Skybound Chess
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Intermediate · 7 lessons

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.

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  1. 1The oppositionStart hereKings 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.→