Endgames
The techniques that turn an edge into a point.
8 articles
- The Active King: The Number One Rule of EndgamesIn the middlegame, the king hides. In the endgame, it attacks. Learn to centralize it, place it in front of its pawn, and wield the opposition to turn this timid piece into a decisive weapon.
- The Rule of the Square and Pawn RacesCan the king catch that passed pawn? The rule of the square answers at a glance, with no square-by-square counting. Discover the two-square jump exception, the power of the outside passed pawn, and the magic of Réti’s study.
- Mastering the Opposition: The Key to Pawn EndingsOpposition, direct or distant, decides most king-and-pawn endings. Exact definition, key squares, the square rule, outflanking and the rook-pawn traps: the complete method for converting — or saving — these endings to the tempo.
- Winning with Triangulation: Stealing a Tempo with Your KingRight position, wrong side to move? Triangulation hands the move back: three king moves to return to the same picture and drop your opponent into zugzwang. Mechanism, conditions, corresponding squares and traps — the manoeuvre explained in full.
- The Essential Endgame Positions Every Player Must KnowLucena, Philidor, Saavedra, Réti, king-and-queen mate: five positions to memorize that turn half-points into wins, and lost games into draws.
- The Tarrasch Rule and Rook EndgamesWhy you should place your rook behind passed pawns, and how Lucena (the win) and Philidor (the draw) form the bedrock of every rook endgame.
- Stalemate Traps: Lifeline and PitfallStalemate saves the weaker side and ruins the stronger. Learn to set it up to draw a lost game, to dodge it when you are winning, and to wield the Saavedra underpromotion.
- The 4 Fundamental CheckmatesMating with king and queen, king and rook, mastering the opposition, avoiding stalemate and recognizing the back-rank mate: the technique every player needs to convert a winning advantage.