Queen endgames are the most difficult endgames to grasp, simply just because of how the most subtle moves can decide the game! However, it is very important to understand them because after all, all endgames can reach Queen endgames if there are passed pawns on the board. Unfortunately, just like pawn endgames (and in fact even more so), you require a huge amount of calculation to navigate these endgames and cannot simply rely on evaluate the position. In fact, you literally can't:
White is up 2 pawns in that position and actually almost immmediately 3. But it is drawn. From pure evaluation, it appears so unlikely that this position could be a draw, but it is. However, if you calculate the checks, you will find white just cannot evade any of the checks.
Perpetual checks are the most obvious draws but there are even draws where the side with more material must force the perpetual check!
The position above was incredibly extreme for a Queen endgame but it just shows how you must use brute calculation to really tell if you are going to win the Queen endgame or not. But as it is the most complex endgame, like the pawn endgame, there are a few factors to bare in mind while navigating it:
PASSED PAWNS (their strength and how far advanced they are
KING SAFETY (from checks, not checkmate)
Queen's positioning
Passed Pawns
It is truly about the quality of the pawns and not the quantity of them in Queen endgames which is one reason they are so difficult to grasp. But why exactly are passed pawns so powerful in Queen endgames? After all, even in Rook endgames, passed pawns don't always win (even the extra pawn). But there is a very good reason for that, which lies in the fact that Queens can attack each other while defending the passed pawn, so there will never truly be a blockade:
But other pieces just cannot remove the blockader:
This is also the sad fate of other pieces while they do not have the luxury of being able to defend the pawn and move around it at the same time.
King Safety
King safety is also hugely important in Queen endgames, but passively defending rather than trying to make progress will not work so you must also keep your King safe as you advance with it too. But even in positions where there are almost no pawns left, King safety exists, but in the form of cross-checks and discovered checks:
While this super high accuracy in a Queen endgame is very difficult to perform (stockfish played it out), you will be able to see that black mainly tried to keep their King as safe as possible in the sequence and eventually forced the win at the very moment they were able to push the pawn. But rather than just worrying about their own King, black used the enemy King to make their King safe through discovered checks and the threats of cross-checks.
Queen's positioning
And finally, (the least important factor but still quite important) is the Queen's positioning. A well placed Queen will have many possibilities to check the King or control a lot of checks. It is actually often really easy to position your Queen well, but sometimes this factor just isn't determined by you when it is needed (often when promoting Rook pawns):
This is the least important factor of the 3 factors because of how easy it is to reposition the Queen to its best square.
So while you will have to calculate a lot to secure the desired result, it is always good to bare these factors in mind during the Queen endgame.
Introduction
Queen endgames are the most difficult endgames to grasp, simply just because of how the most subtle moves can decide the game! However, it is very important to understand them because after all, all endgames can reach Queen endgames if there are passed pawns on the board. Unfortunately, just like pawn endgames (and in fact even more so), you require a huge amount of calculation to navigate these endgames and cannot simply rely on evaluate the position. In fact, you literally can't:
White is up 2 pawns in that position and actually almost immmediately 3. But it is drawn. From pure evaluation, it appears so unlikely that this position could be a draw, but it is. However, if you calculate the checks, you will find white just cannot evade any of the checks.
Perpetual checks are the most obvious draws but there are even draws where the side with more material must force the perpetual check!
The position above was incredibly extreme for a Queen endgame but it just shows how you must use brute calculation to really tell if you are going to win the Queen endgame or not. But as it is the most complex endgame, like the pawn endgame, there are a few factors to bare in mind while navigating it:
Passed Pawns
It is truly about the quality of the pawns and not the quantity of them in Queen endgames which is one reason they are so difficult to grasp. But why exactly are passed pawns so powerful in Queen endgames? After all, even in Rook endgames, passed pawns don't always win (even the extra pawn). But there is a very good reason for that, which lies in the fact that Queens can attack each other while defending the passed pawn, so there will never truly be a blockade:
But other pieces just cannot remove the blockader:
This is also the sad fate of other pieces while they do not have the luxury of being able to defend the pawn and move around it at the same time.
King Safety
King safety is also hugely important in Queen endgames, but passively defending rather than trying to make progress will not work so you must also keep your King safe as you advance with it too. But even in positions where there are almost no pawns left, King safety exists, but in the form of cross-checks and discovered checks:
While this super high accuracy in a Queen endgame is very difficult to perform (stockfish played it out), you will be able to see that black mainly tried to keep their King as safe as possible in the sequence and eventually forced the win at the very moment they were able to push the pawn. But rather than just worrying about their own King, black used the enemy King to make their King safe through discovered checks and the threats of cross-checks.
Queen's positioning
And finally, (the least important factor but still quite important) is the Queen's positioning. A well placed Queen will have many possibilities to check the King or control a lot of checks. It is actually often really easy to position your Queen well, but sometimes this factor just isn't determined by you when it is needed (often when promoting Rook pawns):
This is the least important factor of the 3 factors because of how easy it is to reposition the Queen to its best square.
So while you will have to calculate a lot to secure the desired result, it is always good to bare these factors in mind during the Queen endgame.