Activate the king
In the middlegame the king hides. In the endgame it becomes a fighting piece. Bring it toward the centre before you need it, not after the pawns are gone.
Guides
Endgame guides
Technique beats talent.
The endgame is the part of chess you can actually finish learning. Nine fundamental positions and eight mating patterns, with the idea behind each one and a board to play from. Start with the king, then the pawns, then the rooks.
9endgame cards
8mating patterns
6principles
Study route
In the order that pays.
01
Basic mates
King and queen, king and rook, two bishops. If you cannot mate a bare king in under fifty moves, every other endgame is harder than it needs to be.
Practise mating patterns 02King and pawn
Opposition, key squares, the rule of the square and promotion races. These positions decide more club games than any other endgame family.
Open endgame drills 03Rook endings
Lucena, Philidor, bridge building and the cut-off king. Rook endgames are the most common practical endings, so they repay the most study.
Study the techniques 04Piece endings
Bishop and knight, opposite-coloured bishops, and the wrong rook pawn. Learn the drawing tendencies before you trade into them.
See technique in classic gamesPosition library
Set the position. Learn the technique.
Endgame 1 / 9
King and pawn vs king
Read-only chess board with white pieces at the bottom, black pieces at the top. Each square announces its coordinate and the piece on it.
Set up on the analysis board and play both sides.
The position
The basic promotion race. The stronger king must lead the pawn, not hide behind it.
The technique
Push the pawn only when the king can support it. Use the opposition to win the key square.
At the board
- Name the winning idea before you move.
- Improve the king before pushing a pawn.
- Check every pawn move for a stalemate or a drawn corner.
Six rules of thumb
What to remember when the board empties.
Push passed pawns
A passed pawn is a future queen. Push it when the king can support it, and use the threat of promotion to distract the defender elsewhere.
Rooks belong behind passed pawns
A rook behind its own passer attacks up the board; behind the opponent’s passer it blockades. The same square is good for both sides, which is why the rule survives.
Use the outside passer
A passed pawn far from the main pawn mass drags the enemy king away. The winning plan is often to create a second passer on the other wing.
Count the opposition
Kings cannot pass through each other. The opposition is a counting tool: put the enemy king to move when the squares matter, and the pawn promotes.
Know the drawing corners
Rook pawns with the wrong bishop, the fifty-move rule and the fortress are not exceptions to technique; they are part of it. Recognise them early enough to change plans.
A last warning
The fifty-move rule is part of the position.
An extra queen does not win by itself. If the king cannot help, the defender can often hold with a fortress or a stale position. Count the moves, know the drawing corners, and practise the finish until it is boring.