When I was starting out on my chess career, I experienced the same early stumbling block that most good players do; how to handle the endgame.  The number of games where I took an advantage to the endgame only to lose to a lesser ability, but more experienced player were piling up and I realized that a natural talent for the game was simply not enough to replace good hard study.  The first that I did was grab a copy of the endgame bible of that period; Reuben Fine's Basic Chess Endings (that will let some of you know just how long ago that was).

 

After literally months of study, I had reached the end of the book and found the most amazing thing on the last page.  It was 3 fundamentals of the endgame and 15 principles of the endgame.  I put them to memory and require my students to do the same.  They hold as well today as they did back then.  I give them here for those who need a good guide to follow when faced with the endgame, rather than specific moves needed for one position or another.

 

The 3 fundamentals of endgame play:

 

A) Without Pawns on the board, you must be at least a Rook ahead (or 5 points using the P=1, N=3, B=3+, R=5, Q=9 scale) in order to mate your opponent.  The only exceptions to this are that the double exchange wins (2 R's vs 2 minor pieces - technically a 4 point advantage) and the fact that a lone Queen cannot defend against 4 minor pieces (technically a 3 point advantage).

 

B) With a 2 Pawn or more advantage the win is routine.  A straightforward advance of the Pawns will net considerable material advantage, usually at least a piece.  With the extra piece you capture more Pawns, which will lead to more pieces, which will lead to mate.

 

C) The largest part of endgame theory deals with taking a 1 Pawn advantage and converting it to a win.  The basic idea is that 1 Pawn wins only because it can be used to capture more material.  Because of this, the straightforward advance that works so well with a 2+ Pawn advantage doesn't do well here.  The main idea to be used is to force an entry with the King while keeping the opponent busy on 2 sides of the board (this is where the power of the outside passed Pawn comes to the fore), then simplifying.

 

The 15 principles of the endgame:

(These will help guide a player by proceeding through the endgame according to general principles rather than trial and error).

 

1) Doubled, isolated and blockaded Pawns are generally weak.  Try to avoid them when you can.

 

2) Passed Pawns should be advanced as rapidly as possible.

 

3) If you are 1 or 2 Pawns ahead, exchange pieces but not Pawns.

 

4) If you are 1 or 2 Pawns behind, exchange Pawns but not pieces.

 

5) If you have an advantage do not leave all the Pawns on one side of the board.

 

6) If you are 1 Pawn ahead, then in almost every case the game is a draw if the Pawns are on one side of the board.

 

7) The easiest endings to win are pure Pawn endings.

 

8) The easiest endings to draw are those with Bishops of opposite colors (one side with a light-squared Bishop, the other side with a dark-squared Bishop).

 

9) The King is an amazingly strong piece in the endgame.  Use it!

 

10) Do not place your Pawns on the same color as your lone Bishop.

 

11) Bishops are generally better than Knights in the endgame except in blocked Pawn positions.

 

12) 2 Bishops vs 1 Bishop + 1 Knight create a tangible advantage in the endgame in almost all cases.

 

13) Passed Pawns should be blockaded by the King.  The only other piece not harmed (or restricted) in watching over a passed Pawn is the Knight.

 

14) A Rook on the next to the last rank in your opponents territory is more than enough compensation for a Pawn.

 

15) Rooks belong behind passed Pawns, not in front of them.

 

Hopefully these fundamentals and principles will help some of you approach the endgame with more confidence.

Thanks for the post Sarthe.  :)  I knew most of it, but not to the exact details given here.  :)  Also another thing is that when it is K + P vs K then the king works best if it takes the opposition of the other king and get ahead of the pawn rather than advancing the pawn before the king.  :)

Sarthe, very nice advice on the endgame.

I think that endgame is the last thing many of us study since its the last part of the game.  I'm still stuck on openings trying to master few of them and use them as needed.

 Арон  Нимцович - Мој систем и блокада    ( 1925.)     !!!

Sarthe, I am amazed and impressed you completed the entire book.

You must be solid as a rock in endgames...

A great share.

King+Queen vs King+rook is also winning (and only +4)

Thank you. I knew I would learn alot from you.  I think I want to design a unique trophy for you...I'll keep you posted.

good post.

Stuff I would add:

"All rook endings are draws"

"The least drawish piece to add to a pawn ending is the knight, followed by bishop, then queen, then rook"

I think the endgame is the best part of chess. A bare knuckled boxing match as opposed to the mixed martial combat of the middle game or the deployment of troops found in the opening. A great addition to the chess site Sarthe.

Terrific advice for players of all levels.  Thank you Sarthe.

i will certainly read this many times over. thank you for being a teacher as well as a student.

Thanks Art, this will be a very good reference and will help me on my end games..

This is really good stuff, i will be using this in some of my lessons. Thanks. brilliant stuff. 

Thats a good bump.

Nice post!!!

K+B/N vs K+R wins at only +2 difference.. always.

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Care to make a monetary wager?

Good post and good book.

Has it been released in algebraic? I've got my old descriptive copy but dread hauling it out and trying to regain fluency in the old notation in order to use it...

Thanks for the review Sarthe. I never made it all the way through BCE, but these rules are ingrained in my head too  It is my favorite ending book still. I just used it to help me make a critical decision in a current game. I knew that K,R, & N vs. K & R was drawn, but I wanted to make sure I knew the exceptions and the technique.

I have always found #14 and #15 rather contradictory.

Here's two recent examples of mine where these rules were explicitly acknowledged at game time. Enjoy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thanks for the info, Sarthe!

I never really get to put end game tactics to use, and when I am able to, I haven't had enough practice to make them work. Some of those ideas are new to me, so I think I'll do better now! Thanks!