An endgame tablebase is a database of every legal position with a small number of pieces, together with the exact result and the distance to mate or conversion. It is the closest thing chess has to a solved position.
What tablebases know
For positions with up to a certain number of pieces, tablebases know whether the position is a win, draw or loss with perfect play. They can also show the fastest mate or the move that delays conversion. Syzygy tablebases are the common format used by modern engines and analysis tools.
The exact limit depends on the tablebase set. Seven-piece tablebases are large but available; smaller sets cover five or six pieces and are enough for most practical endings.
What tablebases do not know
- Practical difficulty: a tablebase win can require a hundred precise moves. The human question is whether you can find the plan.
- Clock pressure: the fastest mate is not always the safest move with two minutes left.
- The fifty-move rule: some tablebase wins require more moves than the rule allows. Always check the counter.
- Positions with more pieces: outside the tablebase range, the engine is estimating again.
Use tablebases to check, not to memorise
When you reach a simple endgame in your own game, check the tablebase result after the game. If the position was winning, replay it against the engine and learn the technique. If it was drawn, find the defensive resource. The goal is to recognise the family of positions, not to memorise a specific move sequence.
Start with king and pawn versus king, rook and pawn versus rook, and queen versus pawn on the seventh rank. These endings appear constantly and are small enough to understand completely.
Tablebases and the engine together
Use the tablebase for the result and the engine for the plan. The tablebase tells you that a position is winning; the engine shows the moves that make progress. When they disagree, the tablebase is usually right about the result and the engine may be showing a slower but more practical route.
You can test endgame positions on the analysis board and save the resulting PGN in your game library. The best endgame study is still the one you actually reached.
Frequently asked
Are tablebases cheating?
Using them after a game or during study is normal. Using them during a rated game is engine assistance and is banned.
How many pieces do I need?
Five-piece tablebases cover most club endgames. Seven-piece sets are useful for deep study but not necessary to improve practical technique.
See the whole game, not just the blunder.
Choose a review depth, see the maximum cost, and get move-by-move accuracy with blunder, mistake and inaccuracy markers.