One Pawn against two united Pawns.
FIRST POSITION.

The two Pawns will win. Though this is a simple and easy position, yet it is not indifferent with which Pawn the White begins, for if he were to play Q. Kt. P. one sq., Black would advance Q. Kt. P. two sq., stopping the white Pawns, and supposing White had nothing else to play, he would be obliged to sacrifice Q. B. P., and each party would make a Q. White ought to begin with Q. B. P. one sq., then Q. Kt. P. one sq., and afterwards Q. B. P. In the following position, by taking proper advantage of your isolated P., you win the game.

SECOND POSITION.

(See next Diagram.)

White to move.

1. Kt. to Q. 5th, check.

1. K. to K. Kt. 2d.

2. Q. R. P. or Q. B. P. takes Kt.

3. Q. Kt. P. one: this is the move which decides the game in your favor, as you thereby prevent the advance of

4. K. to K. Kt. 4th.

6. K. R. P. checks.

3. K. to K. R. 3d.

4. K. to K. R. 2d.

5. K. to K. Kt. 2d.

6. K. to R. 2d.

7. K. to R. 5th.

7. K. to R. sq.

8. K. to Kt. 6th.

8. K. to Kt. sq.

9. P. checks.

10. K. to R. 6th.

9. K. to R. sq.

10. Is compelled to advance the

P., which you take, and in two moves making a Q. or R. you check-mate.

In this situation, as neither of the Kings can quit the Pawns on the King's side, the game will depend entirely on the manner of playing the Pawns on the Queen's side. Whether you have the move or not you should begin with Q. R. P. one sq., then Q. Kt. P. one sq.; afterwards Q. R. P. one sq.,

and you will easily win; but if you were to play Q. Kt. P two sq. for the first move, you would not win; for example

It is evident that if you do not advance your R. P. two sq. you cannot possibly win, because he will play his K. alternately to his K. B. 2d sq., and to his own sq. Perhaps on looking attentively you may think you ought to advance the P., because he will be obliged to take it with his Q. Kt. P., you then advance your Q. Kt. P. towards Queen, and though he will make a Q. first, yet your Pawn on becoming a Q. will check his King, and compel him to move to Q. 2d sq., or to K. B. 2d sq.; and then you make a second Q. with vour K. P., at the same time checking his K., and you would

We do not suppose a

casily win, having two Q. to his one. very young player would calculate so far, but there are many players who seeing all this and no more, would not hesitate to make the move, being sure of winning the game. We shall proceed to show you that it would be very bad play, as Black will be able to make a move that will frus trate your plan and cause you to lose the game. Suppose then that on your second move you play

2. Q. R. P. two.

3. Q. Kt. P. one.

4. Q. Kt. P. one.

5. Q. Kt. P. one.

2. P. takes P.

3. P. to Q. R. 6th.

4. P. to Q. R. 7th.

5. K. Kt. P. one, becomes a

Q. and checks; this is the decisive move which wins the game. If you do not take the Q., he will move her to his Q. Kt. 3d sq., and will then take your Q. Kt. P., therefore

6. K. takes Q. 6. P. Queens and checks, and afterwards plays Q. to Q. Kt. 7th, checking and winning Q. Kt. P. and the game.

This is a very improving situation, and we request you to study it attentively. If Black on the 5th move had advanced his P. to your Q. R. sq. instead of first sacrificing the K. Kt. P., you would certainly have won the game, because your P. at the moment of making a Q. would have checked his K.; but Black by judiciously sacrificing a P., forces you to move to a square which enables him to check you at the moment he advances to Q., and prevents your P. from becoming a Q. You observe that it is not enough to know that each will make a Q., you must also ascertain whether he attack your King the moment he makes a Q., or whether by a previous move he can force you to a square that will be attacked by the new Q.

ON THE POWER OF A SINGLE KING TO STOP PAWNS.

For a proper understanding of the principles developed in this lesson, it will be necessary first to instruct the student how to ascertain whether his King, when at some distance, can prevent a Pawn from becoming a Q., and this without resorting to the very objectionable habit of counting every square with the fingers.

The rule is, that when your K. is in the quadrangle formed by the square on which the Pawn stands, and the square where it will become a Q., he will stop the Pawn, whether he have the first move or not; for example: