On Monday Maxim asked you how White should get out of check in this pawn ending from one of his blitz games.

It’s not so obvious, I guess, as Maxim failed to find the correct move.

It looks natural to play 1. Kf4, when Black replies with 1… f6, giving this position.

White’s best try now is 2. h5 hxg5+ (Ke7 also draws but Kf7 loses) 3. Kxg5 Kf7! 4. Kf5 Ke7!.

This would be winning without the h-pawns, but with the pawn on h7 it’s only a draw because the white king is denied access to g6.

It turns out that the position in the second diagram is a MUTUAL ZUGZWANG. With White to move it’s only a draw, but with Black to move White wins.

So the way to go is 1. Kg3! f6 2. Kf4!, which, as you can demonstrate for yourself, is winning. For example: 1… Ke7 2. Kf4 Ke6 3. h5 f6 4. g6.

White will have no problem bringing home the full point.

Going back to the original position, White might also try 1. Kh5 Ke5! 2. Kh6 Kf4 3. Kxh7 Kxf3 4. h5 f4 5. g6 hxg6 6. hxg6 Ke2 7. g7 f3 8. g8Q f2, reaching this position.

It’s Basic Ending Knowledge that this sort of position is a win against a centre pawn or a knight’s pawn, but a draw against a bishop’s pawn or a rook’s pawn. In the case, as here, of a bishop’s pawn, at the critical point in the ending Black can move the king to h1 so that Qxf2 will be stalemate. If you don’t know this type of ending you really should: it’s all in my book Chess Heroes: Endings.

To complete the options from the first diagram, after 1. Kh3?, Black has six drawing moves: all five king moves along with 1… f6.

I’d recommend you to play through the variations yourself. There’s a lot to learn from this seemingly simple but very instructive position.

Many thanks to Maxim for submitting it.