Endgame Basics

The handful of king-and-pawn and rook endings that come up again and again — the opposition, key squares, the square of the pawn, and the Lucena and Philidor rook positions.

1. 1The oppositionKings a square apart, facing off: the side NOT to move holds the opposition and makes the other give way.
2. 2Key squaresGet your king onto one of the squares ahead of your pawn and it promotes no matter what.
3. 3The square of the pawnA one-glance test of whether a lone king can catch a running passed pawn.
4. 4Rook behind the passed pawnTarrasch's rule: rooks belong behind passed pawns — yours to push it, the enemy's to hold it.
5. 5Lucena: building a bridgeThe key winning position in rook endings — a rook 'bridge' shields your king from checks so the pawn queens.
6. 6Philidor: the third-rank defenceA rook down a pawn holds the draw by sitting on its third rank until the pawn commits.
7. 7Avoid the stalemateThe commonest way to throw away a winning endgame: leaving the enemy king no move and no check.