The Stalemate That Saves
Black to play and draw
PlayWhite has two pawns to your one and cannot win. Your king does not blockade anything: it steps aside and invites White to push, because the push is precisely what leaves you with no legal move.
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The Stalemate That Saves
Black to play and draw · Hold the draw against perfect play
Waking the engine…
The theory
Material means nothing when the extra pawns cannot be converted. This little two-against-one is a draw, and the mechanism is stalemate.
No blockade required. The pawns are already locked: your a6 pawn cannot move and the white a5 pawn cannot move. Your king is confined to a8, b8 and c8, and from the starting position all three hold.
Let him push. White's only try is b6-b7 with check. Step in front of it, and then look at the position when his king comes alongside on b6: the pawn on b7 covers a8 and c8, the king covers a7 and c7, your own pawn cannot move. You have no legal move at all. Stalemate.
The lesson. Do not judge this ending by counting pawns. Count legal moves.
In this drill you are two pawns down and cannot lose. Recognize the pattern and the half point is yours instantly.
Keep going
Corresponding Squares: Dedrle's Draw
Black to play and draw
Two Passers and a King on a Leash
White to play and win
Leaving the Box at the Right Moment
White to play and win
All 62 king & pawn positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)