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Key squares
Reach the magic squares in front of your pawn and the win is certain.
Intermediate · Pawn endgames · 2 steps. On Chess Castles, Chess Guru reads each step aloud in English, Hindi or Marathi while the moves play on the board, and you can practise any position against the engine.
Step 1
Every pawn has key squares: if your king reaches one of them, the pawn queens whatever the opponent does. For a pawn on its 2nd, 3rd or 4th rank, the key squares are the three squares two ranks in front of it. For this e2 pawn they are d4, e4 and f4.
Step 2
Moves: 1.Kf2 Kd4 2.Kf3 Ke5 3.Ke3 Kd5 4.Kf4 Ke6 5.Ke4 Kd6 6.Kf5 Ke7 7.e3 Kd6 8.e4 Ke7
Watch: the white king does not push the pawn early. It walks up first and fights for the key squares, keeping the pawn safely behind. The pawn moves only when the king leads the way.
Open the lesson on the board · free, no account needed to read it.
More lessons in Pawn endgames
- King leads the pawn: Walk your pawn to the last rank with the king in front as a bodyguard.
- The opposition: When kings face each other, the side NOT to move wins the battle.
- The rule of the square: Can the king catch the pawn? Draw a square and you know at once.
- The outside passed pawn: A passed pawn far from the kings drags the enemy king away.
- The Réti manoeuvre: A famous study: the king chases two goals at once and saves a lost-looking game.
Next lesson: The Réti manoeuvre