Knight vs Knight's Pawn: The Corner Exception
Black to play and win
PlayYou have a knight's pawn and the white knight is not in front of it. Against a knight's pawn on the seventh, the knight only draws by standing in front of the pawn: this close to the corner it finds no good square on the other side of the pawn. The rule: push to the seventh at once, then step out of the checks.
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The Knight's Pawn Exception
Black 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.
Kc2 looks logical, keeping the knight away, but it is the mistake. Nd6 steps aside, and after b2 Nc4 the knight attacks the pawn. If you queen, Na3+ forks your king and the queen.
A lone knight copes with a central passed pawn on the seventh rank, but the knight's pawn is an exception. The edge of the board is close, and it takes away the squares on the far side of the pawn that the knight needs to keep checking and circling back.
In front, or nothing. Against a knight's pawn one step from queening, the defender draws only if its knight already stands in front of the pawn. If it cannot get there, the pawn promotes. That is why the winning move is to push at once: 1...b2 slams the door before the knight can occupy b1.
No square on the far side. After 1...b2 2.Nd2+ Kc1 3.Nb3+ Kd1, every check has been spent and the knight controls no square that stops the pawn. With a central pawn the knight would find a saving square beyond the pawn; one file nearer the corner, that square does not exist.
In this drill the defender will check and try to swing the knight in front. Push first, walk the king to c1 and d1 out of the checks, and queen.
Keep going
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
Locked Rook Pawns: Run for the Corner
White to play and draw
All 21 knight endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)