3.8. Knight and Two Pawns vs. Knight and Two Pawns
Endings of knight and two pawns against knight and two pawns are drawn, as a rule, unless one of the sides has considerable positional superiority in the shape of a strong passed pawn or if the more active position of its pieces can be transformed into a decisive material and positional advantage.
It is due to the decisive significance of the passed pawn that we shall divide these endings into two basic groups:
1) Endings without passed pawns
2) Endings with passed pawns
3.8.1. No Passed Pawns
Endings with connected pawns on the same wing end, as a rule, in a draw since even considerable positional advantage cannot be converted into victory without a passed pawn. A win is possible only in case when the enemy king is very far, and even then an impeccable technique must be demonstrated in order to convert advantage into victory. The complexity of the winning plan is borne out by the ending of the game Jansa – Ermenkov, Prague, 1985.
