In
most cases the side with extra pawns had to consolidate first before
pushing the pawns forward. Premature passed pawn advances can result in
either the loss of the pawn or it can provide too many counterchances
for the opponent as the third position we consider today shows. The
knights and the bishops are perfect pieces to create forks and double
attacks. To avoid them place the king and the rook on the
opposite colored squares. To summarize, having three extra pawns might
not be enough for a win if one is not experienced in proper conversion
of extra material. These are the tips to help you successfully win
pawns-up endgames:
- make sure that you place your pieces on defended squares;
- exchange pieces if given a chance;
- watch out for knight and bishop forks and avoid them by placing the king and the rook on opposite-colored squares;
- push passed pawns only when all the other pieces are located well (close to the center and defended);
- watch out for the opponent's
resources, especially passed pawns (generally, first stop the opponent's
pawn and only then advance you own).
Black has two extra pawns in the next endgame, but the presence of
opposite-colored bishops gives white some drawing chances. Besides his
material advantage black has a very strong knight in the center. The
white knight on the edge of the board is less active than the Nd5.
Black's king is well-shielded by the a- and b-pawns, while the king on
b3 is active but with many pieces still present on the board might come
under attack. Also with the king on b3 there are several tactical motifs
in the position one of which-- the fork-- black successfully utilizes.
If you want to avoid knight forks don't place the king and the rook on
the same color squares. As you go through the example let us keep in
mind that most of the exchanges benefit black.
