CHESMAYNE
no regrets
“it’s over”
Endgame :&EG
In the endgame :A and :B have only a few MPs/mps remaining, so these need to be used carefully. With fewer MPs/mps to
attack the KI, he is less vunerable and can join in the melee. The endgame
should not be viewed as the desert that follows the appetizer and main
meal. Advantages created in the middle
game should come
to fruition. All of your artistic chess abilities will be needed to succeed. Some of the elements that comprise the
endgame are: the passed-PA [:pa-PA], centralization, management of your KI, activating your remaining
MPs, particularly the ROs. In the middle game your KI is a supernumerary.
In the endgame he becomes a principal actor. He must be developed and brought to the front. This
is achieved by centering your KI in the middle of the board - ideally into B$A from where he can meander to the left
or right. Your KIs freedom of movement must be denied
if possible to your opponent’s KI. Often
you will find that your KI fights for control of a particular cell. Centering your other MPs is vital and not just a royal prerogative at this
juncture in the storm. At other times your KI will need protection [shelter]
from one of the PAs in his castled position [ie,
PA5-6-7]. Combined play forms 75%+ of
the endgame - centralization,
sheltering, bridge-building, hole-stopping etc.
It’s easiest to gain ++CM when your opponent has h/er KI on the edge
of the board. You can often
bring about checkmate with QU1 or RO along the edge
of the board where the KI stands - as shown in the diagram below. This type of ++CM is called the
‘guillotine’. Here A-QU gives +CH and the RO
prevents B-KI escaping down the board.
“Whatever you do, do cautiously,
and look to the end” - Oxford library of words and
phrases
French: Endgame, ending - Finale, fin de partie. Favourable ending - ‘finale favourable’.
Mps, become
more important and promoting a mp can become a major aim at this point in the game. Depending on how the MPs/mps are positioned on the board and how you use them the game can end in a ++CM or a draw. As more MPs/mps are exchanged the game approaches the endgame.
In this phase opportunities for ++CM become fewer especially if :A and :B have exchanged QUs. At this point
the KI can venture from his defended position to join in the
attack or help to promote/enrobe a mp, which
is one of the main objectives in the endgame.
Both sides KIs are brought into action. When the :A and :B KIs are
facing one another along a file with only one cell in between, the player who moved last is said ‘to have the opposition’. The other KI moves back -
retreats - or moves to one side.
You can sometimes make a stalling KI move, called ‘losing a tempo’ in order to gain the opposition. In a KI and PA endgame you can use the opposition to steer the enemy KI away from the enrobing/promoting cell and so allow your PA to become a MP. Remember that in the endgame your KI changes from a MP to be defended to an
attacking MP. Keep MPs active. Combine attack and defense as best you can. The most common
type of endgame is one in which :A and :B both have a RO and a few PAs and the KI. With
only one MP remaining, apart from your KI you need to use your RO to the
full. Try to place your RO [RO1 or RO2]
on an open file [:of] where it will have the greatest influence. A key to winning RO and PA endgames is to create a ‘passed PA’ [:pa-PA].
Your RO and PAs need to work very carefully to achieve this.
Protect :pa-PAs [passed] and try to prevent your opponent creating a :pa-PA. Many of the principles of RO and PA endgames also apply to KT, BS and QU endgames as well. Be careful to
keep your RO behind a :pa-PA or the RO will block the PAs advance. Endgame play has been studied by chess players for many centuries and the outcome of endgames with certain
combinations of MPs is well known. It is
well to bear in mind the winning combinations when exchanging MPs in the endgame. In a ++CM net your MPs/mps are placed so that wherever your opponent’s KI moves it is trapped. You will find it impossible to
++CM the opposing KI in the center of the board when you have only a few MPs, so it is imperative that you corner the opposing KI. Sometimes the KI is ++CM in a XD or XL
corner. You will find that it is
impossible to force ++CM in a non-dangerous corner - :ndc, a corner of the opposite colour to that of your BSs cell. If your opponent’s KI is aiming
for a non-dangerous corner cell try to force him across to a dangerous corner [:dc] so that you can form a ++CM net and win. You cannot construct a ++CM net
with a KI and BS, or KI and KT. KI
versus KI and PA is usually a draw. As mentioned above the
endgame of :L01 has been studied by chess analysts for donkey’s years and the outcome of certain
combinations of MPs/mps is well known ie…….
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01 KI, BS1 and BS2 versus KI. An
easy win. Keep BS1 and BS2 together and
corner the KI - trapping him in a ++CM net.
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02 KI, BS1 and KT1 versus KI.
Can win, but tricky. Force the
KI into a corner cell of the same colour as BS1.
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03 KI, BS and PA versus KI. It all depends on whether the PA can be promoted. If the BS and PA are of a different colour the game will end in a draw or stalemate.
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04 KI and RO versus KI and BS.
Usually ends in stalemate.
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05 KI and RO versus KI and KT.
This can be a draw if the KI and KT are kept together.
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06 KI and BS or KT versus KI. It
is ‘not possible’ to ++CM with a KI and BS, or KI and KT.
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07 KI and PA1 or PA8. Always a draw
as long as the KI can advance in front of the enemy PA preventing promotion.
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08 KI, KT1 and KT2 versus KI.
Draw. Two KTs ‘cannot’ force
++CM.
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09 KI and RO versus KI. A
win. KI and RO force the opponent’s KI
to one side of the board and give
++CM.
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10 KI and QU versus KI and RO. A
win. The KI and QU push the KI to the
side of the board then fork the KI and RO with the
QU.
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11 French: Fin de partie - finale.
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12 German: Endspiel.
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13 Italian: Finale.
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14 Spanish: Final.
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15 Samuel
Beckett’s play ‘Fin de Partie’ [Endgame] has two characters who are consigned
to dustbins.
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The maximum number of moves required to ++CM from the worst possible
position are as follows…….
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01 RO and BS versus KT1 and
KT2 = 223 moves.
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02 QU versus BS1 and BS2 =
71 moves.
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03 QU and RO versus QU = 67
moves.
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04 BS1 and BS2 versus KT =
66 moves.
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05 QU versus KT1 and KT2 = 63
moves.
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06 RO and BS versus RO = 59
moves.
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Bible: “I am God, and there is none
like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the
things that are not yet done”.
:EG
objectives
It is not good
policy to end a game prematurely. Such
an action equates with running away from the field of battle and escaping one’s
duty. If a position is grim by logical
standards - what can you lose? The
grimness of your position can be a spur and an asset. Adversity is a key that opens the door to true understanding - the spur to lift up your
heart. The good chess player does what
s/he must, for you are a warrior in a hostile and dangerous environment. Practical play not good appearances must be
the measure of a well spent chess players life.
Often belief in yourself will have to be enough and patience your main
virtue for progress cannot be hurried in higher directions.
A local engagement is entered because both sides have
objectives in the area which they consider paramount at that time. As play develops these objectives may be altered to meet changing
circumstances but whatever the intentions of the players a stage will be
reached where they will decide to switch to a different part of the board. Sometimes this will be because
one of the parties [:A or :B] has suffered a major reverse - perhaps the loss of
the entire mps in a section of the board - but usually it will occur
because the position there has been largely resolved and more worthwhile
ventures are seen elsewhere. Near the
end there will remain scattered about the board these small unfinished
fights. It is at this point that the
endgame is reached and it is the tidying up of these stray ends that
constitutes the finale.
Skill
required
The endgame holds the most interest for the mature
player as its problems are never repetitive or stereotyped. Great skill is required in the finale as
positions of great complexity arise.
Inexperienced players consistently fail to find the right moves and are liable to tackle the problems remaining in the wrong
sequence. There is no better way to
familiarise yourself with the power of the MPs/mps than to study positions where only a few MPs/mps remain on the board. Their paths are unhampered by
other MPs/mps and the uncluttered board allows them full scope. Many players think that the endgame is dull
and unimportant. They reckon to win or lose in the middle
game. This is a wrong attitude. As you gain experience you will find that
more and more games are not finished by winning attacks. Endgame skill settles
things. You should study the endgame and
you will find that it is just as interesting as the opening and middle game. All good
players excel and enjoy endgame play.
The biggest mistake that the average player makes is to
think that the endgame is dull and does not matter. It is quite as interesting and important as
the opening or middle game and all good players study it intensely. It is true that it is not so complicated as
the middle game but for just this reason it is possible to make very deep and
subtle calculations in the endgame.
There is a great difference between the ordinary and the mature player
in this phase. When you play an opponent of equal strength you will find as you improve that you often come down
to an endgame situation - and if you learn to win when you have a small advantage and not to lose with a small disadvantage you will greatly improve
your results. So try to understand and
enjoy the last few moves.
Improving
your :EG
Improvement in endgame play
comes from a greater knowledge of…
01 The outcome of the standard
types of endgames.
02 The particular way of playing
the standard types of endgames. It is of the greatest importance to know the
theoretical outcome of standard endgame positions because this knowledge will
serve as a guide for the direction in which to steer the game when the position
is still complex enough so that a choice is possible.
If for instance, in an
endgame where you have RO2, KT2, and PA4 and the other side has RO1 and KT1 - you know under what circumstances
RO2, KT2 and PA4 win against RO1. You therefore will have some idea of when to play for
simplification by an exchange of the KTs.
Minor piece terms
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01 mp = minor
piece
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02 :pa-mp = passed
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03 :fp-mp = farther passed
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04 :ad-mp = advanced
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05 :bl-mp = blocked
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06 :di-mp = double isolated
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07 :ha-mp = hanging
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08 :de-mp = desperado
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09 :ba-mp = backward
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10 :is-mp = isolated
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11 :do-mp = doubled
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12 :dy-mp = decoy
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See ‘Notation’
for further details.
It is equally important to know how to play standard endgame positions
correctly. It is not sufficient for
instance to be left with a KI and a PA against a KI in such a position so that the PA can be promoted/enrobed. You must also know how to conduct the play so
as to avoid stalemate and this is a technique that can be learned. If it is not learned you risk missing a win
whenever you find yourself in such a position. Of considerable importance in
such endgames is an understanding of the meaning and the application of the
concept of the ‘opposition’. You should familiarize
yourself with such standard endgames as…….
Other endgames consist of a struggle between BS and PAs versus KT and PAs, where there are factors
favoring the KT such as with PAs on only one side of the board or :bl-PAs (blocked) on the colour of the hostile BS or factors favoring the BSs, such
as PAs on both sides of the board or :bl-PAs when the hostile PAs stand
on the colour of your own BS etc.
:EG generalizations - positional
superiority
The endgame is the phase which is reached after enough
MPs/mps have come off the board to let the KI take part in the fight without running the danger of
getting caught in a ++CM attack and is easiest to calculate in pure KI and mp
endgames. In most of these you will need
to be only one mp ahead to win because you will usually be able to produce a :pa-mp [passed] whom you can promote before your adversary gets a chance to do likewise. There are of course exceptions to this rule due to positional superiority.
mps on both wings
When there are mps on both wings the player who gets the KI to the central
cells of the board first
will have a decisive advantage. Unless your
opponent can stop you from invading h/er territory the KI is likely to get at
the hostile mps and win one or more of them.
Situations in which the distribution of the mps across the board is
uneven usually offer the most complex problems, win or loss depending upon a number of different factors which
the examples given below will help to clarify.
:EGs with MPs and mps
Only examples of basic types of endgames that occur
frequently enough to be of importance to the player are discussed here. In this category these are endgames in which
each player has only one MP or where two MPs fight against one MP or against a MP and one or more
mps.
RO and PAs
More games result in RO and mp endgames than any other type [:L01]. Also, quite
often pure mp endgames turn into endgames with QUs and one or more mps.
A type of situation which you must always keep in mind is when your opponent has a :pa-PA [passed] on R$07 whom you can keep from being promoted only by pinning the :pa-PA or by giving +PC [perpetual check].
Resigning ++RS
Beginners often fail to resign a game even after losing a MP or more and sometimes their optimism is justified by
their opponent’s ignorance of how to win a won game. In most
cases the correct strategy is self-evident.
It is obviously desirable to exchange as many MPs/mps as you can because the fewer MPs/mps
remaining on the board the greater will be your fighting power in comparison with that of your opponent. Forcing ++CM is naturally no problem for a player who has gained
a RO or more. But
if you are only a MP ahead and must therefore promote a mp to win you must of course be careful when it
comes to exchanging mps. The proper procedure depends upon the distribution of
the mps. When they are located on both wings it is usually simplest to give up one of them for
one of your adversary’s mps and remain with a distant :pa-mp [passed].
When all mps are on the same side of the board it is often necessary to
get two mps for the one mp as there are many situations in which the hostile KI can stop the :pa-mp and at the same time block the approach to h/er own mps.
Equal material
In endgames with equal material forces it is obvious that only a positional
superiority can bring victory. As is
pointed out above such superiority is usually secured by the player who first
gets h/er KI to one of the center
cells [B$A]. In many
cases you will then be able to invade your opponent’s territory, capture a mp and set up a :pa-mp before your opponent can do likewise.
Mobility
- the promoting cell :#$
Maintaining the greatest possible mobility for your MPs/mps is important in the endgame as in
the other phases of the game. When you have a RO and a :pa-PA the latters advance increases the ROs mobility. For
the same reason the defending player should attempt manoeuvering a RO in such a
way so as to attack the :pa-mp from behind. In the absence of the KIs the PA can then advance only if protected by the RO from
the front which would of course block the way to the promoting
cell.
BS and PAs
In
endgames in which both players have a BS and PAs you must try to place your mps if possible in cells of the colour which your BS does not control. Otherwise those cells become weak and may offer the opposing KI an opportunity for
invasion. In endgames with BSs
of opposite colour and no other MPs
this strategy is rarely feasible if the players have PAs on both
sides of the board. In this case the mps which are not within
reach of their KI can be attacked by the opposing BS and can be forced
to advance to cells of the colour of their own BS.
The passed
PA :pa-PA :pa-mp
When you have a :pa-PA, push this mp as far as is safe because your opponents KI or another MP will in that way be tied down to the task of preventing the mp from promoting/enrobing. This will
leave you free to employ superior force on the opposite wing.
Sacrifice
Always look out for the possibility of a sacrifice by means of which a PA which has advanced as far as R05 or R06 but which is blocked by an opposing mp may be freed to advance to the promoting cell. You will
meet examples of this type in pure PA endgames.
They occur frequently in endgames with MP and PA because trading a PA for a PA is naturally no real sacrifice if the
mp is a potential second queen - QU2.
Basic :EGs - how to proceed
Some
players do not appreciate the importance of learning ‘how to proceed’ during
the endgame. They do not realize how
much their playing strength would improve if they familiarized themselves with
the few basic endgames discussed in this section. Naturally these represent only a very small
part of the many different types of endgame situations which occur in actual play. But they
will give you enough information to gradually evolve a good understanding of
what to play for in games in which neither player is able to develop a decisive attack on the KI.
RO and mp
Players
who compete in competition must of course have a much more detailed knowledge of endgame tactics and must be especially well versed in the proper
handling of the different types of RO and mp endgames with which they are likely to be confronted
as they occur more frequently than any other endgames and often require very subtle
manoeuvering. This is true particularly in the cases of RO and BS or RO and KT versus RO or RO and PA against RO.
The endgame is the most important phase in chess and a knowledge of this part of the game is important.
In the opening and middle game you can recover from a mistake but in the final stages it will mean your
demise. Your strength in the endgame
when D$, F$ and R$ are all open will be greatly
enhanced. You will be able to brush
aside mps. The only real opposition will
come from the MPs. The QUs checkmating powers together with the fork should be brought into play.
:EG compositions
Chess problems have little or no value in increasing the strength of a chess player since they have their own
artificial conventions that make them quite different from that of the game itself. Endgame
studies are on the other hand of great use and interest to a player. They cast a bright light on the resources of the MPs/mps and a knowledge of endgame studies will increase the imaginative
powers of many a player. In addition many of these are interesting in
themselves. Some of these studies are
complex and difficult but some great composers have produced the simplest and these are amongst the
best ever composed.
Types of :EG
To
mention some of the most important types of endgame…….
MP :EGs
MP finales are endgames in which QUs, ROs, BSs, KTs etc, and mps take part. I will mention only those cases where neither
side has more than one PA left. If you
understand these then you will have a good idea of how to play in the more
complicated cases when there are several PAs left on the board.
Having one extra PA
Usually
you can win with one extra PA in endgames where each side has a PA. You will see, however that this is not so
frequently true for BS
of opposite colour endgames.
Here are the main things that you should try to do first…….
KT and PAs versus KT and PAs
The
traditional KT being a short-stepping MP takes a number of moves to cross the
board. In endgames with PAs on both
sides of the board you have to watch carefully for chances to sacrifice PAs or even a KT to push a PA through to promotion before an opposing KT can be brought to the scene of
the action. The KT is very effective
against :is-PAs. First of all
the KT may be able to win such PAs but there is another
less obvious reason which applies perhaps even more in the middle
game than in the
endgame. The KT has a strong post in the
cell immediately in front of an :is-PA, especially if the PA is near the center of the board. The :is-PA cannot advance and gets in
the way of the KI or other MPs/mps which might drive the KT back. You will not absorb points like this until
you have come across them in practice many times. Look out for them and you will gradually make
them part of your repertoire.
BS1 and BS2 can only move on cells of one colour hence we get the most important question in BS endgames
- what coloured cells are best for the PAs? Immature
players always give the wrong answer to this question. They want to keep their PAs on the same
coloured cells as BS1 or BS2 so that they can protect them. They also want to keep the PAs in cells
of opposite colour to the enemy
BS. There are two reasons why this is
wrong. Understanding the properties of ‘opposite
coloured BSs’ is a great
help in knowing when to exchange mps.
BS and PAs versus BS and PAs
PAs get in the way of a friendly BS. With BS and
PAs all in cells of one colour you have no control over cells of the opposite
colour and your opponent can stop you making any headway. There is a rule covering this - if it is safe to do so ie, without
early loss of PAs keep your PAs in opposite coloured cells to your own BS and
on the same coloured cells as the opposing BS.
Of course if both BSs operate on cells of the same colour the two parts
of this rule are contradictory. In that
case it is usually right to be guided by the first part of the rule and keep
your PAs in cells of opposite
colour to the BSs.
If you carry out this plan both BSs will have equal freedom to move among the
PAs and if the PAs advance both sides can control the cells to which they move.
While these two factors balance out you have some control over cells of both
colours denied to your opponent and your PAs are safe while your opponents PAs
may be subject to attack if placed in cells of the ‘same colour’ as the
BSs. This is particularly the case if
the PAs become locked when it is almost always better to be the player with the
PAs on ‘opposite coloured’ rather than on the ‘same coloured’ cells. When BSs
are of ‘opposite colour’ the inability to force an exchange of MPs and even more, the difficulty of controlling cells
of the colour of the opposing BS make the game hard to win. Other
factors being equal an advantage of one PA is rarely decisive and even a two PA
advantage may not result in victory. When the PAs
are separated you will have a greater winning chance.
BS and PAs versus KT and PAs
Other things being equal: is a KT or a BS the better MP in the endgame? You can only
find the answer to this difficult question by looking at the weak and strong points of these two MPs. You have already
seen that the BS is most effective along open diagonals unhampered by PAs.
The traditional KT is best on a crowded board where they can hop
about more easily than any other MP. In
the endgame therefore an ‘open board’ favors the BS while the KT is better when
the position is blocked by the mps.
The KT
The
advantage of KT1 or KT2 is increased if there are useful cells - around the center of the board - B$A or B$B - on which they can be posted with safety
from attack. Once more
you can see why it is wrong for the player with the BS to keep PAs in cells of
the same colour. If you do so you will
impede the movement of your BS and give the KT strong cells of the opposite colour from which to operate.
Advantages of the BS
On an open board the BSs advantage is increased if the players want to operate on both flanks. This is
especially true in unbalanced positions where there is an extra PA for :A on one side of the board and for :B on the other.
Now the BS can help the PAs to advance and at the same time defend
against the advance of the enemy PAs. The
short ranged KT cannot manage both tasks at once.
Summary
In
favor of the BS: open positions/unbalanced positions. In favor of the KT:
blocked positions or positions with strong central points for the KT. Overall
there is little to choose between these two MPs. Players of
the 19th century thought a KT better than a BS but modern players
have a slight preference on balance for the BS. For practical purposes they may
be considered as of equal value.
RO versus PAs
RO1 or RO2 can win against two :pa-PAs which have not advanced beyond R05 when the KIs are too distant to affect the play. RO1 against a mp protected by the KI is quite a common endgame. You get it when your opponent gives up a RO to stop your last PA from being promoted/enrobed. It is
usually a win. However
exact play is often necessary.
A study of such positions is beyond the scope of this section but you
will have to learn how to win them.
EGs in which both sides have a RO
Apart from the KI, RO1 and RO2 are the last MPs to come into active play and often remain for a long
time in safety on the back rank. For this
reason RO1 and RO2 often survive after all the other MPs have been exchanged. RO and mp endgames are the most frequent of all in actual
play. They are also very tricky and
provide innumerable difficulties and subtleties which have caused mature
players to go astray. It is only
possible here to examine a very few positions and to give general guidance on
the principles to be adopted when they are encountered.
Both sides having a RO
First consider two cases where there is only one PA on the board but each side has RO2. In attack you should advance the KI to the promoting cell
rather than press straight on with the PA.
In defense also try to get your KI to the enrobing cell. You use RO2
in two ways: try first of all to stop the advance of the enemy KI. Keep RO2 if you can on R03 to act as a barrier.
Once the enemy PA has got to the 6th rank you use a different plan. Move RO2
down to $R07 and $R08 and start checking the KI as this MP tries to advance.
General principles
It
would take a separate volume to go properly into the problems of endgames where
each side has RO1 or RO2 and a number of PAs. All I can do here is to set out
certain general principles that usually apply…….
This is because you
use the extra PA to establish a :pa-PA [passed] and then
the defending KI and RO1 or RO2 are needed to stop promotion. If there are PAs on the other side of the
board your KI will then be free to move in and attack them. However if all the PAs are on the same side
of the board the defending KI may be able to prevent this penetration while
still keeping the :pa-PA under control.
So if you are a PA down try to exchange off all the mps
on the other side of the board.
:EG theory
There
are many endgames that have not been discussed at all such as those with QU1 and PAs or with ROs and PAs. Remember
that the endgame is both interesting and very important and to play as hard in
the endgame as you do in the rest of the game. You will
obtain more wins if you do. Mastery of the endgame is the hallmark of every mature chess
player.
The KI in the :EG
The cordon is drawn tighter and the KI is forced to the edge or the corner of the board [B$D, where ++CM occurs. :A tries to drive the defending B-KI to the edge
of the board by bringing up
A-KI so that he helps with a ++CM attack. Instead or
as well you may try to corral KT1 or KT2 if the defender has such a MP. :B in turn resists being driven and uses his/her MPs to
exclude, harass or restrict A-KI. When
:B has two MPs s/he then sets up a barrier excluding A-KI. If :B has RO2 or QU1 you harass A-KI
preventing the KIs approach. When :B has
only one MP you restrict the enemy KI and prevent this MP standing opposite
B-KI after which this MP might be driven back or be checkmated by A-RO2.
PA :EGs
If
you are a mp up it is generally easier to win without MPs than with them and
you will therefore seek exchanges. If you are a
PA down your opponent may force the MPs off. In either case you want to know your chances
in a PA endgame.
This sidebar shows
what happens when there are three or fewer PAs on the board…….
A-KI tries to control certain advanced cells so that the
KI can move up his PAs or so that the KI can attack an enemy PA. The KIs weapons are…….
These terms are
explained elsewhere in the dictionary but they may also be used by :B. In effect the KIs are trying to outwit one another.
The decoy [:dy-mp] is the most prevalent of all endgame themes. It is
not so much a question of two KIs locked in mortal combat - instead the :pa-PA [passed] lures the defending KI away from the main
battle-front. Some mps have one
manoeuvre of occasional importance - their first move option [FMO] of advancing one [AOM] or two cells.
KI and PAs versus KI
Excepting their double leap [FMO, paso-doble] a PA moves one cell at a time, the same as the KI. This leads us
to a principle: ‘the square of the PA’.
To have a chance of stopping a PA the defending KI must get within an
area of the board described as the ‘square of the PA’. A square may be
projected on either side of a PA on any file and as the PA advances so the square contracts. The square for an unmoved PA is the same as
if the PA were on R03.
Adjudications
Many players who read this section will have less experience with endgames
than with other aspects of chess strategy and tactics. Due to time
limits games are broken off before they reach their conclusion
and many of these games go to adjudication just when the finale is under way,
sometimes even in stodged up middle games with interlocked mp chains. To this we must add the
fact that some players simply do not like the endgame and prefer to divide
their time studying opening variations and traps. Adjudications are a fact of life and so are player’s personal
preferences and dislikes. If you find
your game is heading towards the endgame of QU1 and PA against QU1 it is odds-on that you will not actually have to win it. In most cases, the position will go for
adjudication and the adjudicator will consult a standard reference book to make his/her decision/judgement.
:EG knowledge
The basic argument of this sidebar is that the amount of routine endgame
material you need to learn is limited.
To know all the niceties of when RO1 and PA against RO2 is a win and when it is draw is of little practical value. By the time you reach such a position you
will either have forgotten the analysis or else there will be time to look it up during an adjournment. The types of
endgames which will repay practical study are those which you can aim for right
from the opening. This applies
to many BS versus KT situations rather than those which essentially occur
as the result of chance features in the position as in most QU endgames or PA endgames and some RO endgames.
:EGs
The
theory is that BS1/BS2 versus KT1/KT2 endgames with or without RO1/RO2 on the
board offer very good practical winning chances to the player with BS1/BS2 when
the PA chain is flexible and the board is open while KT1/KT2 has excellent
prospects of scoring when there are fixed and rigid PA fronts. In the BS versus KT situation some players
opt for the active BS while others will aim for the restrained type where the
BS is blocked by a PA wall and the KT can exercise its innate freedom to
manoeuvre. It is quite possible to aim
for either type of endgame according to the position but in practice many
players will have a preference for the KT or BS. The endgame techniques should be at your fingertips even if you cannot play them quite well enough just
yet.
:EG examples
The
emphasis in this section is on the endgame in relationship to earlier stages of
the game. Another aspect of endgame
skill is simply to be alert for accidental tactical opportunities which occur especially in mp
promotion situations. Such tactical chances can be easily
overlooked.
Using your KI
A fundamental principle of endgame play is to use your KI actively. In the
endgame the KI is rarely in danger from your opponent’s few remaining mps and can usually be employed
aggressively to attack the enemy mps.
Inexperienced players often keep their KI on a rear
cell in the endgame. Their fear is a snap ++CM but it is usually unjustified. In fact the failure
to combine the KI with other MPs and/or mps in the endgame is one of the basic weaknesses of many endgames.
KI shepherds home a :pa-PA
That
the :pa-PA must be pushed is a well-worn but slightly
misleading tale of endgame lore. The
successful advance of a :pa-PA [passed] normally requires support and the KI
makes an ideal assistant. He can operate
aggressively against a solitary enemy defender and is specially effective when
RO1, KT1 or BS1 is the defending MP trying to blockade a PA seeking high honours. Then the KIs ability to attack RO1 or KT1 from a diagonal or BS1 via a rank can force the blockader to retreat and set the
:pa-PA free to advance to the enrobing cell.
KI versus KI
The basic idea is to march your KI up the board as far as R06 so as to join in a ++CM attack against an opposing KI stranded on the top rank. Sometimes a KI advance while the enemy KI is
stranded at the edge [B$D] can win material. Often this
is combined with ++CM threats. At other
times the KI defends against :pa-PAs [passed] by counter-attack or by using a blockade.
When to exchange
Cashing in on a material
advantage and knowing the right time to exchange MPs/mps are
key factors in successful winning endgame play.
In many endgames where you are a mp up the basic approach is to keep your opponent under pressure while seizing chances gradually to
reduce the MPs/mps on the board. Every simplification without disadvantage to
your own position means that the relative value of your own material superiority is greater. Mature players are accurate in these
situations. The chief error is to exchange prematurely – to go into an even simpler endgame
without first strengthening your position. Such mistakes are caused by instinctive and natural caution. The three aspects of exchanging are…….
:EG
The endgame is the final stage of play with few remaining MPs/mps. The KI can become an important MP in this phase of the game. It is the
part of the game that is often neglected by the chess player as it is considered not to be as interesting
as the opening or middle game. The
difference in chess players strength becomes obvious in this phase of the game. Endgame
technique should come to the fore. There
is as much enjoyment to be had from the endgame but many players throw a resignation or a ++CM away by a sloppy performance. The ability to win a won game is an essential attribute for a chess
player. Sometimes a game reaches a simplified position where only a few MPs and
mps remain on the board.
:EG attributes
Often
a surprising amount of play is possible from a sterile position. It is also possible to win drawn endgames and for this you need technique,
determination, patience and stamina which are important qualities for the aspiring
endgame player. Tactical cut and thrust can also arise in the endgame. As the forces are fewer the complications
tend to be finely balanced, requiring accurate calculation as a mistake can be terminal.
Not all endgames are concerned with routine evaluation of material or positional advantage. If calculation was all that
was required chess computers would be strong in this part of the game. The reverse is in fact the case indicating
that sound positional judgment [something computers find very hard to do well]
is required. It is not possible to
calculate everything and you must learn to assess the likely outcome
correctly. Adoption of the correct strategic
plan is an important part of the approach to endgame
play. Sacrificial play may be involved. The sacrifices are not normally as extravagant
as in the middle game but in relation to the material on the board they are proportionally often much greater. The risk factor is higher as the margin for
error is significantly smaller than in the middle game.
Summary: a few
practical hints should help to improve your :EG play…….
Promotion of mps
The push of a :pa-mp through to QU2 is a theme at the heart of many chess
endgames and it illustrates how one of the key features of successful play is
surprise.
Surprise in the opening means a prepared repertoire variation taking your opponent out of the known theory and
gaining a permanent initiative or positional advantage as the reward for your pre-game homework.
Surprise in the middle
game means tactical play and combinative
attack which demonstrates that your opponents KI was less well defended than s/he thought.
The most important surprise situation in the endgame
occurs in the final stages of pushing through a
mp to QU2 against a
stubborn defense. There are
many situations where a single :fa-mp [far-advanced] or a 3 to 2 or, 4 to 3 mp majority on either flank has just enough time to become decisive before your opponents
defensive forces can blockade or surround your position. A mp ahead which in the :&O or :MG may be a marginal or dubious plus spells in the
endgame the difference between a win or a draw or loss. During
routine technical endgames promotion is the last stage of the mopping up process. When
your KI has successfully invaded the enemy position and can
shepherd a mp through to promotion backed by an active against a passive
RO1 or RO2 then the win is not difficult. A player with a sense for QU
combinations can often set them up many moves beforehand. Examples of promotion occur in the pure
mp endgames. Sacrificing one or more mps to create a :pa-mp [passed] of your own with a free run home is the
object to aim for.
The opposition
:vo-KI :ho-KI :do-KI
The opposition is a standard winning idea in mp endgames. When two KIs face each other with a single
empty cell intervening, whoever has the move must retreat or step aside. The opponent is said to have the opposition and this factor of
forcing your opponent to concede space is a key idea in KI and mp
endgames. Zugzwang - roughly translatable as ‘movebound’ occurs when a
player has only losing moves available and the opposition is simply a special
form of zugzwang.
Winning and drawing principles
‘I lost, but the game was drawn’ and ‘the game was won, but I drew’ are two sayings
used after many games. The knowledge of
a few basic winning and drawing techniques does much to help avoid needlessly
loosing.
++ST
traps
Many examples of endgame play contain a clear moral - do not resign too quickly.
This is not to advocate playing on with a large amount of material down right up until ++CM but rather that before resigning it is worthwhile
having a good look at the position just to see that there is not a surprising
resource. This is in order if your KI has only a very few moves available and especially if he is already in a stalemate position.
Three other techniques concerning mps in endgames are…….
01 Triangulation 02 Feint 03 Zugzwang
.......are among
the most important situations for conducting an endgame well. KT and mp versus KT
is usually a draw as the KT can
either be sacrificed for the mp or blockade the mp.
BS endgames can be
divided into two main groups, A-BS1 versus B-BS1 [same colour]
and A-BS1 versus B-BS2 [opposite colour].
When
BSs are of the same colour a lead of two mps is a win for
almost all practical purposes. Whether a
win is possible with a single mp usually depends on whether the weaker sides KI
can establish a blockade.
When the defending KI is in front of the mp and cannot be driven away the
game is drawn.
With A-BS1 versus B-BS2 [opposite colour] the mp blockade is the
defensive manoeuvre in endgames with BSs of opposite colour. If the weaker side can blockade the mps it
is generally a draw otherwise the player with the material advantage has a
chance to win. The usual endgame of BS1 and two disconnected :pa-mps [passed] versus BS2 [opposite
colour] is a win if the mps are separated by two or more empty files but it all depends on the position
of BS1 and mps.
Summary
Completed moves
There is one thing that never returns to chess - the moves that have been made.
Naturally there are cases where a move seen to be unfavorable can be
remedied by the next move without visible damage but such cases are not
frequent and in the endgame occur very seldom.
More than any other phase of the game the endgame demands of the players
the greatest accuracy. There is no such
thing as chance and what seems to be blind chance in fact arises
from the deepest causes. Books tell us that in the endgame the KI is a strong MP. However such
empirical statements should be interpreted with a grain of salt and must be
viewed in a proper critical light.
Fortune is blind and distributes opportunities indiscriminately. One person sees them and another does not. Even a weak position has hidden
possibilities and the apparently strong combination has its weaknesses. What you
miss in the present board position eternity will not offer you again.
Endgame Attributes
Endgame play. An endgame has one or more of the following
attributes…….
Advice
Other factors include……
The endgame is the last part of a chess game when most of the MPs and mps
have been traded off. It is the phase
when there are few MPs/mps remaining on the board. The PAs may be moved forward in the hope of
being promoted to a MP ie, QU2, BS3, KT3, RO3 etc.
Certain :EG positions must be known
01 KI and QU versus KI…….
The commonest endgame on :L01 is KI and QU against a lone KI. This almost always arises through one player promoting the last PA to QU2. The ++CM with KI and QU is easy. The two MPs co-operate to drive the KI into B$D and then ++CM is easily effected. The rule for driving the KI to the edge is: at each step move whichever MP is doing least,
that is, whichever is helping least to confine the enemy KI. This rule applies even more to the next three
endgames discussed. Once the KI is on the edge great care must be taken not to give stalemate which concedes your opponent a draw on :L01. This
risk is eliminated by moving QU2 onto R07 as soon as the lone KI is thus confined until the other
KI can move into position for QU2 to ++CM.
Stalemate occurs when QU and KI are both on R06 with the lone KI on the
edge of the board [B$D].
06 KI and PA versus
KI…….
KI
and PA against KI is the most important endgame on :L01 of Chesmayne. From it
usually arises the endgame KI and QU2 versus KI already dealt with above. It is important to know whether you can promote a PA to QU2. If you cannot the endgame is a
draw. To promote a PA usually needs the
KIs help but sometimes a PA may race through unaided. To tell if a PA can #QU2 unaided count the
moves needed to be promoted. Then see if
the opposing KI can reach the promoting cell in that number of moves. When each side can force a PA through to
#QU2, see which will be first simply by counting up the number of moves each
one needs for the purpose. If the PA
cannot #QU2 unaided try to avoid moving the PA at all until you have advanced
your KI as far as you can in front of the PA. Your aim should be to take the ‘opposition’ with your KI in front of your PA. To take the ‘opposition’ means to place your
KI on the same file as the enemy KI with one cell separating them. The enemy KI is then forced to move sideways
or backwards allowing your KI to move forwards and make the way safe for the PA. Always follow the rule: advance your KI as
far as you safely can before moving your PA.
Links…….
Endings
(general)
Study’s
& Problems
Rook
Endings
Essential
checkmate patterns
General
advice on the endgame
Endspiele
Castling
Winning
Drawn Endgames
Bishop
vs pawns, bishop vs bishop, bishop vs knight
Bishop
Endings Compensation
for material?
Exchanging
into King endings
Exchanging
into King endings
Double
Bishop Endgames
![When BSs are of the same colour a lead of two mps is a win for almost all practical purposes. Whether a win is possible with a single mp usually depends on whether the weaker sides KI can establish a blockade. When the defending KI is in front of the mp and cannot be driven away the game is drawn. With A-BS1 versus B-BS2 [opposite colour] the mp blockade is the defensive manoeuvre in endgames with BSs of opposite colour. If the weaker side can blockade the mps it is generally a draw otherwise the player with the material advantage has a chance to win. The usual endgame of BS1 and two disconnected :pa-mps [passed] versus BS2 [opposite colour] is a win if the mps are separated by two or more empty files but it all depends on the position of BS1 and mps.](Chesmayne-Feb-2006/Pics-03/eg-shoes-flowr.JPG){kind=link}
![13 Remember: the :pa-PA [passed] is the soul of the endgame. A :pa-PA advanced to R06 or R07 is often worth a MP.](Chesmayne-Feb-2006/Pics-03/eg-f-work-09.JPG){kind=link}
