The Floating Square: When the King Wins Both Pawns
White to play and win
PlayBlack's passed pawns sit on a5 and d5, two files apart. The square they build never reaches the edge, and at that spacing your king does not merely stop them. It captures both.
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Two Files Apart: The King Wins Both Pawns
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 floating square a5-d5-d2-a2 stops on the second rank, so the pawns cannot get through. And there are exactly two files between them, which is the worst possible spacing for Black: at that range the king wins both pawns, whoever is to move.
The floating square tells you what a lone king can do against two separated passed pawns on the same rank.
Does it reach the edge? Build the square with the two pawns as adjacent corners. If it touches the edge of the board, one pawn queens. If it stops short, the king holds them.
How far apart are they? If the pawns are two files apart, the king does more than hold: it captures both. Any wider and it can only stop them advancing.
This position. a5 and d5 give the square a5-d5-d2-a2, which stops on the second rank, and the pawns are exactly two files apart. So they are lost whoever is to move.
The leash. Your own g6 and h5 pawns are not there to promote. They pin the black king to the kingside while your king does the work. Push h6 and you throw the win away.
In this drill the defender never stops pushing. Send the king after the pawns and leave the leash alone.
Keep going
Three Connected Pawns and the One Square That Wins
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Two Passers and a King on a Leash
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Leaving the Box at the Right Moment
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All 68 king & pawn positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)