and White has nothing.
Updated
New to this ending? Learn the method first: Knight Endgames
No signup needed. The opponent never gives up, and every mistake gets explained.
The King Locked in Front of Its Pawn
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.
The white king blocks its own pawn. Its only exits are g7 and g8, so the whole defense is simple: keep both squares under control.
Knight and pawn beat a lone king almost automatically. The exception is the rook pawn whose own king has climbed in front of it, into the corner.
The self-block. With the white king on h8 and the pawn on h7, the pawn cannot move. The king can only unlock it by leaving through g7 or g8.
Only two squares work. The black king must control g7 and g8 together, and exactly two squares do that: f7 and f8. So Black shuttles f7, f8, f7 and White can never build a threat. Any other king move loses, including a greedy capture of the knight, because it lets the white king out.
In this drill White will keep checking and probing with the knight. Answer 2.Nc7 with 2...Kf8, answer 3.Ne6+ with 3...Kf7, and the half point is yours.
Keep going
The Knight Catches the Runner
White to play and draw
Offer the Knight in the Corner
White to play and draw
Deflect the Blockader, Run the Rook Pawn
White to play and win
All 21 knight endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)