Pawn endings: the outside passed pawn

About this endgame

Three pawns against two and nothing to attack: that is how pawn endings look to a player who has not yet learned to count. Your extra pawn is the one on a3, far from the g- and h-pawns both sides have. Your king is back on d1, the black king better placed on d6. Even so this is a win in eighteen moves.

What you will learn

• 01 What makes a passed pawn 'outside', and why distance is its whole value.
• 02 How the pawn works as a decoy: it does not need to promote to win the game.
• 03 How to count tempi so you know the enemy king cannot get back in time.

The plan

The black king can stop the a-pawn, but only by walking to the queen side, far from the pawns it also has to look after. So the pawn advances early, and every step pulls the black king one more file away from g7 and h7. Meanwhile your king chases nothing: it heads for the king side towards those two pawns. Whether the a-pawn is eventually caught hardly matters; the game is won where it never was.

Count before you commit: the decoy works when the black king needs more moves to get back than your king needs to reach the pawns, and here the margin is comfortable. Where it goes wrong: marching your king after the enemy king, or spending moves on the g- and h-pawns before the king has done its job. Each is a tempo the count did not include.

How to practise it

Play White. Start with the pawn, not the king, and push it until the black king commits to it. Then turn your king round and run. The drill scores the win when the position is clearly decided or a pawn promotes. If Black ignores the a-pawn, promote it.

Questions people ask

What is an outside passed pawn?

A passed pawn far from the rest of the pawns. Because the defending king has to leave the other pawns to deal with it, it is worth more than a passed pawn in the centre, above all in pure pawn endings.

How do I count tempi in a pawn ending?

Count the king moves each side needs to reach its target square, including pawn moves that must be made on the way. If your count is shorter, go; if it is equal, whose move it is decides.