User manual

CREATING A PASSED PAWN -

WHICH PAWN TO ADVANCE FIRST

In positions with only kings and pawns on the board, the key to victory lies in

creating passed pawns and marching them up the board to promotion.

Usually the player who first makes a new queen will be the one who wins the

g a m e .

In the above position Black has the only passed pawn on the board (his h-

pawn). White has a 2:1 pawn majority on the queen’s side but has not yet

converted this into a passed pawn. How can he do so? White’s king must

keep an eye on Black’s h- pawn and prevent it from advancing to promotion,

so White must advance either his a- pawn or his b-pawn. Which should it be?

1 b3-b4!!

With this move White creates a passed pawn. The alternative, 1 a3-a4 allows

Black to blockade the queen’s side with 1...a6-a5, when White can not

advance his b-pawn without losing it for nothing.

1 ... Kh7-g8

A mistake. Black has completely overlooked White’s idea.

3 a5-a6!!

A fine move. No matter how Black responds, the black pawns on the queen’s

side will be forced to weaken their formation, allowing the white king to

decimate them.

3 ... b7xa6

White was threatening simply 4 a6xb7, followed by 5 b7-b8, promoting to a

queen. Black’s only alternative was equally unpalatable: 3 ... b7-b6+ 4 Kc5-c6,

followed by Kc6xc7, Kc7-b7, Kb7xa7 and the white a-pawn will then

promote in a few moves.

4 Kc5-c6

White’s king will pick up the c7 pawn, then it will capture the pawns on the

a-file, and finally White will advance his b- and c-pawns to promotion.