Rules
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If the pawn is not a rook pawn some rules apply:
Rule 1: With one exception, if the black king can get to the square in front of the pawn or the square in front of that (which are key squares), he draws. The reason is that if the black king alternates between those two squares, he can keep the white king from getting to a key square. The exception is the position in the diagram, and only if White is to move because of
- 1. d7 Ke7 (Black was in zugzwang)
- 2. Kc7,
followed by
- 3. d8Q.
Otherwise, if the black king stays on one of those two squares, he keeps the white king from occupying a key square (Müller & Lamprecht 2007:16,21).
Rule 2: White wins if at least any two of the following conditions are met:
- (a) his king is in front of the pawn
- (b) he has the opposition
- (c) his king is on the sixth rank (Müller & Lamprecht 2007:21).
In positions in which fewer than two of the conditions are met, it may or may not be possible to get to a position meeting at least two of the conditions, depending on the position of the pieces and who is to move. In such positions, if the attacker can get to a position that meets two conditions, he wins. On the other hand, the defender may be able to prevent the attacker from getting to such a position (see #Defending drawn positions). Recall that rule 1 above gives a condition which draws for Black.
There are three cases to be considered. In any of these three cases, the white king is able to force his way onto a key square and thus reach a winning position. Accurate play from that position is still needed to win the game.
Read more about this topic: King And Pawn Versus King Endgame
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—Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592)