Chess Endgames: Basic Checkmates and Pawn Endings

Bring the king out

For most of the game the king hides. Once the queens and most of the other pieces have been traded, the danger of checkmate fades and the king turns into a strong piece, able to attack pawns and guard squares in every direction. In the endgame, the first question is usually which king will reach the middle of the board first.

Do not wait for an invitation. As soon as the heavy pieces come off, start walking the king toward the center or toward the side of the board where the pawns are. A king still sitting on its castled square when the other king has reached the fourth rank is often the whole difference between a draw and a loss.

Passed pawns and the rule of the square

With few pieces left, a pawn’s chance of reaching the far side and promoting goes up sharply. A passed pawn, one that no enemy pawn can block or capture, is the main asset in most endgames. Create one where you can, push it when it is safe, and escort it with the king. If your opponent has one, block it with a piece, ideally by standing on the square directly in front of it.

When a pawn runs for promotion and only the enemy king can stop it, you do not have to count moves. Use the rule of the square: picture a square whose side runs from the pawn to its promotion square. If the defending king can step inside that square on its move, it catches the pawn. If it cannot, the pawn promotes.

The four marked squares are the corners of the pawn’s square. With Black to move, the king steps to f4, inside the square, and catches the pawn. With White to move, the pawn advances first and gets through.

King and pawn against king: the opposition

The ending of king and one pawn against a lone king is the foundation of all endgame play, because so many other endings come down to it. The defender’s plan is simple: stand in front of the pawn and refuse to move aside. The attacker’s plan is to get the king in front of its own pawn, not behind it, and clear the way.

The struggle between the kings is decided by the opposition. When two kings face each other with one square between them, neither can step forward, and the one that has to move must step sideways or back. So the player who does not have to move has the advantage. This is the simplest case of zugzwang: being forced to move is what loses.

Two rules of thumb cover most cases. A king that reaches the sixth rank in front of its own pawn wins, whoever is to move, unless the pawn is on the a-file or h-file. And a pawn on the a-file or h-file is usually only a draw if the defending king can reach the corner in front of it, because the attacker has no room to go around.

The kings stand in opposition, with White’s king ahead of its pawn on the sixth rank. With Black to move, whichever way the black king steps, the white king goes the other way, takes control of e7 and e8, and the pawn walks through. With White to move it takes a little longer, but White still wins.

The basic checkmates

Winning material is no use if you cannot finish the game, so every player should be able to give checkmate with king and queen, and with king and rook, against a lone king. Neither piece can do it alone. The method is the same in both cases: use the queen or rook to fence the enemy king into a smaller and smaller area, bring your own king up to help, and deliver mate on the edge of the board.

With a rook, think of the rook as drawing a line the enemy king cannot cross. Whenever the two kings face each other with one square between them, a rook check along that line forces the king back a rank. With a queen it is quicker, but more dangerous for the wrong reason: the queen covers so many squares that it is easy to leave the lone king with no legal move. That is stalemate, and the game is drawn.

King and queen, or king and rook, against a king: always a win.
King and two bishops against a king: a win, by driving the king into a corner.
King, bishop and knight against a king: a win, but a difficult one that can take more than 30 moves.
King and a single bishop or knight against a king: a draw, since checkmate is impossible.
King and two knights against a king: a draw with correct defense, since mate cannot be forced.

Before every move in a winning endgame, check that the lone king has at least one legal move, unless your move is checkmate.

Rook endings

Endings with rooks and pawns are the ones you will play most, simply because rooks are usually the last pieces to be traded. They are also the hardest to win: an extra pawn is often not enough. The piece that matters is the rook, and the word that matters is activity. An active rook that attacks pawns and checks the enemy king is worth more than a passive rook tied to defending a pawn.

The best place for a rook is usually behind a passed pawn, whether the pawn is yours or your opponent’s. Behind your own pawn, the rook gains room with every step the pawn takes. Behind an enemy pawn, it keeps the pawn under attack all the way down the board.

Two named positions are worth knowing by sight. The Lucena position is the standard win: a pawn on the seventh rank with its king in front of it, and a technique for sheltering that king from checks. The Philidor position is the standard draw: the defending king sits on the pawn’s promotion square, and the defending rook holds its third rank until the pawn advances, then drops back to check from behind.

Bishops and knights in the endgame

Bishops and knights are worth about the same, but they like different endings. A bishop is better when there are pawns on both sides of the board, because it can cross from one side to the other in a single move. A knight is better when all the pawns are on one side, or when the position is blocked, because it can reach squares of both colors.

Endings where each side has one bishop, traveling on different colors, are a special case. With opposite-colored bishops the defender can often set up a blockade on the squares the attacking bishop cannot touch, and hold a draw even when a pawn or two behind. If you are ahead, avoid trading down to this kind of ending. If you are behind, aim for it.

Winning a won game

Most endgames are not exact theory. They are a matter of converting an advantage without letting it slip. A few habits make this much easier.

When you are ahead in material, trade pieces but keep pawns. Your extra piece grows stronger as the board empties, and you need a pawn left to promote.
When you are behind, trade pawns but keep pieces. With no pawns left, an extra bishop or knight cannot win.
Do not hurry. If your opponent has no active plan, improve the position of your king and pieces first, and only then advance the pawns.
Two weaknesses are better than one. A defender can usually hold a single weak point, but not two on opposite sides of the board.
Keep watching for stalemate and for perpetual check. They are the defender’s last resources, and they save many lost positions.

Good practice: play out king and queen against king, and king and rook against king, with a friend or on a real board until you can give checkmate without having to think. Then read about tactics, which decide who reaches the endgame with the extra material.