King + Pawn vs King · Chapter 1
A beginner-friendly guide to the simplest and most common pawn endgame. Learn when a lone pawn can outrun the enemy king, when it cannot, and how your own king turns a draw into a win.
When a pawn runs for promotion and the enemy king is far away, you do not need to calculate every move. A simple geometrical trick tells you instantly whether the pawn can promote.
Position 1.1 · White to move
FEN: 6k1/8/8/8/8/8/P7/7K w - - 0 1
White has a pawn on a2 and the kings are on opposite corners. The black king on g8 looks far away — but is it far enough?
Draw an imaginary square whose base runs from the pawn to its promotion square (a2–a8), and whose far side reaches a8–g8. If the defending king can step inside that square on its turn, it catches the pawn. Here it is Black’s turn after White’s first move, so we must count carefully.
Position 1.2 · Black to move (square already drawn)
FEN: 6k1/8/8/8/P7/8/8/7K b - - 0 1
The pawn has reached a4. Now the square shrinks: it runs from a4 to a8 and across to e8. The black king on g8 is outside this smaller square, and it is Black’s move.
Because the king is outside and cannot enter the square in one move, the pawn promotes untouched. The rule converts a long calculation into a one-second glance.
Main line
When the defending king is inside the square, the pawn alone cannot promote. The strong side must use its own king to block the defender’s path and escort the pawn forward.
Position 1.3 · White to move
FEN: 8/4k3/2K5/8/8/1P6/8/8 w - - 0 1
White’s king on c6 sits directly in front of Black’s king on e7, and the pawn is far back on b3. The black king is inside the square, so White cannot just run the pawn.
The winning idea is 1.Kc7! — White steps in front of the black king, taking the opposition and blocking the king’s path toward the b-pawn. Black is forced to retreat while the pawn marches up.
Main line
The black king is held back and can never reach the b-pawn, which promotes comfortably. (The remaining moves are a routine promotion.)
Even a pawn one step from promotion can fail if the supporting king is placed badly. The single most important idea here is opposition: two kings facing each other with one square between them, and the side not on the move is forced to give way.
Position 1.4 · White to move
FEN: 6k1/8/5PK1/8/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 1
White’s pawn is on f6, one move from promotion, and the kings face each other on f6’s file neighbours: White king on f6 is beside its pawn; Black king on g8 guards the promotion square f8/f7 area.
Here the outcome hinges entirely on whose turn it is and on opposition. With the king correctly placed in front of its pawn and the opposition in hand, White wins; without the opposition, Black holds the draw by stepping in front of the pawn or stalemating.
The lesson: a pawn near promotion is not an automatic win. King placement and the opposition decide.