Chess lessons › Chess endgames
Counting moves in pawn endings
When both kings go after pawns, count the king’s trip and the pawn’s run together.
The idea
Count the king’s trip to a pawn and the pawn’s run to queen.
- White’s king takes a6 in two moves, then the b-pawn needs four.
- Black’s king needs three moves to take h2, as the pawn guards g3.
- Six against seven, and White moves first: White queens first.
In a game: When both kings can go after pawns, add up the king’s moves and the pawn’s moves for each side.
How the lesson begins
Each king can go after an enemy pawn: White’s king after a6, Black’s king after h2. Then each side’s own pawn runs to queen.
In a race like this, count everything: the moves your king needs to take the pawn, plus the moves your pawn needs to queen. Do the same for the other side. It is White’s move.
A question
Count White’s moves: the king goes to b6 and takes on a6, then the b-pawn runs. How many moves does White need to queen?
Show the answer
Six: two for the king, four for the pawn (b5, b6, b7, b8).
Right. Kb6 and Kxa6, then four pawn moves.