3 King And Pawn Endgame Tips You Must Know

King and pawn endings are essential to every chess player's understanding of the game.

Here are three practical tips when there are just kings and pawns left on the board:

• Try to create passed pawns. Without queening a pawn, you won't be able to win the game. Therefore, your main goal in K + P endgames is to create a passed pawn and queen it. The side with the stronger or faster passed pawn will usually win, as these endgames can sometimes turn into pawn races!
• Activate your king. An active king is able to support its own pawns and be in position to attack enemy pawns. If there are pawns on both sides of the board, try to centralize your king as quickly as possible, as a centralized king will be able to reach either flank quickly.
• Use your king to support your passed pawn(s). If there is just one pawn left on the board, the positioning of the kings is crucial to deciding whether the endgame is won or drawn. If you're the one with the extra pawn, try to get your king in front of the pawn so that it can support its advance while pushing out the enemy king. If you're defending against your opponent's final pawn, try to get your king in front of the pawn as quickly as possible.

For more information , check out this article by GM Daniel Naroditsky. Remember, the best way to learn endgames is to study and practice key positions with a friend or against a computer.