Half the variations which are calculated in a tournament game turn out to be completely superfluous. Unfortunately, no one knows in advance which half.
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[Event "rated untimed match"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "White player"] [Black "Black player"] [Result "*"] [BlackElo "0"] [FEN "8/3k4/4p3/K3P3/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"] [SetUp "1"] [TimeControl "0"] [WhiteElo "0"] { When Pawns are Locked.|This king and pawn endgame lesson demonstrates how a king can win an enemy pawn that is toe to toe with a friendly pawn, if the king can get on any of the three squares beside the enemy pawn. Black appears to have the advantage here. Black's king is more centralized and closer to white's unprotected pawn. However, it is white to move and win. } 1. Kb6 { White seizes one of the three squares beside the black locked pawn. Thus White seals its fate. } 1... Kd8 { Black can do nothing to prevent the approach of white's king. } 2. Kc6 Ke7 3. Kc7 { White will approach and win the black pawn by forcing black into a series of zugzwangs or forced moves that force black's king away from the defense of his pawn. } 3... Ke8 4. Kd6 Kf7 { Black tries to keep close to his doomed pawn. } 5. Kd7 { Black is in zugzwang. } 5... Kf8 6. Kxe6 { The pawn falls.|White's king is on its sixth row on one of the three squares ahead of its pawn. Therefore, white can force his pawn to promotion. This is true regardless of who is on the move. You should prove this win by practicing against a computer in all similar positions described above. } 6... Ke8 7. Kd6 Kd8 8. e6 Ke8 9. e7 Kf7 10. Kd7 Kf6 11. e8=Q { White wins with a large material advantage. } *