Exercise 5.1Find the move
White to move
White to move and win.
5
Endgame Essentials · Kapilash Chess Academy
Pawn Races and Breakthroughs
Counting tempi correctly
In this lesson you will learn
- How to count a pawn race move by move
- Queening with check, and new queens that are lost at once
- The pawn breakthrough with three pawns against three
- The Réti idea: a king that chases two goals at once
Every board on this page is live. Move the pieces by tapping or dragging, click any move in the lines to see that position, and press ↺ to start again.
5.1 Counting a Race
When both sides have a passed pawn, count how many moves each pawn needs to queen. If you are one move faster, you usually win — but check what happens right after promotion. A new queen that gives check, or that can capture the other pawn, often decides the game. If both pawns queen, the position is often a draw.
Diagram 5.1White to move
Example 5.1 · Out of the square
Black's king is far from the c-pawn and Black's g-pawn needs five moves.
The c-pawn queens first, and the new queen stops the g-pawn. Use the rule of the square for the enemy king, then count the race.
Diagram 5.2White to move
Example 5.2 · Both pawns queen
Both pawns are free, and each needs the same number of moves.
Both sides get a new queen and nobody can win anything. When you count a race, also count what happens after promotion: is there a check, a skewer or a capture of the new queen?
5.2 The Breakthrough
Diagram 5.3White to move
Example 5.3 · Three against three
The kings are far away. White can create a passed pawn by force.
1.b6! — the middle pawn sacrifices itself, then another pawn offers itself too, and the third pawn runs to queen. This classic breakthrough works only when the enemy king is too far away to catch the new passed pawn. If Black ignores 1.b6, then 2.bxa7 or 2.bxc7 also wins.
5.3 The Réti Idea
Diagram 5.4White to move
Example 5.4 · Chasing two hares
This famous study by Richard Réti (1921) looks hopeless: the white king seems far from both pawns.
The white king moves diagonally and does two jobs at once: it chases the h-pawn and comes closer to its own pawn. If Black pushes the h-pawn, the king supports c7 and both pawns queen; if Black takes on c6, the king catches the h-pawn. A diagonal king move covers as much distance as a straight one.
Remember
- Count the race move by move, and check what happens after the first queen appears.
- A queen that promotes with check often wins the race.
- The breakthrough: sacrifice pawns to create one passed pawn the enemy king cannot catch.
- A king moving diagonally can work on two goals at once.
Exercises · Lesson 5
Every exercise has been checked with a chess engine: exactly one move keeps the best result. Find it and play it on the board.
Exercise 5.2Find the move
White to move
White to move and draw.
Exercise 5.3Find the move
White to move
White to move and win.
Exercise 5.4Find the move
White to move
White to move and draw.
Exercise 5.5Find the move
White to move
White to move and win.
Exercise 5.6Find the move
White to move
White to move and draw.
Exercise 5.7Find the move
White to move
White to move and win.
Exercise 5.8Find the move
White to move
White to move and draw.
Exercise 5.9Find the move
White to move
White to move and win.
Exercise 5.10Find the move
White to move
White to move and draw.
Exercise 5.11Find the move
White to move
White to move and win.
Exercise 5.12Find the move
White to move
White to move and draw.