Trade first, then promote — the pawn captures forward

White wins White to move · Queen endgames · Difficulty about Elo 2100

The plan

The sharpest lesson of the series: five times in this line a single move stands against twenty to thirty alternatives. The reason is the theme — White wants to trade queens, Black wants to prevent it, and there is no middle ground between them. The white pawn stands two ranks further than the black one and needs only two moves to promote, the black one four; that is the lead that is enough in a pawn endgame and worth nothing with queens on the board. So the white queen does not chase the king but the enemy queen: it looks for the one square on which it offers itself without being capturable itself. The point is that this square lies directly in front of its own pawn — Black must take the queen, and the pawn recaptures TOWARDS the queening square and lands in one stroke on the seventh rank. One tempo given away, the race decided. What comes after is queen against pawn and stands at the start of this category.

Rule of thumb: the queen trade on the square in front of your own pawn is not an exchange but a won tempo.

Why this level: In two out of three cases EVERY possible capture throws away the win

The solution, move by move

1. 1. Qe3 The ONLY winning move out of twenty-five. The queen goes neither to the pawn nor to the king, but onto the diagonal on which it can later place the enemy queen. All twenty-four other moves end in a draw (first sideline).
   Sideline 1. Qd4+ Into the centre with check and attack the enemy pawn at the same time — the move almost everyone plays. 1… Kh5 The king dodges, and now the problem shows itself: the white queen stands nicely, but not on the diagonal on which it could place the black queen. 2. Qa7 Qh8 Black occupies the long diagonal behind the white pawn and can never again be forced into the trade. 3. Qg7 Qb8 4. Qh7+ Kg5 Check here, check there — without the queen trade the pawn does not get through. A draw.
2. 1… Qf8 Black places its queen in front of the white pawn — the defender's correct idea, to blockade the pawn.
3. 2. Qe7 Again the ONLY move, this time out of thirty-one. The queen occupies the square behind its own pawn and covers it and the queening square at the same time.
4. 2… Qh6+
5. 3. Ke2 The king gets out of the way of the check while staying nearby: it will soon be needed to escort the pawn.
6. 3… Qh5+
7. 4. Ke1 One more step to the side. White is in no hurry — Black can achieve nothing with the checks as long as its queen also has to hold up the pawn at the same time.
8. 4… Qg5
9. 5. Qh7+ The ONLY winning move out of twenty-four. The check drives the black king onto a square from which it can no longer decline the trade offer on the next move.
10. 5… Kg4
11. 6. Qg7 The ONLY move — and the whole point. The queen places itself directly in front of its own pawn and offers itself. It stands defended while doing so, so the trade is no gift for Black but compulsion. Whoever pushes the pawn instead gets endless check (second sideline).
    Sideline 6. f7 Push the pawn through, now that it has come this far? The queening square is defended after all. 6… Qe5+ But the black queen gets behind the pawn and checks. The white king stands right out in the open, 7. Kf2 Qf6+ 8. Ke3 Qe7+ and every attempt to run from the check series only leads to the next open square. 9. Kd4 Qa7+ Perpetual check. The pawn on the seventh rank is not worth half a point as long as the queens are on the board — which is exactly why the trade has to come BEFORE the advance.
12. 6… Qxg7 Black has to take — if it leaves the queen alone, the pawn goes through.
13. 7. fxg7 The ONLY move: the pawn captures towards the queening square and lands on the seventh rank in one stroke. The gifted tempo decides the race.
14. 7… Kh5
15. 8. Kf2 The king comes along — not to defend the pawn, but so as not to stand in the way of its own queening square.
16. 8… Kh6
17. 9. g8=Q New queen. The black pawn is still two ranks away.
18. 9… d4
19. 10. Qh8+ And already the familiar picture from the first lesson of this category begins: the queen approaches the pawn in a zigzag, check after check, until the king has to step in front of it.

More in Queen endgames

• Perpetual check or promotion — it must start at once Draw
• The king looks for cover — behind the enemy pawn White wins
• The more advanced pawn — why the trade is the weapon White wins
• Perpetual check or mate — the king marches behind the queen White wins
• Queen against rook and bishop — both on a knife's edge Draw
• Queen against two knights — the king step decides White wins