Advanced Endgames

Chess.com Team

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Start winning in the endgame!

If you have ever felt lost or without a plan in an endgame, you are not alone. Almost every chess player struggles with the endgame until they learn the important endgame principles in this course! By understanding these advanced endgame ideas you will start winning your endgames!

Here is what you will learn:

How to feel comfortable with less material on the board
King opposition and how to win king and pawn endgames
Common rook and pawn endgame swindles
How to play opposite-colored bishop endgames
Zugzwang!

Endgame Principles

Master basic endgame principles and gain the upper hand once most pieces are captured. An important principle is to stay calm to avoid counterplay. You're only playing for one point. There's no extra prize for winning quickly.

11 min

5 Challenges

Common Rook Endgames

A rook endgame is one of the most common ways a game can end. It's important to keep the rook as active as possible and have it work well together with your king. Rooks are not particularly effective at stopping passed pawns. In endgames with king and pawn against a king and rook, the side with the rook must use the king to help the rook in order to win.

10 min

5 Challenges

King Opposition

A key endgame technique is the opposition. This is when the two kings oppose each other one square between them. Whichever side has the move has a disadvantage because the king must move out of the way. Often the opposition is the difference between winning or drawing a king and pawn ending. In a king and pawn against king ending the opposition is a key technique for the attacker. If the king reaches a square ahead of the pawn on the sixth, seventh or eight rank, the position is winning.

8 min

5 Challenges

Zugzwang

In chess you can't skip your turn, which means sometimes you can reach a position where someone must make a disadvantageous move. This situation is called zugzwang. Forcing zugzwang is an important technique to winning endgames, and can be used in the middlegame as well.

5 min

5 Challenges

Opposite Colored Bishops in the Endgame

In the middlegame opposite colored bishops give each side an extra attacker. In endgames, opposite colored bishops greatly increase drawing opportunities. One bishop can blockade all squares on a diagonal and the opposing bishop can't help.

4 min

5 Challenges

Lessons

Advanced Endgames

: Taking Control
: Advanced
: 5 Lessons
: 38 Minutes
: 25 Challenges
: Released December 27, 2018
: 162,992 Students