defence · recognise → explain → apply

Save a pawn tempo for the king battle

A king ending depends on who must move first, and a safe pawn move is still available.

Explanation styleChoose any style. Age is not playing strength; no birth date is needed.

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Notes and replay positions are saved. Practice games are temporary; export their PGN to keep them.

Choose an example

So,W – Carlsen,M

chess.com Speed 3m+2spm 2017 · 2017.11.18 · 1/2-1/2

37... h6 · White to move

Jump to move

What to notice at 37... h6

Black uses a pawn move during the king manoeuvres. The later pawn race and queen checks end drawn; no claim is made that this was the only drawing move.

A legally replayed historical example, not a claim that every move is best. A game’s result does not prove every defensive position was lost or drawn.

Game source ↗

Your thinking first

Name the signal, choose a plan, and test the opponent’s most challenging response.

What do you notice?What is your plan, and why?How could the opponent resist?

Recall and explain

1. What is the calculation exercise after ...h6?

Explain it in your own words before revealing.

Make it memorable

A pawn step can change whose king must yield.

Teach this to a friend in one minute. Then return to a different example and look for the same signal without being told its name.

Reflect and revisit

This is your self-assessment, not an engine grade or a promise of mastery.

Connect the ideas

Practise pawn transformations →

Sources and further reading

Original GolgiChess teaching and game analysis. Topic references are credited below; no affiliation or endorsement is implied.

Exeter Chess Club — Rook Endings in Practice ↗