Passed pawns race to promotion
This is a Black-to-move Pawn endings endgame study. With best play, the result is black wins; the solution runs 10 half-moves.
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Passed pawns race to promotion is a Pawn endings endgame study from the Climbchess curated set of 80 positions. Both sides have dangerous passed pawns. Black wins by pushing the h-pawn faster than White can advance the e-pawn, demonstrating the importance of pawn speed in king and pawn endgames.
Position: Black to move. Result with best play: black wins. Solution length: 10 half-moves.
FEN: 8/8/8/1k6/3K3p/7p/4P3/8 b - - 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.
- Black:
h3h2 - White:
e2e3 - Black:
h4h3 - White:
d4e5 - Black:
h2h1q - White:
e3e4 - Black:
b5c4 - White:
e5f4 - Black:
c4d4 - White:
e4e5
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: black wins. Black moves first.
What is the key idea?
Both sides have dangerous passed pawns. Black wins by pushing the h-pawn faster than White can advance the e-pawn, demonstrating the importance of pawn speed in king and pawn endgames.
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.