attack · recognise → explain → apply

Escort a passed pawn with the king

The king can safely approach the pawn’s route in an ending.

Explanation styleChoose any style. Age is not playing strength; no birth date is needed.

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Veselin Topalov – Alexei Shirov

Linares · 1998.03.04 · 0-1

48. gxh3 · Black to move

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What to notice at 48. gxh3

After the bishop sacrifice was accepted, Shirov played 48...Kf5 and then ...Ke4. The king’s route was central to supporting the advancing pawns.

A legally replayed historical example, not a claim that every move is best. A game’s result does not prove every defensive position was lost or drawn.

Game source ↗

Your thinking first

Name the signal, choose a plan, and test the opponent’s most challenging response.

What do you notice?What is your plan, and why?How could the opponent resist?

Recall and explain

1. The king can safely approach the pawn’s route in an ending. How would you apply “escort a passed pawn with the king”, and which defensive reply must you check?

Explain it in your own words before revealing.

Make it memorable

In the ending, the king joins the team.

Teach this to a friend in one minute. Then return to a different example and look for the same signal without being told its name.

Reflect and revisit

This is your self-assessment, not an engine grade or a promise of mastery.

Connect the ideas

Practise pawn transformations →

Sources and further reading

Original LumaChess teaching and game analysis. Topic references are credited below; no affiliation or endorsement is implied.