Problems with pawns in Endgame

OK, I have a question. I find that I strongly dislike the endgame part of a chess game. By this point I tend to feel like I have nothing,(or not much)besides worthless pawns left. Very little, that is, in the way of useful tools to attack with. I feel a little lost with no queen and minor pieces, if I am honest. I can be fairly dangerous when I have some pieces that can actually DO something. Without them...I feel sort of clumsy and unsure of myself. This means that generally go for an attack while I still have what I need... which sometimes works and sometimes does NOT. It ALSO means that I am reluctant to sacrifice them or to trade them off... even if tactically or strategically, that might be to my advantage. I prefer NOT to be stuck with limited material besides pawns.

I'd like to improve my play and I THINK this point may be a weakness of mine... I can't do much with pawns. I end up feeling like, more often than not, they are good for not much more than blocking.... MY pieces as often as the opponents.

Any advice for me on how to help my situation?

You're not making a 'dangerous attack' in pawn endings - you promote them!

AND I do get that.... trouble is that as many times as not, my pawns can't GET there from here, if you know what I mean.... either the opponent takes them before I can get them where they can promote OR they are blocked off by the opponent's pawns.

I wonder if BLittz is right and I ought to find a way to practice exactly those scenarios.

Times like this I wish I had access to more of the content on this site.

Various endgame study possibilities discussed at:
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708103149/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review594.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105702/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review645.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/Shop/Images/Pdfs/9026.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708234309/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review704.pdf
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Understanding_Chess_Endgames.pdf
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/chess-endgames-for-kids/
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Chess_Endgames_for_Kids.pdf

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708095144/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review701.pdf

https://www.chess.com/article/view/book-review-winning-chess-endings
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/endings-endings-endings
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/the-end-game-comes-before-we-know-it
http://theweekinchess.com/john-watson-reviews/theres-an-end-to-it-all
Before buying any particular book, I suggest going to the publisher site to see if it is possible to view a sample.

I EVEN wonder if, by virtue of the very fact that I tend to try to AVOID an endgame type scenario rather than PREPARE for it.... I compound this problem?

ETA- i HAVE found that Silman's Endgame coursebook online  and am giving it a look.... will see if it benefits me.

 Perhaps not JUST from that... although, as I see it, no HARM in taking a look at some of the books , is there?

From the very first move in a game you should think about promoting pawns, or at least a strategy to do so. A pawn can make an initial double-square move, so right there you can already have a pawn on the 4th rank. Only 4 more steps and you have a queen but of course your opponent won't let you do it so easily.

But each step you make puts more pressure on your opponent. Many players give a pawn more "value" the farther it gets, and a pawn on the 7th rank is about equal to rook. That means you should protect it like you would protect a rook, and your opponent will have to use resources to attack it as if it were a rook. So if you don't like pawns, move them up - and try to make one a queen.😻

Try play with yourself (that is both black and white are you ) with only pawns but one side with one extra pawn . Try and learn to win these games . Next try with both sides with same number of pawns and try to promote ... This may help ...

Books are one of the best ways to study. Check the reviews, pick the book that suits you and work through it - that's what I do to improve.

If you don't like the endgame of chess, you can always find another game without such a marked difference between the middle game and endgame.  Maybe Othello...

I had a look at some of your games.

1) your problem is not the lack of endgame knowledge, you simply drop pieces. So tactics first.

2) you finish 30 min game and typically there is still 25 min on you clock. Take your time, double check for tactics, hanging pieces etc.

3) study endgames. That's one of the most beautiful parts of chess IMO. With proper endgame training you'll love it too (or so I hope).

I've heard numerous people say this, and I can't agree.  I've read theoretical works, I've practiced studies, I've played through games of the great endgame masters, and I definitely do not love the endgame, nor would I rank it anywhere near 'beautiful'.

Here’s the thing, though: endgames work.  Getting better at endgames lets you win games you otherwise won’t.  I really like winning, and nothing feels worse than playing a great game, nursing an advantage the entire time, only to blow it during the final phase.  I lost countless wins like this before I studied the endgame in any seriousness, and even that is maybe a tenth of what I need to do.

Bottom line, I like winning.  Whether it’s via stellar middlegame attack or turning an extra pawn into a Queen, a win is a win.  Do you like winning?  Then take the time to learn the most basic of King and Pawn endgames.  Spend an hour or two, spread across multiple days if necessary, until you have a sense of what to do, of what the plans are, of what is happening.  Do that and the endgame may not be fun or beautiful, but you’ll have a better idea of what to do, and you’ll win more games.  That’s better than nothing.

I do not feel obliged to care about jengaias beliefs. I posted a list of discussions of chess books and samples from chess books. I think such a list improves one's chances of choosing something appropriate. There is nothing to stop a person from going with a jengaias choice.

"... You can join my group and you can find them in the forum or you can buy a book(Silman's endgame course might be the best for you). ..." - jengaias (~2 minutes ago)

A description of that book was the first item in my list. Of course, it only "might be" best for JavaTigress, so my list continued.

Your game changes character when you're down to Pawns and Kings, but there's still a lot of strategy left. Check out some of the good endgame books available and learn how to turn pawns into weapons. You can use the Principle of the Opposition to Queen one, the Rule of the Square to make sure your opponents pawns can't Queen without your King catching it, etc.

I originally learned the endgame with Reuben Fine's old, dry, but excellent book and his and the various endgame books by Silman, Seirawan, Dvoretsky, Paldolfini, de la Villa, Nunn, Pachman, and Averbakh are all good.  I don't like Flear's endgame book - it doesn't go into much detail about technique and positions, but I do like his endgame problem book.

Of them all, I think Jesus de la Villa's 100 Endgames You Must Know is the best for explaining what kind of positions you want to achieve for each kind of endgame and how to achieve them. It even discusses how the Knight's unusual moves affect the endgame and other generalities like that.  de la Villa writes, "I try to explain each example in a clear way, and a way you can memorize forever. To achieve this goal, I try to focus on guiding ideas..."

Of the others, I like the "winning method consists of the following plan" explanations in Pachman, Fine, Dvoretsky, Seirawan, and Mueller & Lamprecht but not Mueller & Pakeken - which was written, I think, more as an example book to go with the other Mueller book.

Silman's book is uniquely divided into endgame techniques most useful at various rating levels. But I don't like his be-cool attitude where he makes a move then says something like, "This pawn can't be queened without help from the King," but you're on your own to understand how the King helped.

Others may prefer that format.

Can you identify the specific location of this?

One piece of advice, if you want to dynamize your endgames, team up your pawns and your King! Many beginners neglect to activate their king in the endgame: don't be so, and activate the king soon enough, aiming at the center. From the center squares, your king can move to anywhere within two or three moves. Often, a king and a pawn joined, are as strong or even stronger than a minor piece, when the opponent's king is remote. You'd be surprised all the cool stuff you can achieve so!