Step 8: Club Player · about 25 min
Pawn Races: the Rule of the Square
Goal: Kids can tell at a glance whether a king can catch a passed pawn, and push or chase correctly.
You need: Demo board · One board and set per pair
1 · Teach it (15 min)
Read these out loud, or put them in your own words. Show each board on screen or set it up on a demo board.
1.“A passed pawn has no enemy pawns in its way. In an ending, it wants to run and become a queen. Can the enemy king catch it? There's a trick to know without counting moves.”
2.“Draw a square from the pawn to the promotion row. This pawn on a4 has four squares to go, so the box is five squares wide: from a4 across to e4 and up to e8.”
3.“The rule: if the king can step into the square, it catches the pawn. Here it's Black's move, and the king on f5 steps to e5, e6 or e4. It's inside, so it catches the pawn.”
4.“The square shrinks every time the pawn moves. So if you have the pawn, push it before the king gets in. Remember: a pawn on its starting square can jump two, so draw the box from the square in front of it.”
- Moving the king toward the pawn instead of straight into the square.
- Forgetting that it matters whose move it is.
- Forgetting the two-square first move of a pawn.
2 · Play it: Pawn Race (10 min)
Set up: In pairs. White: king and one pawn. Black: just a king. Set them up anywhere, with the pawn passed.
- Before moving, both players predict: can the king catch the pawn? Use the square.
- Play it out. White wins by making a queen, Black wins by capturing the pawn.
- A correct prediction scores a point. Swap colors each round.
3 · Practice and pass check
On iPads, kids open Student → Step 8 → Catch the Pawn!. On paper, print the worksheet. A kid passes by getting 2 of 3 on the pass check. The pass code for this lesson is S8-L5-6H.
Practice (3) with answers
1.Black: step into the pawn's square so you can catch it. Draw an arrow or write the move.
Move: Ke4 or Ke5 or Ke6
2.Can the black king catch your pawn? Make the move that wins the race. Draw an arrow or write the move.
Move: b5
3.The defending king can step inside the pawn's square. What happens?
- ✓It catches the pawn
- The pawn still becomes a queen
- It's checkmate
Pass check (3) with answers
1.Black: catch the pawn! Draw an arrow or write the move.
Move: Kd4 or Kd5 or Kd6
2.Win the pawn race. Draw an arrow or write the move.
Move: g5
3.A pawn on a5 needs 3 moves to promote. How wide is its square?
- ✓4 squares (a5 to d5)
- 3 squares
- 8 squares
Topic order based on: How to Win at Chess, ch. 12–13 (king-and-pawn and rook endings); How to Reassess Your Chess, Part 1 (endgame basics). All wording is original.