Promoting pawn blocked by king

By · · 2 min read · Updated May 8, 2026

This is a White-to-move Pawn endings endgame study. With best play, the result is draw; the solution runs 10 half-moves.

Free forever 4,505 patterns 9,950 puzzles 20 languages
Train this endgame — no signup, no email

Free forever · no email · no signup · delete data anytime.

Promoting pawn blocked by king is a Pawn endings endgame study from the Climbchess curated set of 80 positions. When your pawn reaches the seventh rank, the opposing king may prevent promotion by controlling the promotion square. Recognize when you need a different plan.

abcdefgh87654321

Position: White to move. Result with best play: draw. Solution length: 10 half-moves.

FEN: 8/1P6/1p6/4p2k/1K5P/8/7p/8 w - - 0 1

Solving guide (move by move)

Show step-by-step solution

Try the position yourself first — endgame technique compounds when you struggle through the calculation before peeking.

  1. White: b7b8q
  2. Black: h2h1q
  3. White: b8e8
  4. Black: h5g4
  5. White: e8g6
  6. Black: g4f4
  7. White: g6f6
  8. Black: f4g3
  9. White: f6e5
  10. Black: g3h3

Play this endgame in the trainer →

About Pawn endings

Opposition, key squares, triangulation, breakthrough.

Related endgames

Underlying chess concepts

Endgame technique reduces to a small number of recurring patterns: opposition, key squares, zugzwang, fortress, breakthrough. Climbchess catalogues 4,505 interpretable patterns extracted from Leela Chess Zero via sparse autoencoders. Browse the methodology or jump straight into the trainer to attempt this exact position interactively.

Frequently asked

Is this position a win, draw or loss?

With best play: draw. White moves first.

What is the key idea?

When your pawn reaches the seventh rank, the opposing king may prevent promotion by controlling the promotion square. Recognize when you need a different plan.

How long is the solution?

10 half-moves (5 full moves) of forced or near-forced play.

Where can I practise it?

Open the Climbchess trainer using the deep-link button — the position loads pre-set so you can play it out against the engine.