Outside Passed Pawn

In this article, we will explore a very common and important theme in endgames, which applies specially in King and Pawns endgames but is also applicable to endgames with more pieces, the “Outside Passed Pawn”. A passed pawn is simply a pawn that has a clear path towards promotion, i.e., there is no enemy pawn in front of it or in the files right next to it.

When a passed pawn is far away from the area of the board where the rest of the pawns are located, we call it “Outside Passed Pawn” or “Distant Passed Pawn”.

It often constitutes a winning advantage. This is because it may sacrifice itself, driving the enemy king far away from its own pawns, which may be then captured by the other king. In principle, this outside passed pawn will act as a decoy. Let’s see an example from a game by the legendary world champion Bobby Fischer.

Sometimes, the presence of this theme compensates for a pawn deficit, as in the following example:

Now, let’s test your understanding of the topic with a puzzle:

Finally, let’s conclude with a more complex endgame, where I was able to execute a plan to create a decisive outside passed pawn in a tournament game. The key is to foresee the potential trades and aim for structures where it is possible to create the outside passed pawn. Of course, it requires practice to recognize patterns and determine whether a certain structure is favorable or not.