Chess lessons
Chess endgames
The positions every player should know how to win or hold. 11 lessons, 4 of them free.
Beginner · 8 min · Free
Kings face to face, a square apart: the side to move must give way.
- Your king steps in front of the black king, with a square between.
- Now Black has to move, so its king must give way.
- Your king gets past, and the pawn walks through to queen.
In a game: When the kings face each other in a pawn ending, look at whose move it is.
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Beginner · 9 min · Free
Get your king to a key square, and the pawn queens whoever is to move.
- The marked squares in front of the pawn are its key squares.
- White’s king steps onto one of them.
- Now Black cannot stop the pawn: it queens by force.
In a game: In a king and pawn ending, aim your king at a key square, not just in front of the pawn.
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Beginner · 8 min · Free
A king inside the pawn’s square catches it; outside, the pawn queens.
- Draw a square from the pawn to its queening square.
- It is White’s move, and Black’s king is inside the square.
- So the king is in time to catch the pawn.
In a game: When a passed pawn runs, picture its square and see if the other king is inside.
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Beginner · 12 min · Free
Cut the king off with the rook, bring your king, and mate on the edge.
- Your king faces the black king and takes the squares in front of it.
- The rook checks along the back rank.
- The king has nowhere to go: checkmate.
In a game: Against a lone king, make its box smaller with the rook, then face it with your king.
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Intermediate · 12 min · Pro
Keep the bishops side by side, bring your king, and mate in a corner.
- The bishops stand side by side, one on each colour.
- Your king takes the squares next to the cornered king.
- One bishop checks on the long diagonal; the other covers the last square.
In a game: Against a lone king, keep your bishops side by side and drive it to a corner.
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Intermediate · 12 min · Pro
Win with a pawn on the seventh by building a bridge with your rook.
- Your rook cuts the black king off from the pawn.
- First it goes to the fourth rank, ready to block checks.
- Then your king walks out, and the rook blocks the last check: the bridge.
In a game: Pawn on the seventh, your king in front, their king cut off: it is time for the bridge.
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Intermediate · 10 min · Pro
Draw a pawn down: rook on the sixth rank, then checks from behind.
- Your king stands in front of the pawn, on the back rank.
- Your rook holds the sixth rank, so White’s king cannot step up.
- Once the pawn reaches the sixth, your rook goes behind it and checks.
In a game: A pawn down in a rook ending? Keep your king in front of it and your rook on your third rank.
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Intermediate · 14 min · Pro
Cut the king off, put rooks behind passed pawns, check from far away.
- Your rook on the seventh rank keeps Black’s king on the back rank.
- Black’s rook is on the wrong file, not behind your pawn.
- Your king steps up in front of the pawn, and White wins.
In a game: In rook endings, cut the enemy king off and keep your rook behind passed pawns.
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Intermediate · 12 min · Pro
A queen beats a pawn on the seventh; a bishop or rook pawn may draw.
- The pawn is a step from queening, so the queen needs help.
- The queen drives the black king in front of its pawn, blocking it.
- Each time the queen gains a move, your king steps closer.
In a game: When a pawn reaches the seventh against your queen, note its file and how far your king is.
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Intermediate · 11 min · Pro
A rook pawn needs a bishop that can attack its queening corner.
- This rook pawn queens in a dark corner.
- The bishop runs on light squares, so it can never attack that corner.
- Black’s king hides in the corner and cannot be driven out: a draw.
In a game: Before you trade into a bishop and rook pawn, check the colour of the queening square.
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Intermediate · 11 min · Pro
In the endgame the king stops hiding and becomes a fighting piece.
- White’s king steps forward to the centre.
- From there it aims at the black pawns.
- Black’s king must stay close to them, or Black loses.
In a game: When few pieces are left, bring your king forward: it can attack and block pawns.
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