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Learn · Endgames

Endgames you must know

A handful of endgames come up again and again. Know these and you will convert won positions and save lost ones.

12 min readUpdated October 2026

King and queen against king

Use your queen to shrink the box the enemy king lives in, a knight's move away from it, then bring your own king up to help. Mate happens on the edge. Watch out for stalemate: always check that the enemy king has a legal move after you play.

The finishThe white king on b6 guards a7 and b7, so Qc8 is checkmate. Bring your king close first, then mate on the edge.
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King and rook against king

The same idea, with more patience. Use the rook to cut the king off along a rank or file, bring your king in front of the enemy king (the opposition), then check it towards the edge. It takes at most 16 moves from any position.

Rook cuts off the kingThe rook on the fifth rank keeps the black king on the top three ranks. White brings the king forward and gains ground rank by rank.
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King and pawn: the opposition

When the kings stand face to face with one square between them, the side that does not have to move has the opposition. In king and pawn endings, having the opposition decides whether the pawn promotes.

King on the sixth winsWith the white king in front of its pawn on the sixth rank, White wins whoever is to move (for any pawn except a rook pawn). Try it in the analyser: the tablebase card will confirm it.
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The rule of the square

Can a king catch a passed pawn on its own? Imagine a square from the pawn to its promotion rank. If the king can step into that square, it catches the pawn.

Rule of the squareBlack to move. The square of the a5 pawn runs from a5 to d8. The king on h2 cannot get into it, so the pawn promotes.
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Rook endings: Lucena and Philidor

Rook endings are the most common endings of all. Two positions are the foundation of all of them.

Lucena: how to win

The attacking king is on the queening square, the pawn is on the seventh, and the defending king is cut off. The winning method is called building a bridge: the rook goes to the fourth rank to block the checks.

Lucena positionWhite plays Rd1+ to push the black king further away, then Rd4. When the checks come, the king walks out and the rook on d4 blocks the final check.
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Philidor: how to draw

The defending king is in front of the pawn. Keep your rook on your third rank (the sixth rank from White's side) to stop the enemy king coming forward. When the pawn advances to that rank, drop the rook to the back and give checks from behind.

Philidor positionBlack keeps the rook on the sixth rank. If White plays e6, the rook goes to a1 and checks the king from behind. White can make no progress.
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Endgame principles

  • Activate your king. In the endgame the king is a strong piece. March it to the centre.
  • Passed pawns must be pushed. And rooks belong behind them, yours or your opponent's.
  • Do not hurry. If your opponent can do nothing, improve every piece before you commit.
  • Check the tablebase. With seven pieces or fewer, the analyser tells you the exact result with perfect play.