Chess lessons › Chess endgames
Knight and pawn against knight
The king in front of the pawn draws; a lone knight must reach the pawn in time; rook pawns cut both ways.
The idea
The king in front draws; a lone knight must reach the pawn in time.
- Black’s king on h8 is too far away to help.
- White’s pawn is on b5, with its king beside it on c5.
- Nc3 attacks the pawn; if b6, Na4+ forks king and pawn.
In a game: Defending with a lone knight, count the moves it needs to reach the pawn’s path.
How the lesson begins
With a knight and a pawn against a knight, the extra pawn often does not win. The defender has two resources. The king can stand in front of the pawn, and the knight can give itself up for the pawn: a king and a knight alone cannot mate.
Here Black’s king on e6 blocks the pawn on e5. White is to move, and the tablebase says it is a draw.
Play it out
Now you defend. Black to move: White’s pawn is on e5 and your king is on f7. Hold the draw against the tablebase. Bring your king in front of the pawn and keep it there, and give up your knight for the pawn if you must.
In the lesson you play this out on the board, against the endgame tablebase’s best defence.