Id take check mate above those
What's the most powerful thing to try for in a chess endgame?
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![nov04-inactive](https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/user/58136204.e74028fb.50x50o.82345b1eb68f.jpg)
I do agree with the 1st ranking, but material should be higher because you can't just sac a piece for a pawn and some good pieces (most of the time) so I would rank material 2nd, then the rest after that
![JBarryChess](https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/user/200552121.49888e34.50x50o.b13a5fe97a50.jpg)
1. Material. A queen and a rook or two rooks makes life easier.
2. Pawn management - (begins in the beginning of the game and this eludes me often)
![nov04-inactive](https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/user/58136204.e74028fb.50x50o.82345b1eb68f.jpg)
JBarryChess wrote:
1. Material. A queen and a rook or two rooks makes life easier.
2. Pawn management - (begins in the beginning of the game and this eludes me often)
but if you are a knight up, but your opponent has 3 connected passers, now material does not matter
Now I know that there are generally 4 major things that I believe are at play in any chess endgame. These 4 things seem to be king activity, passed pawns, piece activity, and material. Furthermore, I know that in every endgame things depend and one simply can't make a generalization for every position.
However, if you had to rank these between 1 and 4 (1 being the most important and 4 being the least important) what would you rank these as in terms of importance in any general endgame?
My personal ranking would be:
1. Passed Pawns
2. King Activity
3. Piece Activity
4. Material
Feel free to agree or disagree. I'm mainly just looking to see how I can shift my mindset when it comes to endgames because I'm noticing a lot more now the importance of pawns and I kind of feel like they are the most important in endgames in general.. even more than the king or other pieces. Furthermore, I think material is almost irrelevant because anyone that promotes a passed pawn can quickly get a lot of material back. Anyone that has active pieces can give their opponents a lot more trouble even if they have less material. Anyone that has a much more active king, similar to active pieces, can also give their opponent a lot of trouble for even the price of 2 pawns etc..
Curious to know your opinions and your rankings on passed pawns, king activity, piece activity, and material!