A pawn endgame has only kings and pawns left. With so little on the board, most positions are simply won, drawn or lost, and a single tempo can change which. That makes pawn endings the most exact part of chess and the best place to learn counting. Every puzzle on this page is a pawn endgame from a real game, matched to your puzzle rating.
Can the king catch a passed pawn? Picture a square with one side running from the pawn to its promotion square. If the defending king is inside the square, or can step into it on its move, it catches the pawn. If not, the pawn promotes, as long as nothing else gets in its way.
White: pawn a4, king far away on h1. Black: king e3. The square runs from a4 to d4 and up to a8 and d8. With Black to move, the king steps to d4, inside the square, and catches the pawn. With White to move, 1.a5 shrinks the square to a5 to d8, the king can no longer step into it, and the pawn promotes. A pawn still on its starting square can move two squares at once, so count it as if it already stood one rank further up.
Two kings are in opposition when they stand on the same file or rank with one square between them. The side that does not have to move has the opposition, because the other king must give way.
White: king e5, pawn e4. Black: king e7. With White to move it is a draw: wherever the white king goes, the black king can answer by taking the opposition again, and the white king never reaches d6, e6 or f6. With Black to move, White wins: the black king has to give way, and after 1...Kd7 2.Kf6, 1...Ke8 2.Ke6 or 1...Kf7 2.Kd6 the white king has reached one of those squares. The only difference between the two positions is whose turn it is.
Key squares explain why that king move was decisive. For a pawn that has not yet crossed the middle of the board, the key squares are the three squares two ranks in front of it: for a pawn on e4 they are d6, e6 and f6. If the attacking king reaches a key square, the pawn promotes whoever is to move. Opposition is simply the tool for fighting over those squares.
Rook pawns are the exception. With a pawn on the a- or h-file, a defending king that reaches the corner in front of the pawn draws, however far the other king has advanced.
Most pawn endgame puzzles come down to counting. In a race, count the moves each side needs to promote, and then check what the first new queen can do: give check, cover the other promotion square, or capture the second queen. With pawns on both wings, an outside passed pawn works as a decoy: it drags the enemy king away while your king eats the pawns it left behind. When the kings stand close together, a spare pawn move or a king triangle can hand the move to your opponent, the same idea as opposition.
Watch for stalemate. White: king e6, pawn e7. Black: king e8, with Black to move. Black has no legal move and is not in check, so the game is drawn. Pushing the pawn at the wrong moment, or a careless king move when the defender has almost no squares left, throws away many won pawn endings this way.
The first is trading into a pawn ending without counting it out. Once the last pieces are off, nothing can be undone. The second is racing forward with the pawns when the king should lead. The third is taking the opposition by reflex when the position calls for an outflanking king move to the side.
Count before you move, every time, even in positions that look obvious. Endgame puzzles tend to run longer than most tactics, and after each of your moves the opponent's reply is played on the board, so you can check your counting as you go. If you are stuck, the hint shows the piece first, then the move. Many of these puzzles end with a promotion, and the tempo fights inside them are the purest form of zugzwang.
To see which endings your own games reach and where you score worst, use the Endgame Trainer. For endings with bishops still on the board, try bishop endgame puzzles. For mixed tactics at your level, use Puzzle Training; for speed, Puzzle Storm; and for repetition of a fixed set, the Woodpecker Method. Elo Maxing and Pattern Drill point you at the motifs you miss most. To find the moment an ending slipped away, read how to review your chess games.
A quick way to tell if a king can catch a passed pawn: if the king is inside the square from the pawn to its promotion rank, or can step into it on its move, it catches the pawn.
Two kings on the same file or rank with one square between them. The side not to move has the opposition, and the other king must give way.
Squares that win for the attacking king whoever is to move. For a pawn on e4, they are d6, e6 and f6.
Because a defending king in the corner in front of it cannot be driven out, and many attempts end in stalemate.
These puzzles train pawn endings at your rating. The Endgame Trainer starts from your own games and trains the endings where you score lowest.