A king and pawn endgame in its simplest form is king and pawn vs king. The stronger side wins if the pawn can run to promotion on its own or if its king reaches a key square in front of the pawn. The defender draws if their king gets in front of the pawn and keeps the opposition, or forces stalemate. A rook pawn (a- or h-pawn) is usually a draw, because the defending king only needs to reach the corner.
Key squares: the squares that win
For a pawn on e4, the key squares are d6, e6 and f6, two ranks in front of the pawn. If White's king stands on any of them and the pawn is safe, White wins no matter where Black's king is and no matter who is to move.
4k3/8/4K3/8/4P3/8/8/8 b - - 0 1
Open the key-square position → · Play it against the computer →
Here Black is to move and stands right in front of White's king, yet it does not help. Black has exactly two legal moves, Kd8 and Kf8, and both lose. Stockfish 17.1 at depth 30 finds mate in 18 after 1...Kd8 2.Kf7, with the pawn marching to e8.
We tested the rule exhaustively: with the pawn on e4 and White's king on d6, e6 or f6, there are 322 legal positions. White wins 305 of them, and all 17 others are positions where Black is to move and simply captures the undefended pawn. Once the pawn reaches the 5th rank, the squares on the 7th rank in front of it are key squares too.
Which positions are wins? We solved all of them
We solved every legal king and pawn vs king position exactly with our own retrograde solver: 165,676 positions with the pawn on the a- to d-file (the e- to h-files are mirror images). Each was worked backwards from promotion, capture and stalemate to a final result. We then cross-checked 40 random positions against Stockfish 17.1, and it agreed on all 40.
Across all positions, White wins 79% with White to move on a d-pawn, and 73% even on an a-pawn, because in most random positions the pawn simply outruns the enemy king. The interesting cases are the ones where the defending king has already got in front of the pawn.
| Pawn file | Positions (each side to move) | White to move | Black to move |
|---|---|---|---|
| a or h (rook pawn) | 1,215 | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| b or g | 1,158 | 136 (11.7%) | 65 (5.6%) |
| c or f | 1,158 | 168 (14.5%) | 76 (6.6%) |
| d or e | 1,158 | 185 (16.0%) | 81 (7.0%) |
Method: we counted every legal position with Black's king anywhere on the pawn's file ahead of the pawn, and White's king anywhere. The pattern is sharp: once the defender is in front of the pawn, the game is usually drawn, a central pawn gives the most winning chances, and a rook pawn never wins.
How to win king and pawn vs king
- Check if the pawn runs alone with the rule of the square (below). If it does, push.
- Put your king in front of your pawn, not behind it. The king leads, the pawn follows.
- Head for a key square. If the defender blocks the way, take the opposition so they must step aside, then outflank.
- Push only when the king is ready, and on the last moves check for stalemate before every move.
And the defensive view: run your king to the square in front of the pawn, keep the opposition, and when your opponent's pawn reaches the 7th rank, make sure the only way forward stalemates you.
The rule of the square
Draw a square from the pawn to its promotion square, with that distance as its side. If the defending king can step inside the square on its move, it catches the pawn. If not, the pawn queens.
8/8/8/8/P3k3/8/8/7K b - - 0 1
Open the rule-of-the-square position →
The square of the a4-pawn runs a4, e4, e8, a8, and Black's king is already inside it. Black has eight legal moves: Kd4, Kd5 and Ke5 stay in the square and draw (Stockfish 17.1: 0.00), while the other five step out and lose. Move Black's king one file over, to g4, and all eight moves lose: Stockfish finds mate in 20. Remember that a pawn on its starting rank can move two squares, so draw the square from the 3rd rank.
When the pawn does not win
The stalemate trap. Here White has pushed to e7 too early.
4k3/4P3/4K3/8/8/8/8/8 b - - 0 1
With Black to move it is stalemate: Black has zero legal moves and is not in check. This is the defender's main drawing resource, explained in what is a stalemate in chess.
The rook pawn. In the position below, White has two legal moves, Kb5 and Kb6, and both draw.
k7/8/K7/P7/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 1
Our solve confirms the rule: with Black's king on a8 and a White pawn anywhere on the a-file, all 710 legal positions are draws. White's king cannot get around the defender from the edge side, and pushing the pawn to a7 ends in stalemate.
Practice: Pawn endgame
All 21 pawn endgame puzzles →Frequently asked questions
When is king and pawn vs king a draw?
When the defending king gets in front of the pawn and keeps the opposition, when the defender can capture the pawn, or when the pawn is a rook pawn and the defending king reaches the corner. If the attacking king reaches a key square with the pawn safe, it is a win.
What is the rule of the square?
A quick way to see if a king can catch a passed pawn. Imagine a square from the pawn to its promotion rank. If the defending king can enter it on its move, it catches the pawn; otherwise the pawn promotes.
Why is a rook pawn often a draw?
The defending king only has to reach the corner square in front of the pawn. The attacker has no room on the far side to push it out, so every try ends in stalemate or a shuffle. In our full solve, a rook pawn won 0 of 1,215 positions with the defender already on its file.
Practice on the pawn endgame puzzles and test any position on the analysis board. Once the pawn becomes a queen or rook, finish with king and queen checkmate or king and rook checkmate. Then move on to the two bishops checkmate, the Lucena position, the Philidor position and endgame practice.