Chess Endgames

To become a better player, improve your endgame.

It's a paradox, but some of the most difficult positions have the fewest pieces. How can you expect to handle 32 pieces when you have trouble with 5 or 6?

Elementary Endgames

Part 1 You've reached a position where there are almost no pieces left on the board. Do you know how to notch the win or how to escape with a draw? Here are elementary mates and the simplest King and Pawn vs. King, including the 'Rule of the Square'.

Part 2 Pawnless endgames may not appear in many games, but they are important when evaluating more complex endgames. Here are the simplest -- Rook vs. minor piece, Rook & minor piece vs. minor piece, Queen vs. Rook -- you should know them.

Part 3 The final battle in a chess game can be a single piece against a lone Pawn, assisted only by the two Kings. Here are positions worth knowing for

• major pieces vs. a Pawn and
• minor pieces vs. a Pawn.

Part 4 The game has been fought hard and the armies have been reduced to the bare minimum. Both players have single pieces of equal value, while a lone Pawn is on the board. What now?

Part 5 Although King and Pawn endgames look simple, they have their special features and can be tricky. Here we look at the simplest King and Pawn vs. King (and maybe a Pawn). The ideas in these examples are also seen in more complicated endgames.

Part 6 When an endgame position is an exception, there is often a Rook's Pawn involved. The edge of the board provides a natural barrier which nearly always results in exceptional positions. Here we look at some of those exceptions.

Part 7 An extra Pawn is an advantage; when it's an outside passed Pawn, it's a big advantage. Endgames with outside passed Pawns are elementary because they illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of the different pieces.

• Introduction
• Knights
• Bishops
• Minor pieces
• Major pieces

Part 8 Rook plus a lone Pawn vs. a Rook may look simple, but appearances are deceiving. The Lucena position, the Philidor position, checking distance, the long side & short sides of the Pawn, and Nalimov tablebases all help us to understand this common type of endgame.

Part 9 One of the curiosities of chess is that the Bishop and the Knight, whose moves are so different, have the same approximate value. The relative strengths and weaknesses of these pieces are particularly pronounced in endgames where they face each other in solo combat.

Part 10 An introduction to endgame studies, especially the theme of domination. Our guide is Genrikh Kasparian, author of Domination in 2545 Endgame Studies.

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