Guide · 2026-11-03 · 8 min read

King and pawn endgames: the opposition and the rule of the square

The two ideas that decide most endgames with only kings and pawns: can the king catch a runaway pawn (the rule of the square), and who wins the face-off between the kings (the opposition). With positions checked against a complete endgame table.

When all the other pieces have been traded, a single pawn can decide the game. Children who know two ideas, the rule of the square and the opposition, win these endings in a few seconds of thought, and save the draw when they are the ones defending. Every position below has been checked against a complete king-and-pawn-against-king table, so the results are exact.

Rule 1: the rule of the square

A king without help is chasing a pawn. Can he catch it? You do not need to count moves. Draw an imaginary square: one side runs from the pawn to its promotion square, and the square extends sideways towards the defending king.

• If it is the defender’s turn, he catches the pawn if he can step into the square.
• If it is the pawn’s turn, imagine the pawn has already moved: draw the square from its new position. The king must already be inside it.

In this position, if Black is to move, 1...Kf5 steps into the square and the king catches the pawn: 2.b5 Ke6 3.b6 Kd7 4.b7 Kc7 5.b8=Q+ Kxb8, a draw. If White is to move, 1.b5 shrinks the square to b5-b8-e8-e5, the king on g5 is outside it, and the pawn runs: 1...Kf6 2.b6 Ke7 3.b7 Kd7 4.b8=Q. One tempo changes the result.

The double step

A pawn on its starting square can move two squares, so draw its square as if it were already one square further. Here a pawn on b2 counts as if it stood on b3:

With Black to move, 1...Kg4 steps into the square and the king is in time. With White to move, 1.b4! jumps two squares, the square becomes b4-b8-f8-f4, and the king on h4 cannot reach it.

Two cautions: the rule is for a lonely pawn. If the attacking king can help the pawn, or the defending king’s path is blocked by pieces, you must count.

Rule 2: the opposition

When a king escorts a pawn, the defending king stands in front to block it. Then the fight is between the kings. Two kings that stand on the same file (or rank) with exactly one square between them are "in opposition". Neither can step forward, because kings may not stand next to each other. The player who must move has to give way. The player who does not have to move "has the opposition".

The winning position: king on the sixth rank

Start with the most important position in all king-and-pawn endings. The white king stands in front of its pawn on the sixth rank:

With White to move: 1.Kd6 Kd8 2.e6 Ke8 3.e7 Kf7 4.Kd7 and the pawn promotes. With Black to move: 1...Kd8 2.Kf7 and the pawn walks to e8. Remember this picture: when your king reaches the sixth rank in front of a centre or knight pawn, the game is won.

The face-off: who has to move?

Now move both kings and the pawn one rank back:

If Black must move, he has to step aside, and the white king walks past: 1...Kd7 2.Kf6 Kd6 3.e5+ Kd7 4.Kf7 Kd8 5.e6 Kc7 6.e7 and the pawn promotes. The white king went round the black one; that is called outflanking.

If White must move, Black keeps the opposition and draws by staying in front of the pawn: 1.Kd5 Kd7 2.e5 Ke7 3.e6 Ke8 4.Kd6 Kd8 5.e7+ Ke8 6.Ke6, and Black has no move:

This is the defender’s secret. Stay in front of the pawn; when the pawn reaches the seventh rank with check, go straight back to the square in front of it, and the attacker has to choose between letting the pawn go or stalemate.

The spare pawn move

Sometimes the attacker can win the opposition by passing the move with a pawn move. Compare these two positions, both with White to move:

Here 1.e3! keeps the same king position but makes Black move. After 1...Kd6 2.Kf5 Ke7 3.Ke5, White has the winning opposition. With the pawn already on e3, White would have no waiting move, and White to move could only draw. Lesson: in pawn endings, do not push your pawns early. A pawn move kept in reserve can be worth the whole game.

Key squares

Coaches summarise the opposition with key squares. For a pawn that has not yet crossed the middle of the board (a centre or knight pawn on its 2nd, 3rd or 4th rank), the key squares are the three squares two ranks in front of the pawn. For a pawn on e4 they are d6, e6 and f6. If the attacking king reaches a key square and the pawn cannot be captured straight away, the attacker wins, whoever is to move. So the attacker’s job is to reach a key square, and the defender’s job is to stop him with the opposition.

The exception: the rook pawn

A pawn on the a-file or h-file is different. If the defending king reaches the corner in front of it, the game is a draw even when the attacking king is right next door:

After 1.Kg6 Kg8 2.h6 Kh8 3.h7 Black is stalemated. There is no way round the edge of the board, so outflanking is impossible. If you are a pawn up and it is a rook pawn, keep the enemy king away from the corner; if you are defending, run for it.

A checklist for king and pawn endings

• Is there a runaway pawn? Draw the square, and remember whose turn it is and the double step.
• Can my king get in front of the pawn? The king belongs in front of the pawn, not behind it.
• Who has the opposition? Count whether, after my move, the kings face each other with my opponent to move.
• Do I have a spare pawn move? Keep it until you need it.
• Rook pawn? The corner decides.

Practise it

• Pawn endgame puzzles and zugzwang puzzles, where the side to move must make a bad move.
• Watch how a world champion converts endgames in Endgames with the masters.
• Set up the positions above on a board and play them against a parent or against the computer from both sides until the result never surprises you.
• Read next: check, checkmate and stalemate, because most mistakes in these endings end in an accidental stalemate.

Questions players ask

Read next

• How chess ratings work: FIDE, Lichess, chess.com and CC Rating, and why they never match
• How to read and write chess notation (and keep a scoresheet in a tournament)