Two Rook Pawns Plus a Wing Pawn: Count the Race
White to play and win
PlayYou are White and you win. The rook pawns face each other and your extra pawn stands far away on f5. Your king will go and take Black's a-pawn, while his king eats your f-pawn and runs back to stop yours. The rule: once your rook pawn has crossed the middle of the board, your king wins that race.
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The Wing Pawn Is Bait
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.
First the trap. Kf4 starts the walk too early: Black answers a5, and neither rook pawn has crossed the middle. His king takes your f-pawn and still gets back to c7, close enough to the a8 corner to stop your rook pawn. Draw.
Blocked rook pawns plus one extra pawn on the far wing is a common ending and a badly understood one. There is no fortress here and no lever. It is a race, and it is settled by counting.
The plan on both sides. Your king goes after the enemy rook pawn. His king must first eliminate your far pawn, then sprint back to the corner to stop yours. Whoever is faster wins, and the margin is usually a single move.
Fix the target first. Only a4-a5 wins. It freezes Black's pawn on a6, where your king can attack it, and advances your own pawn for the race. Hand Black the move instead and ...a5 draws the same position.
Then let the far pawn go. It is bait. Push it, let Black eat it, and spend those free moves walking your king to a6.
In this drill count the race before you start. The position is won by exactly one tempo, so there is nothing to spare.
Keep going
Fix the Pawns and Draw
Black to play and draw
The Tempo Count Decides
White to play and win
The Extra Pawn That Cannot Win
Black to play and draw
All 68 king & pawn positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)