Endgame · Pawn
King and Pawn vs King: The Opposition
One pawn and one king each — and the whole game turns on a single idea: the opposition.
Step through the moves
Starting position. Press Next to begin.
Model line: 1…Kd8 2.Kf7 Kd7 3.e6+ Kd6 4.e7 Kd7 5.e8=Q+
The idea
A lone king can stop a lone pawn if it gets in front of it — so the attacker’s job is to escort the pawn with the king leading, not the pawn. The weapon is “the opposition”: place your king directly in front of the enemy king with one square between them and the opponent to move, and they must step aside and give ground. Get your king to the sixth rank in front of your pawn with the opposition, and the pawn promotes.
Step by step
- White already has the winning set-up: the king stands in front of the pawn on the sixth rank and it is Black to move, so Black must give way. 1…Kd8.
- 2.Kf7! side-steps to escort the pawn, seizing the key squares in front of it. 2…Kd7 3.e6+ Kd6 4.e7 shepherds the pawn home.
- 4…Kd7 cannot stop it, and 5.e8=Q+ promotes with check. White is up a queen and winning.
The key rule
Lead with the king, not the pawn. If your king reaches the sixth rank in front of the pawn and you hold the opposition (kings facing, one square apart, opponent to move), the pawn always queens. Push the pawn only after the king has cleared the way.