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Basic rules and strategic ideas in pawn endings. Opposition. Diagonal Opposition. Distant Opposition. Key squares. Reserve Tempi. Triangulation. The Rule of the Square. Common Square. Pawn Breakthrough. Zugzwang. Mutual Zugzwang.
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In endings with three pawns on the same wing, the better king position, reserve tempi and the weaknesses in the pawn structure play the crucial role. The great importance of these positional elements is shown in a superb study by G. Neustadtl, 1922.
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It is important to note that this position is won if White has the move!
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If the black king is active and has reached at least the fifth rank, the position is drawn whoever has the move. This was demonstrated by G. Lolli as far back as 1763. Black to move draws very easily by not allowing the white king to penetrate to the front of its pawns.
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The outcome does not change at all if it is Black’s turn to play.
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If the white king has managed to get to the front of his pawns, the position is easily won. White wins whoever has the move since in comparison to diagram 112 he has got two huge reserve tempi.
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White also wins in an analogous position ( I. Berger’s study, 1890 ) with White’s pawn at g2. The win is relatively simple. In this position White wins whoever has the move! If it is Black’s turn, 1…f5+ 2.Kd4 Kd6 does not work due to the reserve tempo 3.g3, while all other attempts are […]
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The position is won if the white potential passed pawn has not yet reached the fourth rank. In a study by I. Berger (1890), Black to move draws outright with 1..f5+ 2.Kd4 Kd6 since White lacks a reserve pawn move to regain the opposition and occupy the fifth rank. White to move wins due […]
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Black to move loses in a really instructive manner despite being able to adopt the same defensive strategy that worked well in the preceding case:
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If Black has the move, in order to win White must side-step the two traps we have already seen.
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