A Guide to Endgames
I've noticed a sad lack of high quality blogs in the Endgame Department and I would like to rectify that.
Hello, if you would, please take a look at the Lichess Endgame Blogs section. I'm sure that you will find one or two very helpful ones, but unfortunately, the vast majority seem to be rubbish. Being tired of blogs that talk without teaching, I have resolved to write a short work on the subject of endgames. I am aware of the impossibility of covering the full extent of endgames in a single blog, but my hope is to send you on your way with some practical knowledge that will give you (more) confidence in this fascinating game phase.
What I will not be covering
This blog will not cover many of the basic concepts such as opposition, or the famous Lucena or Philidor positions. There are multiple sources for these endgames, so I'm not going over them.
Let's get started
A pawn equality, or is it minority?
In this position material is even, but is it drawn? Without consulting the engine try to decide if it is drawn right now. What did you decide?
Answer: white is winning.
Why? It actually involves sacrificing two of the pawns to blast the last one through.
The reason it works is because all of white's pawns are advanced and close to promotion.
Does mass sacrifice still win?
What do you think the eval of this position is from white's perspective? Winning-drawn-lost?
Answer: drawn
Why? Why doesn't saccing all the pawns work this time?
White's threat of quick promotion is gone, black can ignore the threat as their own threat is much stronger.
Wait! Didn't I say that it was drawn? I did. This will show ya how it's done!
Next, knight v pawn+king
Observe the position, is it drawn or won for black?
Answer: drawn.
I actually love this position because in my opinion it shows the beautiful symmetry and geometry of chess.
Observe:
You have noticed I'm sure that a knight can move in a square on the same 4 squares for as long as it wants.
Really, that's all this is, but with a pesky king to avoid.
Queen vs 2 minor pieces:
Generally, a queen will win against two minor pieces.
There is one interesting exception that I want to show you.
Believe it or not, this is a draw, and what's more: a fortress. Black simply cannot invade or tear this piece configuration apart. But they will likely try...
As you can see no progress has been made. The key point for white here is to keep shuffling their king between a2 and b1. If the king cannot move, then shuffle the bishop between a1 and b2. Please note that the coordinates are only valid for this corner. Try it yourself by setting up the analysis board with either color in different corners.
The King is an offensive unit!
Now, in a king and pawn endgame the king is obviously a strong player. What about when there are other pieces on the board? What if there are still queens?
Passed pawns!
And how to push them!
There are several methods for creating a passed pawn. But they all come down to removing the pawns that stand in their way. You can capture them, or push a pawn majority and trade them off; leaving you with just enough wood to win (or draw). Here we see a pawn majority creating a passed pawn.
There is a concept which I understood, but didn't have a name for. In one of my sources I found the word for it... *drumroll please*
"The Deep Freeze" Let's look at an example
There is a lot more to cover about pawns, but, as I said, it would be impossible to cover everything in one blog.
I've gone over a mere handful of endgames here and I feel that it really isn't enough for a blog. But I'm going to post this anyway! Tell me what you think in the comments and if you're going to remember only one endgame from this I would recommend the first.
some of the sources:
//lichess.org/study/j9hobZ8Q
//lichess.org/study/JBhYyUnD
me