The outside passed pawn: the decoy that wins pawn endings

A passed pawn far away from the other pawns is often worth more than its value. Push it, and the other king has to go and stop it. While it's away, your king takes the pawns it left behind.

The method, played out

White to move. Step through the decoy.

The decoy

1.a4! The a-pawn is the outside passed pawn. Black's king has to go after it, all the way to the a-file. 1.Kd5 also wins.

Meanwhile White's king does the real work: 2.Kd5, 3.Kxe5. By the time Black has taken the a-pawn (3...Kxa4), White's king has taken e5, and Black's king is far too far away to stop the e-pawn. It walks in.

The mistake

Moving the king the wrong way or pushing the pawn only one square throws the win away. After 1.a3? or 1.Kb5?, Black's king takes e4, and it's only a draw.

White to move. Step through 1.Kb5? to see the win go.

The idea to remember

A passed pawn far from the action is a decoy. Push it to drag the other king away, then take what it leaves behind with yours.

Train it

This is one of the endgame techniques OptiChess teaches as a walkthrough: the moves play themselves until a moment that matters, then you find the move, checked against the tablebase. More endings are in the chess endgame trainer.

Try it. Real positions, set at your level, every answer checked against the board. No account needed to start.

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