Ponderchess / Explore the game
Endgames
The positions every player must know, from the basic mates to the Lucena and Philidor. Each one is played against the Lichess seven-piece tablebase, which defends perfectly and tells you the moment a win slips away.
Basic mates
White to win
King and queen against king
The first mate every player should know. Shrink the king's box with the queen, then bring your own king up to finish.
White to win
King and rook against king
A rook can mate a lone king, but only with the help of its own king. The technique takes longer but follows a clear pattern.
White to win
Checkmate with two bishops
Two bishops side by side make a wall the lone king cannot cross. Use the wall to push the king into a corner, bring your own king up, and mate.
White to win
Checkmate with bishop and knight
The hardest of the basic mates. Mate can only be forced in a corner the bishop controls, so the lone king must be driven out of the wrong corner and along the edge.
Pawn endings
White to win
King and pawn against king: the opposition
Whether a single pawn wins or draws often depends on one idea: the opposition. Get your king in front of the pawn and take the opposition.
White to draw
The square of the pawn
Can the king catch a passed pawn? Draw the square from the pawn to the promotion rank. If the king can step into it, the pawn is caught.
White to win
Key squares in king and pawn endings
Every pawn has key squares. If the attacking king reaches one of them, the pawn promotes by force, so king and pawn endings are often a race for these squares.
Black to draw
The rook's pawn draw: head for the corner
King and rook's pawn against king is often a draw. If the defending king reaches the corner in front of the pawn, nothing can drive it out.
Black to draw
The wrong-coloured bishop
A bishop and a rook's pawn do not always win. If the bishop cannot control the promotion square and the defending king reaches the corner, the game is a draw.
White to win
The outside passed pawn
A passed pawn far away from the other pawns is a powerful weapon. It drags the enemy king away, and your king collects the pawns left behind.
White to win
The protected passed pawn
A passed pawn defended by another pawn cannot be won by the enemy king. It ties the king down while your own king goes to work elsewhere.
White to draw
The Réti manoeuvre: one king, two goals
In Réti's famous study a king that looks hopelessly far away draws. Walking down the diagonal, it chases the enemy pawn and supports its own pawn at the same time.
Rook endings
White to win
The Lucena position: building a bridge
The most important winning position in rook endgames. Shelter your king from checks by building a bridge with your rook.
Black to draw
The Philidor position: the third-rank defence
The key drawing method in rook endgames. Keep your rook on the third rank until the pawn advances, then check from behind.
Black to draw
The Vancura position: rook and rook's pawn against rook
Rook and a-pawn against rook is often a draw. Attack the pawn from the side, keep your king on g7 or h7, and check the white king away whenever it comes to protect the pawn.
White to win
Rook against pawn: cutting off the king
A rook usually beats a lone pawn, but not always. When your own king is far away, cut the defending king off from its pawn, and the rook wins the pawn on its own.
White to win
Rook behind the passed pawn
Rooks belong behind passed pawns. With White's rook behind the a-pawn and Black's rook stuck in front of it, the white king is free to walk over and decide the game. Swap the rooks and the same pawns only draw.
Black to draw
The short-side defence in rook endings
When your king is pushed off the pawn's file, send it to the short side and keep your rook on the long side, where it has room to check the enemy king from a distance.
White to win
The Saavedra position: promoting to a rook
The most famous endgame study. The pawn runs, the black rook chases the king with checks, and the winning move is a promotion to a rook, because a new queen would allow stalemate.
Minor pieces
Queen endings
White to win
Queen against pawn on the seventh: the winning method
A queen beats a centre or knight's pawn on the seventh rank even when its own king is far away. Check until the defending king blocks its pawn, then use the free move to bring your king closer.
Black to draw
Queen against pawn on the seventh: the bishop's and rook's pawn draw
Against a bishop's or rook's pawn on the seventh, the defending king runs to the corner instead of blocking the pawn. Taking the pawn then gives stalemate, so the queen never gains the time it needs.
White to win
Queen against rook: the Philidor position
The queen beats a lone rook, but the defender keeps the rook beside its king. In the Philidor position, lose a tempo with the queen and the rook has to leave its king and be won.