With the king in front of its pawn, White wins if it can gain the opposition: the kings face each other with one square between them and the opponent to move. The pawn is used as a tempo move to hand the move over at the right moment.
Key ideas
1King in front of the pawn first; the pawn itself moves last.
2Opposition: kings on the same file with one square between them and the opponent to move.
3Use a pawn move as a spare tempo to seize the opposition when you do not have it.
4Once your king reaches the sixth rank in front of the pawn, the win is automatic.
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About this endgame
One pawn, two kings, and a single question: who has to move? Your king already stands on d5 in front of its pawn on d2, the black king on d7 blocks the way, and it is White to move. Sixteen moves to turn it around and queen the pawn.
What you will learn
01What the opposition is, in one sentence you can check on any board.
02Why stepping sideways with the king, not forward, wins the opposition back.
03How a spare pawn move hands the turn to your opponent at exactly the right moment.
The plan
Kings on the same file with one square between them, and the player to move must give way: that is the opposition. Step aside with Kc5. If Black mirrors you with ...Kc7 he still has it, but now you own a move he cannot copy: d4. After ...Kd7 you answer Kd5, the kings face each other again, and this time Black must move. He steps aside, you step past him to c6 or e6, and a king on the sixth rank in front of its pawn wins whatever Black does.
Where it goes wrong: spending the pawn move when it does not change who has the opposition, or letting the pawn get level with or ahead of its king. Then the black king sits in front of it and the ending is usually a draw. With a rook pawn none of this applies: the defender hides in the corner and the position is usually drawn.
How to practise it
Start the board and play White. Try the sidestep first and watch what Black does; if he mirrors you, push the pawn one square and see him lose the opposition. Two wins without a hint count as done.
Two kings on the same file or rank with one square between them. The player who does not have to move holds the opposition, because the other king must give way.
Does king and pawn versus king always win?
No. It depends on where the kings stand and whose move it is. The king in front of its pawn with the opposition wins; a rook pawn, or a king stuck behind its own pawn, is usually a draw.