King and Pawn Zugzwang: Winning the Waiting Battle
White to play and win
PlayTwo pawns each, and the win comes down to one tempo. Your g-pawn has not moved yet, so it can go one square or two. That choice is a spare tempo: keep it, and Black runs out of moves first.
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Winning by Zugzwang
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.
Jumping at once throws it away. After g4? Kd7 you reach the position you want, but with you to move instead of Black, and it is only a draw.
Zugzwang, the obligation to move when every move hurts, is the engine of most king and pawn endgames. This one is composed to make the counting visible: the win is a single tempo.
Steinitz's rule. A pawn that has not moved is worth more than the same pawn one square up, because it still holds the choice between a one-square and a two-square move. That choice is a reserve tempo. Here the g-pawn is still at home, so g2-g3-g4 takes two moves where g2-g4 takes one. Only the slow route wins: 1.g3! is the sole winning move, and 1.g4? throws the point away.
The reserve-tempi rules. Accumulate spare tempi, deprive the opponent of his, and never spend one unless you are forced to. White's d-pawn is the last reserve, and it stays on d3 until the decisive moment.
The finish. The g-pawn reaches g5, the king walks f5, g6, h7 to hit the g7 pawn, and only then comes d4, the move that hands Black the turn. Every reply loses.
In this drill the defender simply waits. Waste one tempo anywhere and the zugzwang lands on you instead.
Keep going
Triangulation: When the Outflank Wins Instead
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Corresponding Squares
White to play and win
Mined Squares
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All 68 king & pawn positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)