Two passed pawns spread across the board are unstoppable for a lone king: while he runs at one, the other takes a step forward. The further apart the pawns, the more hopeless the defender's position.
Here White has the king on h1 (far away) and passers on a4 and d4; Black has the king on c6. Black to move, and White wins (per the tablebases): the king cannot cope with both pawns, and one of them queens without any help from its own king.
The rule: if the distance between two passers is greater than the king can cover in one move, he is helpless. That is why widely split passers are a formidable force in the endgame.
Drag a piece onto the board, or click a piece and then click the squares. The cross beside the pieces sweeps every piece of that colour off the board, and a single piece can be dragged off the edge.
The pieces will be arranged into the chosen pattern.
It is the mating side to move. Find mate in one.
Openings, endgame positions and breakthrough studies - the set-up appears on the board.
When the distance between them is great enough that the king cannot get into the square of both. A gap of three files or more is usually enough.
The one further from the enemy king: he will spend more moves on it, and meanwhile the other walks forward unhindered.
Yes, it settles positions where the pawns alone are not enough: it brings support and takes squares away from the enemy king.
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