King & Pawn Ending: Part 1 (nurtr-dreamroom-intermediate-episode 24)

Key squares

The pawn’s opposition square and the two squares adjacent to it are called key squares. If the king of
the side with the extra pawn can reach any of the key squares, then he will win the game.

Key squares?
Blck to play
1. Kc8 Kc6 2. Kb8! Kb5 (else 3 a6). 3. Kb7! Thanks to the threat of 4 a6, White wins a tempo and gets into
the square of the h-pawn.
(3. Kc7? h5 is hopeless. )
Kxa5 4. Kc6$11
27. h4?
27. Kf4 g5+
h6 28. Kg4 Kg6
g5 29. Kh5 Kg7 30. h4 gxh4 31. gxh4 Kh7 32. Kg4 Kg6 33. Kf4 Kf6 34. h5+− 
29. h4 Kf6 30. h5+− 
b5 28. h4+− 
28. Ke3 b5
a5 29. b4 axb4
a4 30. b5+− 
30. Kd2 Ke7
b3 31. axb3 Ke7 32. Kc3 Kd7 33. Kb4 Kc6 34. h4 gxh4 35. gxh4 Kb6 36. h5 h6 37. e5 Kc6 38. Ka5 Kd7 39. Kb6+
− 
31. Kc2 Kd6
g4 32. Kb3 Kd6 33. Kxb4 Kc6 34. Ka5+− 
Kd6 32. Kb3 e5 33. exd5 Kxd5 34. dxe5 Kxe5 35. Kc4+− 
32. Kb3 g4
dxe4 33. dxe4 e5 34. d5 Kc5 35. Ka4 g4 36. Ka5 h6 37. d6 Kc6 38. d7 Kxd7 39. Kb6 Kd6 40. Kb5+− 
33. Kxb4 Kc6 34. Ka5 Kc7 35. Kb5 b6 36. a4+− 
g4 29. Kf4 h5 30. Ke3 Ke7
b5 31. a4 bxa4 32. Kd2 a5 33. Kc3 Ke7 34. exd5 exd5 35. b4+− 
31. Kd2 Kd6 32. Kc3 Kc6 33. Kb4 Kb6
b6 34. Ka4 a6
Kb7 35. Kb5 a6+ 36. Kb4 Kc6 37. a3+− 
35. Kb4 Kd6 36. a4 Kc6 37. a5 b5 38. e5 Kd7 39. Kc5 Kc7 40. b4+− 
34. b3 a6 35. e5 a5+
Kc6 36. Ka5 Kc7 37. b4 Kc6 38. a4 Kc7 39. b5 axb5 40. Kxb5 Kd7 41. Kb6 Kc8 42. a5 Kb8 43. a6 bxa6 44. Kxa6 
Kc7 45. Ka7+− 
36. Kc3 Kb5 37. a4+ Kc6 38. Kd2+− 
h5 29. h4 b5 30. a4 bxa4 31. Kd2 a6 32. Kc3 a5 33. b4+− 
Ke7 
29. a4 bxa4
b4 30. a5 Ke7 31. h4+− 
30. Kd2 h5
a5 31. Kc3 Ke7
h6 32. g4+− 
h5 32. h3 g4 33. h4 Ke7 34. exd5 exd5 35. b4+− 
32. exd5 exd5 33. b4+− 
e5 31. Ke3 dxe4 32. dxe4 exd4+ 33. Kxd4 Ke6 34. h4 gxh4 35. gxh4 Kd6 36. e5+ Ke6 37. Ke4 Ke7 38. Kd5 Kd7 3
9. h5 h6 40. e6+ Ke7 41. Ke5 a6 42. Kd5 Ke8 43. Kd6 Kd8 44. e7+ Ke8 45. Ke6 a5 46. Kd6 a3 47. bxa3 a4 48. Kc
5+− 
31. Kc3 a5 32. h3 Ke7 33. exd5 exd5 34. b4 Kd6 35. bxa5 Kc6 36. Kb4 a3 37. Kxa3 Kb5 38. a6 Kxa6 39. Ka4+− 
27. Kg4! g6
Kg6 28. h4 h5+ 29. Kf4 Kf6 30. g4 g6 31. e5+ Kg7 32. gxh5 gxh5 33. Kg5 
h6 28. Kh5! Kf7 29. g4 Kf6 30. h4 Kf7 31. g5 hxg5 32. hxg5+− 
28. h3!
28. h4? h6$11 
h5+
h6 29. h4+− 
29. Kh4 
g6?
h6! 28. Kg4
28. Kf4 g5+ 29. Kg4 Kg6 30. hxg5
30. h5+ Kf6 
hxg5 
28. h5 Kg5 29. g4 g6 30. hxg6 Kxg6 31. Kg2 Kg7 32. Kg3 Kf7$11 33. Kf4
33. Kh4 Kg6 
Kf6 
28. g4 g5 29. h5 a5 30. Ke3 Ke7 31. Kd2 b5 32. Kc3 Kd7 
g6!
Kg6? 29. Kf4 Kf6 30. h5 
29. b4
29. a4 a5 30. Kf4 g5+ 31. hxg5+ hxg5+ 
b5 30. a3 a6 31. Kf4 g5+ 32. Kg4 Kg6 33. hxg5 hxg5$11 
28. b4 b5 29. Kf4 h6 30. Kg4!
30. Kg4 Black resigned not waiting for Kf7 31. h5! gxh5+
g5? 32. exd5 exd5 33. Kf5 
Kf6 32. hxg6 Kxg6 33. Kf4 Kf6 34. g4 a6 35. a3 Kg6 36. Ke5 Kg5 37. Kxe6+− 
32. Kxh5 Kg7 33. g4 Kh7 34. g5 hxg5 35. Kxg5 Kg7 36. e5 a6 37. a3 Kf7 38. Kh6
Mined squares

Whoever steps first on the mined squares losses the game.

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https://www.ichess.net/blog/pawn-endgames-breakthrough-part-1/

White to Play
1.b6! The key is the double attack. 1…axb6 (1… cvb6 2.a6)
2.c6! bxc6

3.a6 and winning.

Svacina-Muller 1941

Black to Play

Black to play
Black appears to have succumbed to zugzwang. However, if you look closely, you can see that it is the
white king that finds himself in a worse position.
1…f4! In the game, White gave up. Let’s see why.

If 2.Kc6 h4! 3.gxh4 g3! 4.fxg3 fxe3-+;

or 2.exf4 h4! 3.gxh4 g3! 4.fxg3 e3-+;

or 2.Kb4 f3 3.gxf3 h4 4.gxh4 g3 5.fxg3 exf3-+;

or 2.gxf4 h4-+.

Inverting the order of the moves with 1…h4?? would be a horrible mistake owing to 2.gxh4 f4 3.g3+-

Maslov-Glebov game in 1936

1…g5?? 2.h5. The breakthrough will no longer be possible and White will win without trouble.

Another natural-seeming route for the king to take to the center is 1…Kf7. This leads to 2.Ka3 h5 3.Kxa4
g5 4.Kb5 winning. White captures the pawn and Black is unable to get their powerful passed pawn.

By analyzing this final variation we can understand that the king does not need to participate in the fight.
The scene is set for Black to counterattack on the kingside with the breakthrough.

1… h5! is key to avoiding White’s h5. 2.Ka3 (if 2.g4 g5!) g5 3.Kxa4 f5! 4.Kb5 (against 4.hxg5 is the
decisive 4…f4! and if 4.exf5 g4! 5.fxg4 e4 White cannot access the b3 square, and cannot avoid the
promotion). 4…f4 5.gxf4 gxh4

https://www.ichess.net/blog/pawn-endgames-breakthrough-part-2/
Guliev-Tukmakov zonal in Ukraine, in 1993

White to play
White brings their king to the center as the basic principles of the endgame dictate, but this was a fatal
mistake. The position should have been analyzed concretely and not based on abstract concepts.

Here, we see that 1.Ke3?? Kd6 was played and Black is winning. After 2.Ke4 c4 3.a4 c3 4.Kd3 Kxd5,
White is beaten. 5.Kxc4 would have been followed by 5…Kc5 and then by e4, capturing the pawns on the
queenside.

The breakthrough is the key to this position. White would have won with 1.a4! Kd6

2.a5 c4 (2…Kxd5 3.a6!+-)

3. a6! The key to the sequence. (3. b6? a6=) Kc5

4.d6 Kxd6

5. b6. The white pawns are unstoppable. In positions as severe as this, we must support them exclusively
through calculation.

Wohl-Solomon game in 1985

1.d5!! (capturing the pawn leads to a position without progression for White 1.dxe5? Ke6 2.f4 Kd5 3.Ke3
Kc5) 1…Kd6 (If 1…e4 2.g4!+-)

2.g4! fxg4 
3.fxg4 Kxd5 

4.gxh5 Ke6 Black enters the picture, but a fine detail will define the result.

5.h6 Kf6 

6.h5 Black ends up in zugzwang and loses the game.

Viktor Korchnoi omitted the theme of breakthrough and fell in the following position.

The game was played in Buenos Aires in 1960, and Victor’s opponent, Robert Wade

1…Kg5??

2. b5! Kh5

3. a5 1-0 Against 3…bxa5, then 4.b6 cxb6 5.d6 +- would have been played. Only the preventative
measure against b5 would have saved Black 1…b5! 2.axb5 b6 3.h3 g5 4.Kg2 g4 5.f4 gxf3 6.Kxf3 Kg5,
resulting in a tie.

 CHAPTER 1: Zugzwang
 CHAPTER 2: Opposition
 CHAPTER 3: Triangulation
 CHAPTER 4: Shouldering
 CHAPTER 5: Promotion Race
 CHAPTER 6: Pawn islands
 CHAPTER 7: Playing for a draw
 CHAPTER 8: Time and space advantage
 CHAPTER 9: Complex pawn endgames