Chess lessons › Chess endgames
Pawn races
Both sides run a passed pawn: count the moves to queen, then see what the new queen does.
The idea
Count the moves to queen, then see what the new queen does at once.
- Both pawns need three moves, and White moves first.
- So White queens first, on a8.
- The new queen guards h1, so Black’s pawn cannot queen safely.
In a game: When both sides have a passed pawn, count the moves to queen before you push.
The lesson
When both sides have a passed pawn and neither king can catch the other side’s pawn, you have a pawn race. Here Black’s king is outside the square of the a-pawn, and White’s king is outside the square of the h-pawn, so the pawns simply run.
Count the moves. Each pawn needs three moves to queen, and White moves first, so White queens first. Then look at what the new queen does at once. Watch.
- 1. a6 The pawn runs.
- 1... h3 2. a7 h2 3. a8=Q White queens first. The new queen on a8 looks down the long diagonal to h1.
- 3... h1=Q Black queens one move later.
- 4. Qxh1 The queen on a8 takes the new queen at once, and White wins.
Find the move
The same position, but now it is Black’s move. You are Black. Count again: both pawns still need three moves. Only one move wins.
A hint
Push your pawn. In a race every move counts.
Show the answer
1... h3
h3. Now Black is a move ahead, so Black queens first, on h1. From h1 the new queen looks along the same long diagonal to a8, so White’s pawn can never queen safely. Every king move hands the race back to White, and loses.
Find the move
Count carefully here. Black’s pawn on h6 needs five moves to queen. Your pawn on a2 has not moved yet. Only one move wins.
A hint
A pawn on its first square can move two squares in one go.
Show the answer
1. a4
a4. A pawn that has not moved yet may go two squares at once, so the a-pawn needs only five moves too: a4, a5, a6, a7 and a8. You move first, so you queen first, and the queen on a8 guards h1. After a3 you would be a move behind, and Black would win the race.
Find the move
Both pawns need three moves, and you move first. This time your new queen will not guard f1. Look at where Black’s king stands, and play the race through.
A hint
Your pawn will queen on the same rank as Black’s king.
Show the answer
1. c6 f3 2. c7 f2 3. c8=Q+
Your pawn queens on c8 with check, along the eighth rank. Black has to answer the check, so the f-pawn has no time to queen, and your queen gets back in time to stop it: on c4, for example, it guards f1. A king move at the start would only draw.
A question
Now Black’s king stands on h7 instead of h8. Everything else is the same, and it is White’s move. Does White still win the race?
Show the answer
No. It is a draw, because both sides get a queen.
Right. With the king on h7 the new queen gives no check, so Black has time to queen too. Queening first is not enough on its own. What counts is what the new queen can do at once.
Play it out
Now play a race yourself. Count first: your pawn on d5 and Black’s pawn on a4 both need three moves, and you move first. Look at where Black’s king stands. Your opponent defends perfectly.
In the lesson you play this out on the board, against the endgame tablebase’s best defence.
Practise
Now some pawn endings from real games. When both sides have a passed pawn, count the moves before you push.
In the lesson, 4 rated puzzles on this theme come from the puzzle bank, chosen near your rating.