King & Two Pawns vs King
Connected, doubled, or split — knowing which pawn to push (and when the extra pawn is just a draw) turns an edge into a full point.
What you'll learn
- How connected passed pawns defend each other and promote
- Which pawn to push when the enemy king attacks
- When an extra pawn is still only a draw
The technique, move by move
Every line below is verified against an endgame tablebase — perfect play, no guesswork.
Marching the connected phalanx
1.c4+ Ke6 2.d4 Kf7 3.c5 Kf8 4.d5 Ke8 5.c6 Kd8 6.d6 Ke8 …
Side by side. Connected passers defend each other — push the one the enemy king is NOT attacking.
Connected e+f pawns
1.Kf3 Kf5 2.d4 Kf6 3.e4 Kf7 4.d5 Ke7 5.e5 Kf8 6.d6 Kf7 …
Connected f+g pawns
1.f4 Kg6 2.Kg4 Kf7 3.f5 Kg7 4.Kg5 Kf7 5.f6 Kf8 6.Kf5 Kf7 …
Split passers
1.Kf4 Ke6 2.c4 Kd7 3.e4 Kc7 4.e5 Kd7 5.c5 Kc6 6.e6 Kc7 …
Far-apart passers
1.b4 Kf6 2.h4 Kf7 3.b5 Ke8 4.h5 Kd8 5.h6 Kc7 6.h7 Kb6 …
Pawns on the 5th
1.c6 Kd6 2.Kd4 Kc7 3.Ke5 Kb6 4.Kd6 Kb5 5.c7 Kc4 6.c8=Q+
Doubled d-pawns
1.d4 Kd6 2.Ke4 Ke6 3.d3 Ke7 4.Ke5 Kf7 5.d5 Ke7 6.d6+ Kd8 …
Connected g+h
1.h4 Kg6 2.g4 Kh7 3.h5 Kh8 4.g5 Kg8 5.Ke4 Kh8 6.h6 Kg8 …
Connected a+b
1.a4 Kd6 2.b4 Ke7 3.a5 Kd8 4.b5 Kc8 5.Kd4 Kd8 6.a6 Kc7 …
Connected on the 5th
1.d6 Ke6 2.Ke4 Kf7 3.Kd5 Kf8 4.Kc6 Ke8 5.Kc7 Kf8 6.e6 Kg8 …
Two rook pawns apart
1.a4 Ke6 2.h4 Ke7 3.a5 Kd8 4.h5 Ke8 5.a6 Kf8 6.h6 Ke7 …
Drill the King & Two Pawns vs King
Practice randomly served positions and play them out against a perfect tablebase until you convert the win every time.
Open the Endgame Trainer →Related endgames to master
The first checkmate every player must own. Use the rook to cut the king off and walk your own king up to force the lone king to the edge.
King & Queen vs KingBox the lone king toward a corner with the queen a knight's-move away — and never stalemate. The fastest of the basic mates once the technique clicks.
Two Bishops vs KingCoordinate the bishops into a wall and herd the king to a corner. Trickier than it looks and a classic test of piece harmony.
Bishop & Knight MateThe hardest basic mate — the king can only be mated in a corner matching the bishop's colour. Learn the W-manoeuvre and the 50-move clock stops scaring you.