ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Saavedra position

Oh, hello there! Today, I will explain a special position in a game called chess, called the Saavedra position, in a way that you can easily understand, like you are five years old!

In chess, you sometimes reach a point where you have only a few pieces left on the board. One specific situation is when you have a white king (which is you) and a pawn against a black king. And you want to win the game!

Now, imagine you are playing against a friend, and it's your turn to move. You have a very smart idea to win the game, and that's where the Saavedra position comes in!

To create this special position, you need to move your king and pawn in a certain way. First, you move your king towards the black king to try to trap it in a corner. Then, you push your pawn very carefully, trying to block the black king's escape route.

Once the black king is trapped, you move your king back, closer to your pawn. Now, it might seem like you are stuck and can't move your king, but don't worry, that's part of the plan!

You see, when you can't move your king anymore, your pawn becomes very powerful. It moves forward, like a soldier marching straight ahead, towards the end of the board. And when it reaches the end, something amazing happens!

Your pawn turns into a new piece called a queen! Yes, just like in a fairy tale. This queen is very strong and can move in any direction on the board.

Now, with your king and queen, you can work together to surround the black king. The black king will have nowhere to run, and there is no way for the black king to take your queen. And because the black king has no moves left, you have won the game! Hooray!

So, the Saavedra position is a special way of using your pieces strategically to win when you only have a king and a pawn against the opponent's king. It's all about trapping the black king and promoting your pawn to a queen, which helps you in surrounding and checkmating the black king.

Isn't it exciting to learn about these clever tactics in chess? You can try it out next time you play chess with your friends or family. Have fun!