Learning Chess: General Endgame Hints

It has been said that the hardest thing to do in chess is winning a won game. Everyone has experienced a game in which they gained a significant advantage, only to throw away the win in a confusing endgame. This is especially common among novice players, who try to play the endgame under the same general principles as the rest of chess.

The truth is, endgames are different, and require a change in your thought process. On the bright side, endgame basics are fairly easy to get a handle on, and just knowing the basics will earn you wins and draws against your less knowledgeable opponents. Here are some tips to get you started.

Learn the Basic Checkmates

It's important to learn the most basic, simple endgame checkmates. Sure, at higher levels you'll rarely have to prove your knowledge (advanced opponents will resign when down so much material), but you must know how to "prove" the win when you're winning by a rook, queen, or more.

Learning how to checkmate with king and queen vs. king, king and rook vs. king, and king and two rooks (or two queens, or a rook and queen) vs. king should be one of your first priorities if you don't already know these mates by heart. These checkmates are simple, but you don't want to have to figure them out over the board with the clock running; memorizing the patterns shouldn't take more than a couple hours. Any basic endgame book will cover these checkmates, as do many websites, such as the Chess Magnet School.

When Checkmate Isn't the Goal

While knowing those lopsided checkmates is important, you will eventually have to deal with endgames that aren't so one-sided. In most endgames, the first goal isn't checkmate, simply because most of the heavy pieces are gone. Instead, the immediate goal is to promote a pawn to a queen, thus gaining an overwhelming material advantage. In most close endgames, the game will revolve around one or both players struggling to promote a pawn, and/or stopping the other player from doing so.

This emphasis on pawn promotion means that passed pawns - or pawns that can no longer be stopped by enemy pawns - are very highly valued in the endgame. Focus energy on creating your own passed pawns, and preventing or stopping those of your opponent.

Utilize Your King

Beginners quickly learn that they should castle their king early, then let it sit safely in the corner for the remainder of the game. This is good advice...until the endgame. With most of the large pieces off the board, kings no longer fear checkmate, and their potential as fighters make them a valuable asset in battle! In fact, the king is probably a slightly better piece than the bishop or knight in most endgames, so not using your king to his full potential is a severe handicap.

Bring your king into the action as soon as it feels safe. If you're not sure where to put your king in the endgame, bring him to the center of the board. When the proper place for your king becomes obvious, he will be well placed to arrive in the correct area as quickly as possible.

Summing Up

Endgames can be very complex - far too complicated to be solved with just a few tips. However, simply learning the basics will put you far ahead of many other beginners, and will allow you to hold your own in the endgame against much stronger players. Endgames are one of the most rewarding areas of study in chess, and I encourage you to seek out other resources to expand on the knowledge presented here.