Ponderchess / Endgames

The square of the pawn

See whether a king can catch a pawn without calculating every move.

Draw a square from the pawn to its promotion rank.

Step inside the square to join the race.

Account for a pawn's initial double step.

See the technique.

Follow the highlighted lines and watch how the pieces work together.

Setting up the board…

Rule

The square of the pawn

The black pawn needs four moves to reach a1. Its square stretches from a1 to e5. The blue outline is the catching zone.

White moveBlack moveThreatSupport / safe squarePlan

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Follow the idea

10 scenes · Select any scene to study it at your pace.

Hold your ground.

Apply the technique against tablebase defence. Reset the position whenever you want a fresh start.

Preparing your chess set…

Click or drag to move · Arrow keys + Enter to play

Your turn · white

Find the defence.

Keep your position defensible. Patient, accurate moves matter more than winning material.

Your technique checklist

Choose an idea to focus on as you play.

0 moves practisedSelect a piece, then a square

Your move. Hold the draw against perfect play.

The plan behind the moves.

Keep these ideas in mind as the position changes.

Drawing the square

Picture a square whose side runs from the pawn to its promotion square. Here the a5 pawn needs four moves to reach a1, so the square covers a1 to e5.

If the defending king can move into that square, it catches the pawn. With White to move, any king step onto the e-file, such as Ke3, enters the square. A step the other way lets the pawn run.

Watch for the double step

A pawn on its starting rank can move two squares at once, so measure its square from one rank further forward.

Remember

Draw the square
Step inside it
Mind the pawn's double step

Make the idea yours

One last thought.

No timer. No score. Just a moment to check your understanding.

In this position, what must the white king do?

Drawing the square

Picture a square whose side runs from the pawn to its promotion square. Here the a5 pawn needs four moves to reach a1, so the square covers a1 to e5.

If the defending king can move into that square, it catches the pawn. With White to move, any king step onto the e-file, such as Ke3, enters the square. A step the other way lets the pawn run.