Chess endgame guides

The endgames every player should know, with the position, the goal and the idea. Practise each one against the computer in the free ChessPeak app.

Checkmate Technique

• King & Queen vs King
  Box the king to the edge with your queen, then bring your king up to deliver mate.
• King & Rook vs King
  Cut the king off with your rook a knight’s-move away, then walk your king in to mate on the edge.
• King & Two Rooks vs King
  The "ladder mate" - march the rooks up rank by rank to drive the king to the edge and mate.
• King & Two Bishops vs King
  Two bishops on side-by-side diagonals form a wall - push the king to a corner with the wall and your king, then mate on the corner.
• King, Bishop & Knight vs King
  The hardest basic mate. Mate is only possible in a corner of your bishop's color, so drive the king there. Take your time.
• Queen vs Pawn on the Seventh
  Use checks to drag the enemy king in front of its pawn, bring your own king closer, then finish with checkmate.
• Queen vs Rook
  Look for forks and skewers to win the rook, then checkmate with queen and king.
• Rook vs Pawn on the Seventh
  Bring your king to help, win the dangerous pawn, then finish the game with rook and king.
• Queen vs Rook Pawn: Stalemate Trick
  A rook pawn on the seventh and a far-away enemy king give you a trick: force stalemate and save the game.

Pawn Endgames

• King & Pawn vs King (center)
  The defending king is too far away to catch your pawn - escort it to the queening square.
• King & Pawn vs King (rook pawn)
  Edge pawns promote just as well as center ones when the defending king is out of reach.
• Key Squares
  Your king stands two squares in front of the pawn - a key square. Keep in front of the pawn and the win is guaranteed.
• Win the Opposition
  Black has to give way. Keep your king directly facing theirs with one square between (the opposition), push the pawn when it is safe, and escort it home.
• The Square of the Pawn
  The enemy king is outside the pawn’s square, so it can never catch up. Just run the pawn.
• Catch the Pawn
  You are inside the pawn’s square. Step toward it every move and win it to hold the draw.
• Rook Pawn Corner Draw
  A rook pawn cannot win if the defending king reaches the corner. Stay on h8 and g8 - the attacker can only stalemate you.
• Pawn Breakthrough
  Three pawns against three. One pawn sacrifice opens a path - find the move that cannot be stopped and queen a pawn.
• The Wrong-Colored Bishop
  White has a bishop and a rook pawn, but the bishop does not match the queening corner. Stay in the corner (a8 and b8) and White cannot win.
• Hold the Draw: Step Back
  Only one move keeps the draw here. Think about which square lets your king face theirs, directly in front of the pawn.
• Hold the Draw: Face the King
  Both kings are close to the pawn and only one of your moves holds the draw. Keep your king in front of the pawn and win it if they slip.
• Hold the Draw: Side Step
  Again exactly one move saves the game. Find the square from which your king still stops the pawn.

Rook Endgames

• Lucena Position
  The classic winning technique - build a "bridge" with your rook on the fourth rank to shield your king from checks and escort the pawn home.
• Philidor Position
  The classic drawing technique - hold your rook on the third rank to block the enemy king, then check from behind once the pawn advances.
• Rook vs Bishop: Hold the Draw
  A rook is not enough to beat a bishop if you keep your king and bishop close together. Do not let them be forked or skewered.
• Rook vs Knight: Hold the Draw
  Keep the knight next to your king so the rook cannot attack it, and the game stays drawn.