Knight and Pawn vs Pawn: The Knight as Defender
White to play and win
PlayThe two c-pawns block each other. Your knight can look after the c4-pawn on its own, which leaves your king free to walk over and win the c5-pawn. The rule: if the black king attacks c4, the knight defends it; otherwise, bring your king closer.
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The Knight Guards the Blockaded Pawn
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.
The knight has to take up its post at once. A slow king move loses the pawn: after Kg2 Kd4, no knight move can defend c4 in time, and Kxc4 follows.
A knight is at its most economical when its own pawn is blockaded head to head with an enemy pawn on the same file. It can then defend that pawn from a small handful of safe squares and still have time to do nothing else.
The knight defends, the king wins. 1.Nb5 does not attack anything. It sits on a square protected by your own c4-pawn and covers d4 and c3, the entry squares the black king needs. When the king does reach d3, Nd6 guards the pawn.
Do not dawdle. The knight must take up its post at once. A slow king move allows 1...Kd4, and the c4-pawn falls with a draw.
In this drill the defender will circle your pawn. Shuttle the knight between b5 and d6, bring your king across the board, and convert.
Keep going
The Knight's Pawn Exception
Black to play and win
King and Knight Mate the King Trapped by Its Own Pawn
White to play and win
Two Knights Cage the King
White to play and draw
All 21 knight endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)