Elementary Endgames in Chess

Some chess endgames are known to be won or drawn. Here are the simplest.

This page covers two types of elementary endgames:-

elementary checkmates and

elementary King and Pawn vs. King.

The elementary checkmates are Pawnless endgames where the strong side has just enough
material to force checkmate. As long as there are no immediate captures, it does not matter
where the pieces start. The strong side can always deliver mate by following a simple plan.

King and Queen vs. King

This is always an easy win. The King and Queen work together to force the lone King to the
side of the board, then give checkmate. In the diagrammed position, White on the move can
checkmate with Qa8+ or Qg8+. If Black is on the move, White checkmates with 1...Kc8
2.Qa8+ or 1...Ke8 2.Qg8+.
King and Rook vs. King

This is also an easy win. The King and Rook force the opposing King to the side of the
board. In the diagrammed position, White mates with Rh8. If Black is on the move, White
mates with 1...Kc8 2.Rb5 Kd8 3.Rb8+ or 1...Ke8 2.Rf5 Kd8 3.Rf8+.

King and two Bishops vs. King

Although slightly more difficult than the preceding mates, this is also an easy win. The King
and Bishops first force the opponent's King to the side of the board, then into the corner,
where mate follows. In the diagrammed position, White plays 1.Be3+ Kh7 2.Bf5+ Kh8
3.Bd4 mate. The action of the two Bishops on adjacent diagonals creates a barrier which the
opposing King cannot cross.

King, Bishop, and Knight vs. King

Strictly speaking, this is not an elementary mate, because it is considerably more difficult to
execute than the preceding mates. The main difficulty is that the worst case positions bump
into the 50 move rule.

The winning plan is threefold. First, the King, Bishop, and Knight force the lone King to the
side of the board. Then, the stronger side forces the King into the corner -- the best defense
is for the King to flee to a corner that the Bishop can't attack. Finally, the pieces force the
King into a corner that the Bishop can attack.

In the diagrammed position, the White Bishop travels on the white squares, so the Black
King has been forced into a white-squared corner. White mates with 1.Kc7 Ka8 2.Bb7+ Ka7
3.Nc6+ (or 3.Nc8+).

In all of the above elementary mates, the strong side must be careful not to stalemate the
lone King. In the last example, 2.Nc6 would have been a blunder because it stalemates
Black.
Insufficient mating material
As we saw in the page on draws, King and Knight -or- King and Bishop cannot checkmate a
lone King.

The situation with King and two Knights is more complicated. There are certain positions
where the King and Knights checkmate the lone King, but to reach these positions the
strong side must allow an intermediate position where the lone King is stalemated. This
means that the strong side can force a win only if the weak side has a Pawn, where
stalemate is no longer a possibility.

The Pawn's Square

The question often arises whether a King can catch a Pawn which is racing to promotion.
There is a simple trick, known as the 'The Rule of the Square', to answer this question
without calculating any variations.

The pawn's square is visualized by first drawing a diagonal line from the Pawn to the Pawn's
promotion rank. The diagonal creates an imaginary square, half of which is shown in the
diagram. If the opposing King is in this square, the King can catch the Pawn. If the King is
not in the square, the chase is hopeless.

Can the Black King catch the White Pawn in the diagram? It depends on who is to move. If
Black is to move, 1...Kg4 puts the King into the square and Black will catch the Pawn. The
King's other legal moves would be a serious mistake. If White is to move, 1.c5 creates a
new diagonal, where the corner of the square is on f5. Since the Black King cannot enter the
square, the Pawn will Queen and the game will become an elementary endgame of King and
Queen vs. King.
King and Pawn vs. King
The last elementary endgame is King and Pawn vs. King where the Pawn is supported by its
King and is about to promote. The lone King guards the promotion square, making a last-
ditch attempt to stop the Pawn.

In the diagrammed position, the result of the game depends on who is to move. White to
move has no better than 1.e7+ Ke8 2.Ke6, where Black is stalemated. Black to move has
no better than 1...Ke8 2.e7 Kf7 3.Kd7, where the Pawn will promote and the game will end
with an elementary mate.
Elementary endgames (Part 2)
Pieces in combat -- no Pawns.

The first article on elementary endgames covered basic checkmates and simple examples of
King and Pawn vs. King. This article covers the simplest endgames without Pawns. These
positions are important for two reasons.

They provide practical examples of the relative value of the pieces, and
while they may not appear in many games, they are often important when
evaluating more complex endgames.

The positions on this page are all taken from Reuben Fine's Basic Chess Endings (BCE) and
are numbered accordingly. The same ideas can be found in any competent introduction to
the endgame.

Rook vs. Bishop

This endgame is generally drawn. The weak side's King heads for a good corner, where it
cannot be dislodged by the strong side.

[Note: The terms strong side and weak side refer to the total relative value of the pieces on
the board. In this example, the side with the Rook is the strong side.]

What is a good corner? This is one of the two corner squares opposite to the color on which
the Bishop moves. Here are contrasting examples.

BCE #460
Note that the Black King is in a corner with a black square, but the Black Bishop travels on
the white squares. The Black King is in a good corner and White has no better than a
stalemate.

1.Ra8+ Bg8 2.Rb8 1/2-1/2

If, to avoid the stalemate, the Rook leaves the back rank, so can the Bishop. White can
make no progress.

BCE #462

In this diagram, the Black King is in a corner with a white square, while the Black Bishop
also travels on the white squares. Watch what happens.

1...Kb8 2.Kb6 Bg4 3.Rg7 Be6 4.Re7 Bg4 5.Re8+ Bc8

White has forced the Black Bishop to the side of the board.

6.Rh8 Ka8 7.Rxc8 mate

When the Rook loses a tempo with 6.Rh8, Black is not stalemated. The King is forced to
move, allowing checkmate.

This is not the only elementary endgame where the relationship between the color on which
the Bishop travels and the color of a corner square matters. The outcome of an endgame
frequently depends on this relationship. This is particularly true when the strong side has a
passed Pawn on the a- or h-file.
Rook vs. Knight
Like Rook vs. Bishop, this is generally drawn. The weak side's King, accompanied by its
Knight, seeks shelter on the side of the board.

BCE #496

When the other King approaches, threatening a back-rank checkmate, the Knight drives it
off the dangerous square.

1...Nd8+ 2.Kd6 Nb7+ 3.Kd5 Nd8 1/2-1/2

The weak side must be careful that its King is not driven into the corner. The corner is
always a dangerous place for a Knight, because its mobility is severely restricted.
BCE #497

In this example, White mates or wins the Knight with 1.Kb6 Kb8 2.Rb2 Nc8+ 3.Kc6+ Ka8
4.Kc7.

Rook and Bishop vs. Rook

Like the previous examples, this is generally drawn. Unlike the previous examples, it is a
difficult endgame to hold as there are numerous pitfalls along the way.

Many a strong player has succumbed before reaching the sanctuary of the 50 move rule.
Strong players, who usually abandon Rook vs. minor piece as drawn, will play this one out,
even against another strong player.
BCE #523

The diagram shows Philidor's Position, named after the strongest player of the 18th century.
White can force a win.

Note that the White Bishop controls the Black King's first two escape squares (b7 and f7)
not covered by the White King. Less obviously, it also controls b3 and f3. White starts by
taking control of the 7th-rank.

1.Rf8+ Re8 2.Rf7 Re2 3.Rg7 Re1 4.Rb7 Rc1 5.Bb3

The Bishop prevents Rd1+, forcing the enemy Rook to the 3rd-rank.

5...Rc3 6.Be6 Rd3+ 7.Bd5 Rc3 8.Rd7+ Kc8

If 8...Ke8 9.Rg7, and mate can only be prevented by 9...Rf3, where the Rook is captured by
the Bishop. This is why the Rook was forced to this rank.

9.Rf7 Kb8 10.Rb7+ Kc8 11.Rb4 Kd8

White can prolong the struggle by sacrificing the exchange, 11...Rd3 12.Ra4 Rxd5+, but
this reduces to an elementary checkmate.

12.Bc4 Kc8 13.Be6+ and mates.

In the diagram, the Kings are on a center file. Philidor's Position is also a win for White with
the Kings on a Bishop's file (c-/f-file) or a Rook's file (a-/h-file), but is a draw on a Knight's
file (b-/g-file).
Rook and Knight vs. Rook
Once again, this is a draw. It is easier to defend than Rook and Bishop vs. Rook. The weak
side must keep its King away from the corner. If its King is on the side, it must keep its
Rook from being confined to the same side.

BCE #533

This diagram shows why a cornered King is in danger.

1.Kg6 Kg8 2.Nc7

The Knight heads immediately for f6. BCE gives 2.Rb6 Re8 3.Rc6 Ra8 4.Ng5 Kf8 5.Re6 Rb8
6.Nh7+ Kg8 7.Re7 Rb6+ 8.Nf6+, but the text is faster.

2...Rd8 (2...Rc8 3.Nd5 is similar) 3.Nd5 Kh8 (3...Rd6+ 4.Nf6+) 4.Rh7+ Kg8 5.Nf6+ Kf8
6.Rf7 mate

An economical mate!

Queen vs. Rook

Unlike the previous examples, this is generally won for the strong side. The Queen (and
King) are powerful enough to force the Rook (and King)

first to the side of the board,

then into a corner, and
finally into a position like the following.
BCE #596, Black to move.

Black is in zugzwang. The Rook is forced to move away from its King, where it is soon lost
by a fork. The toughest defense is 1...Rh7 2.Qa5+ Kb8 3.Qb4+ Ka7 4.Qa3+ Kb8 5.Qb3+
Ka7 6.Qa2+ Kb8 7.Qg8+ 1-0.

You should work out Black's other first moves for yourself. It makes excellent tactical
practice.
Elementary endgames (Part 3)
Major piece without Pawns vs. Pawn without pieces.

Endgames of major piece vs. a single Pawn are relatively straightforward. If the strong side
can capture the Pawn without sacrificing the piece, the remaining material is sufficient to
force mate. Otherwise, the game is a draw. There are a few unusual positions where the
weak side even wins.

Queen vs. Pawn

These endings occur frequently. The usual scenario is that both sides have a single passed
Pawn racing to promote to a Queen. One side promotes a few moves before the other,
leaving Queen vs. Pawn.

If the Pawn is not on the seventh rank, the game is always won for the strong side. If the
Pawn is on the seventh rank, the game is won if the Pawn is not on a Bishop file (c/f-files)
or a Rook file (a/h).

For Pawns on a Knight (b/g) or center (d/e) files, the Queen needs the support of its King to
capture the Pawn. The winning procedure is shown in the following diagram.

BCE 544

First the Queen approaches the Pawn with a zigzag checking maneuver.

1.Qf7+ Kg2 2.Qe6 Kf2 3.Qf5+ Kg2 4.Qe4+ Kf2 5.Qf4+ Kg2 6.Qe3 Kf1 7.Qf3+
The position after 7.Qf3+ is shown in the next diagram. The move forces the Black King to
block its own pawn, letting the White King advance one square closer to the Pawn.

BCE 544 (cont.)

The Queen can force the opponent's King to block its own Pawn as often as necessary.

7...Ke1 8.Kc6 Kd2 9.Qf2 Kd1 10.Qd4+ Kc2 11.Qe3 Kd1 12.Qd3+

Once again the strong side gets a chance to advance its King toward the Pawn. Eventually
the King reaches a position where it can win the Pawn and force checkmate.

12...Ke1 13.Kd5 Kf2 14. Qd2 Kf1 15.Qf4+ Kg2 16.Qe3 Kf1 17.Qf3+ Ke1 18.Ke4 Kd2
19.Qd3+ Ke1 20.Kf3 Kf1 21.Qxe2+ Kg1 22.Qg2 mate
BCE 545

The winning maneuver does not work with a Pawn on a Bishop file. In the model position,
the King seeks refuge in the corner instead of blocking its Pawn. The capture of the Pawn
then results in stalemate.

1.Qg3+ Kh1 2.Qxf2 stalemate

BCE 546

A stalemate defense is also possible with the Pawn on a Rook file. If the strong side avoids
the stalemate, the King has no time to approach the Pawn.
1.Qg3+ Kh1 2.Kd3 stalemate

Rook vs. Pawn

These endings also occur frequently. The usual scenario is both sides with a Rook and
passed Pawn, the Pawns racing to promote. The side losing the race sacrifices its Rook for
the opponent's Pawn, leaving a Rook vs. Pawn endgame.

Unlike the Queen, a Rook alone cannot stop the Pawn from advancing. The question is
whether the strong side's King can reach the critical sector to stop the Pawn from
promoting.

The first consideration is whether the King and Pawn are sufficiently advanced to present a
real threat. The following diagram shows what happens if they are too far back.

BCE 281

Here the King and Pawn are on their third rank. The opposing Rook first separates the King
from the Pawn.

1.Ra5 h5 2.Kc7 h4

Then it waits until the Pawn can no longer be protected by its King. Finally, it wins the
Pawn. 3.Kd6 h3 4.Ra3 h2 5.Rh3
BCE 282

Rook vs. Pawn endgames abound with critical positions. These are positions where the
game is won if the strong side is to move, but drawn for the weak side to move. Here's an
example.

If the strong side is to move, it can stop the Pawn with 1.Rg1+ Kf5 2.Rh1 Kg6 3.Kb2 h5
4.Kc3 Kg5 5.Kd2 h4 6.Ke2 Kg4 7.Kf2 h3 8.Ra1 Kf4 9.Ra4+.

If the weak side is to move, the Pawn is unstoppable. 1...h5 2.Kb2 h4 3.Kc2 h3 4.Kd2 h2
5.Ke2 Kg3 6.Rh1 Kg2 7.Rxh2+

BCE 282a
This position illustrates a useful trick. First, the King and Rook induce a near stalemate.

1.Rg8 Kh1 2.Kf2 h2 3.Kg3 Kg1

At the critical moment, the King releases the stalemate, at the same time crossing over to
attack the Pawn. The threat of immediate checkmate forces the King to abandon its pawn.

4.Kh3+ Kh1 5.Ra8 Kg1 6.Ra1+ Kf2 7.Kxh2

BCE 284

Here's another critical position. Even though the King seems far behind, White to move has
enough time to catch the Pawn. This is because Black must advance both King and Pawn to
the seventh rank to threaten promotion.

1.Kc6 d3 2.Kc5 Ke3 3.Kc4 d2 4.Kc3 Ke2 5.Kc2

If Black is to move, the White King is too far back.

1...d3 2.Kc6 d2 3.Kc5 Ke3 4.Kc4 Ke2 5.Ra2 Ke1

BCE 285

Positions where the Kings are on the same side of the Pawn are sometimes difficult to
calculate. The weak side can use the opposition to prevent the other King from approaching.
Here's another critical position.

1.Kd6 e3 2.Ke5 Kd3 3.Kf4 e2 4.Kf3 Kd2 5.Ra2+

1...e3 2.Kd6 e2 3.Ke5 Kd3 4.Kf4 Kd2 5.Ra2+ Kd3 (or 5...Kd1) draws

BCE 286a

Finally, here's a rare example where the Rook is unable to stop the Pawn.
1.c7 Rd6+ 2.Kb5 (not 2.Kb7 Rd7 or 2.Kc5 Rd1) 2...Rd5+ 3.Kb4 Rd4+ 4.Kb3 Rd3+ 5.Kc2
Rd4 6.c8=R (not 6.c8=Q Rc4+ 7.Qxc4 stalemate) 6...Ra4 7.Kb3 and wins the Rook or
mates.

***

The positions on this page are all taken from Reuben Fine's Basic Chess Endings (BCE) and
are numbered accordingly.
Elementary endgames (Part 3)
Minor piece without Pawns vs. Pawn without pieces.

In endgames of minor piece vs. a single Pawn, the distinction between strong side and weak
side is blurred. The strong side -- the side with the piece -- can normally do no better than
draw. If there is a win, it is for the weak side.

Bishop vs. Pawn

These endgames are easy to evaluate. If the Bishop can attack any square in front of the
advancing Pawn, the game is drawn.

BCE 140a

The trick here is not complicated. The Bishop must guard b7, the only square where it can
stop the Pawn.

1.Ka6 Be4 2.b7 Kc7 3.Ka7 Bxb7

Knight vs. Pawn
These endgames are more difficult than Bishop vs. Pawn. Unlike the line pieces, the King
and Knight both move in short steps and meet on adjacent squares when they fight.

BCE 101

Here the King and Knight circle around the Pawn, attacking each other in turn. Neither side
can make progress.

1...Kc2 2.Na3+ or 1...Ka2 2.Nc3+

BCE 101
The Knight often has another defense available to it. Here it allows the Pawn to promote,
because the position of the King permits a fork.

1...Kc2 2.Nc4 b1=Q 3.Na3+

BCE 101a

A Pawn on a Rook file (a/h-files) is the most dangerous adversary for the Knight, with its
freedom of movement severely restricted on the side of the board. If the Pawn is not far
advanced, the Knight can cope.

1.Nc3+ Kb4 2.Nd5+ Kc4 3.Nb6+ Kb5 4.Nd5

BCE 101a

Here the Knight has no good moves and will be captured quickly. It makes no difference if
White or Black is to move.

BCE 101b

The knight must also avoid positions where it can be attacked by the Pawn.

1...a3

Now the Knight has no way to cover either of the two squares which the Pawn will pass on
its way to promotion.
BCE 102

The knight can often use a check to propel it toward the advancing Pawn.

1.Nf7 h3 2.Ng5 h2 3.Ne4+ Kc2 (See the following two diagrams for Black's alternate third
moves.) 4.Ng3 Kd1 5.Kd6 Ke1 6.Ke5 Kf2 7.Kf4

BCE 102

This is the position if Black had continued 3...Kd4 4.Nf2 in the previous variation. The Black
King is blocked by an invisible barrier. The moves 4...Kd3 & 4...Ke4 are not permitted by
the rules, while 4...Ke3 & 4...Ke5 both lose the Pawn to a fork by 5.Ng4+. Black has no
choice but to try a run around the barrier.
4...Kc3 5.Kd6 Kd2 6.Ke5 Ke2 7. Nh1 Kf3 8.Kd4 Kg2 9.Ke3 Kxh1 10.Kf2 stalemate

BCE 102

Similarly, this is the position if Black had continued 3...Kd3 4.Ng3 from the same previous
variation. Here the barrier is formed by the squares e2 & e4, under direct attack by the
Knight, plus the squares d2 & e3, which allow Nc1+, forking the King and Pawn. Black must
again run around the barrier with Kc2, but this is too slow and gives the White King time to
assist the beleaguered Knight.

BCE 102a

Finally, here's an unusual position where the Black King is smothered by its own Pawn.
1.Kc2 Ka1 2.Nc1 a2 3.Nb3 mate

***

The positions on this page are all taken from Reuben Fine's Basic Chess Endings (BCE) and
are numbered accordingly.
Elementary endgames (Part 4)
Piece plus Pawn vs. equivalent piece without Pawn.

The game has been fought hard, both players attacking and defending on every move. At
the critical moment, one player made a small mistake and lost a Pawn.

Both players then followed the textbook strategies for the material imbalance. The player
with the extra Pawn exchanged pieces, playing for a win, while the opponent exchanged
Pawns, playing for a draw.

Finally, the armies have been reduced to the bare minimum. Both players have single
pieces of equal value, while the extra Pawn is the only Pawn on the board. What now?

This scenario occurs in many games. Endgames where one side has an extra pawn are
nearly always played out to a clear result -- no lazy draws here.

Weak King in front of Pawn

The most important positional factor is the placement of the King with the Pawn minus.
When it is between the Pawn and the Pawn's promotion square, the result in most cases is a
draw. This is because if the last pieces are exchanged, the position is a King and Pawn
endgame like the following.

BCE 10
Black uses the opposition to force White to advance the Pawn before the White King
advances.

1.d5+ Kd6 2.Kd4 Kd7 3.Ke5 Ke7 4.d6+ Kd7 5.Kd5 Kd8 This is the key move. Black keeps
the opposition.

6.Ke6 Ke8 7.d7+ Kd8 8.Kd6 1/2-1/2 Stalemate!

In endgames with minor pieces, the strong side can neither force the exchange of pieces
nor force the other King to move. Here are two examples.

BCE 170

After 1.Kd5 Bd8 2.Kd6 Bh4 3.Kd5 Bg3, White can make no progress. Black just moves the
Bishop from one safe square to another.
BCE 216a

White would like to play 1.Kd5, but this allows 1...Nf6+ followed by 2...Nxe4 with a draw. If
White takes the f6 square from the Knight by 1.Bg5, Black plays 1...Ke6. White can never
force the King to leave the e6 square.

Minor pieces
There was nothing particularly difficult in any of those positions. Let's look at a few more
complicated examples, where the weak King is behind the Pawn or to its side. These are
typical positions, not likely to arrive in any single game, but which show the concepts used
in similar minor piece endgames.
BCE 125

The Black Knight on d7 prevents the Pawn from promoting. If White can force it to move,
White wins.

1.Nb4 Kc7 Other King moves also lose. For example, after 1...Kc5 2.Nd3+ Kd6 3.Nf4 Ke7
4.Nd5+ Ke6 5.Nb6 Ne5, White plays 6.Ka8 Nc6 7.Nc8 and wins.

Returning to 1...Kc7, White wins after 2.Nd5+ Kd6 3.Nb6 Ne5 4.b8=Q+.

BCE 171
In this position, White forces the Black Bishop on to shorter and shorter diagonals. Finally, it
runs out of room to maneuver.

1.Bc6 Be2 2.Bd5 Bb5 3.Be6 Ke3 4.Bd7 Bf1 5.c6 Kd4 6.c7 Ba6 7.Kc6 Kc3 8.Kb6 and wins.

BCE 217

In this position, the Knight prevents the Pawn from advancing. If the White King captures
the Knight, the Black King captures the Pawn. White plays to force the Black King away
from the Pawn.

1.Bc3 Kb6 2.Ba5+ Kb5 3.Bd8 Kc5 4.Bh4 Kb5 5.Bg5 Kc5 6.Be3+ Kd5 7.Bd4 Nd6 8.c7 and
wins.
BCE 220

At first glance, it looks like Black can defend this position, but it's an illusion. By offering a
sacrifice which must be refused, White first advances the King and Pawn to their most
dangerous squares.

1.Ke7 Kh7 2.f7 Ba3+ 3.Ke8 Kg7. The Bishop is confined to the a3-f8 diagonal. Now White
maneuvers the Knight to block it.

4.Nc4 Bb4 5.Ne3 Ba3 6.Nd5 Bf8 7.Ne7 and wins.

Major pieces
In positions with major pieces, sacrificial drawing themes are not possible. The defense is
based instead on checking the unprotected King. If the strong side can stop the checks, the
win usually follows.

Major piece endgames often result in complicated play. Why are they classified
as elementary endgames? Elementary doesn't mean easy; it means basic, in the sense that
more complicated positions reduce to these positions.
BCE 307

Rook and Pawn vs. Rook is an appropriate subject for an entire article or a series of articles.
Here we see an important idea known as the Lucena position, named after an Italian player
who lived in the 16th century.

The White King is protected from checks by its Pawn. Watch how the Rook takes over the
job, at the same time keeping the Black King at a safe distance.

1...Rh3 2.Rf4 Rh1 3.Re4+ Kd7 4.Kf7 Rf1+ 5.Kg6 Rg1+ 6.Kf6 Rf1+ 7.Kg5 Rg1+ 8.Rg4 and
wins.

This technique is also known as 'building a bridge', and works only because the chessboard
is eight squares by eight.
BCE 558

Finally, here's an example of Queen and Pawn vs. Queen. It's remarkable how the White
Queen can protect its King from checks on so many different lines at the same time. This is
done by threatening to exchange itself for the other Queen.

1...Qc5+ 2.Ke8 Qb5 3.Qe6+ Kh2 4.Kf7 Qh5+ 5.Kg7 Qg5+ 6.Kh7 Qd8 7.Kg6 Kh1 8.Kf7 Kh2
9.Qe7 and wins.

The same technique applies wherever the Black King happens to be on the board. There is
no safe haven

***

The positions on this page are all taken from Reuben Fine's Basic Chess Endings (BCE) and
are numbered accordingly.
Elementary endgames (Part 5)
King and Pawn vs. King (and Pawn).

In our first article on Elementary endgames we presented a simple example of King and
Pawn vs. King, shown again in the following diagram. White to move is a draw, while Black
to move loses for Black.

You might be wondering, 'How am I ever going to remember the variations where one
player to move wins and the other player to move draws?' The answer is that the player
whose King has the opposition will get the most favorable result. If White has the
opposition, meaning that the Black King must move, then White wins. If Black has the
opposition, Black draws.

The opposition plays an important role in many King and Pawn endgames. Let's look at a
few more examples.
BCE 011a

The White and Black Kings are in opposition and the result depends on who is to move.
White on the move has no better than 1.Kd4 Kd6 2.e4 Ke6 3.e5 Ke7 4.Kd5 Kd7 5.e6+ Ke7
6.Ke5 Ke8 7.Kd6 Kd8, reaching the first diagram. Note how the Black King drops back one
rank with 3...Ke7 in order to recapture the opposition on the next move.

Black on the move must give way to White. After 1...Kf6 2.Kd5 Ke7 3.Ke5 White again has
the opposition, and after 3...Kf7 4.Kd6 Ke8 5.e4 Kd8 6.e5 Ke8 7.Ke6 Kd8 8.Kf7 and the
Pawn marches to e8. (In chess literature, Pawns never walk or stroll to promotion. They
always march!)

The next diagram is similar to the previous. The only difference is that the Pawn is on e2
instead of e3.
BCE 011

Black to move loses as already seen. White to move has 1.e3 reaching the previous diagram
with the opposition. White wins.

One important exception to the rule of the opposition is shown in the following diagram.
Here the White King has reached the sixth rank in front of the Pawn.

BCE 011a (note)

White wins here with or without the move. White to move has 1.Kd6 Kd8 2.e6 reaching the
same position as in our first diagram. As we saw earlier Black must drop back one rank at
the right moment to maintain the opposition. Here the edge of the board prevents the
saving maneuver.

Black to move is a faster win for White. After 1...Kd8 2.Kf7 or 1...Kf8 2.Kd7, Black can
resign.

Although all our examples have been on the e-file, the same principles apply to the b-, c-,
d-, f-, and g-files. The exceptions all occur on the a- and h-files. If Black can reach the
corner square or the square next to it, the opposition has no importance and the game is
drawn.

BCE 012a

In this diagram Black shuttles between a8 and b8. White can't force Black to move away
from these squares. If the Pawn advances to a7, White has the choice between stalemating
the Black King on a8 or losing the Pawn.

Even when White can prevent the Black King from reaching the corner, Black has a defense.
This is shown in the following diagram.
BCE 012b

Black to move plays 1...Kf7, trapping the White King in the corner. White to move can only
escape from the trap with 1.Kg6, which lets Black into the corner with 1...Kg8.

***

The simple ideas in the previous examples help to understand more complicated endgames.
In the following position, White to move can capture the Black Pawn in five moves. It looks
like Black can also reach c7 in five moves, securing the type of corner draw that we just
saw.

BCE 014b
White can take a path that approaches the Black Pawn and blocks the Black King at the
same time. After 1.Ke6 Kc3 2.Kd5, White forces Black to lose a move in the race to reach
c7. Now White wins with 2...Kb4 3.Kc6 Ka5 4.Kb7 Kb5 5.Kxa7 Kc6 6.Kb8.

Sometimes the opposition has no influence on a position. Consider the following diagram.

BCE 014c (Dobias 1926)

If White captures the opposition with the straightforward 1.Kd5, Black draws with 1...Kb4
2.Kd4 Kb3 3.f4 Kc2. White can't capture the g-Pawn and guard the f-Pawn at the same
time.

White wins with 1.Kd4, forcing the Black King to waste a move. After 1...Kc6 2.Ke5 Kc5 3.f4
Kc4 4.Kf6 Kd4 5.Kxg6, White wins.

In the following diagram, White can't stop Black from winning the a-Pawn. The only hope
after ...Kxa2 is to trap the Black King in the corner with Kc2.
BCE 014d (Grigorieff 1925)

This is done by the paradoxical idea of moving away from the Pawns. After 1.Kh8, Black has
nothing better than 1...Kf5 2.Kg7 Ke4 3.Kf6 Kd3 4.Ke5 Kc2 5.Kd4 Kb2 6.Kd3 Kxa2 7.Kc2,
achieving the draw. Note that if 1.Kf8, then 1...Kf6 wins.

The battle between the Kings often takes place around blocked Pawn structures. Here the
opposition is also a factor. Let's look first at a model position. The following diagram has
two Pawns preventing each other from advancing.

BCE 015a
White easily captures the Black Pawn and wins because the King reaches the sixth rank in
front of the Pawn. After 1.Kc7 Ka8 2.Kxb6 Kb8, Black has the opposition, but can't hold the
draw.

The following position is similar, but the White Pawns is only on the fifth rank. This lets
Black save the half point.

BCE 015b (mirror)

After 1.Ka6 Kc7 2.Kxb5, White wins the Pawn. Now Black gains the opposition with 2...Kb7
and draws.

Black uses several elementary maneuvers in the following position.

BCE 015f

First, Black takes the opposition with 1...Kb4. Then, Black forces White back with 2.Kc2 Kc4
3.Kd2 Kb3 4.Ke2 Kc2 5.Kf2 Kd2 and wins the Pawn and the game.

'This is all simple!', you say, but chess is not often so simple. Consider the following
position. It looks like White captures the Pawn and wins easily.

BCE 016 (Duclos 1904)

Black has a surprising defense with 1...e3 2.fxe3. Now 2...Kg6 gains the opposition and
draws the game.
***

Most of the positions on this page are taken from Reuben Fine's Basic Chess Endings (BCE)
and are numbered accordingly.
Elementary endgames (Part 6)
When an endgame position is an exception, there is often a Rook's Pawn involved.

In our previous article on elementary endgames (Part 5; see the link box at the bottom), we
discussed some of the ideas behind King and Pawn vs. King. We saw that a King in front of
its Pawn and having the opposition against the enemy King was almost always a win. There
were two exceptions, shown again in the following diagrams. Both positions are draws.

BCE 012a BCE 012b

In our discussion of Draws (see the link box again) we used the following position to
illustrate triple repetition. In spite of White's great material advantage, the game is drawn.

In another article on elementary endgames (Part 3 : Piece without Pawns vs. Pawn without
pieces; link box again), we discussed the following positions. On the left, an unaided Knight
manages to cope with a King and Pawn until the Pawn has reached its seventh rank. On the
right, White is unable to win despite having the overwhelming advantage of a Queen against
a single Pawn.
BCE 101a BCE 546

What do these examples all have in common? The Pawn is a Rook's Pawn, which means a
Pawn on the a-file or the h-file. Unlike Pawns on the other files, a Rook's Pawn hugs the side
of the board. This provides a natural barrier which nearly always results in exceptional
endgame positions. Let's look at some more of those exceptions.

***

Although the Rook's Pawn is usually an advantage for the defense of a difficult position, it
occasionally aids the offense. The following diagram shows a rare case of a King and Knight
giving checkmate.

Keres 308L

White forces checkmate with 1.Kc2 Ka1 2.Nc1 a2 3.Nb3. In the following position the White
Knight and Pawn win against the superior force of King and Knight.
Averbakh 067 (Cheron 1952)

After the surprising sacrifice 1.Ng7+ Nxg7, the Pawn marches to its promotion square with
2.h6 Kf8 3.h7. The Queen will overpower the Knight in a few moves.

The two preceding positions were tactical curiosities, but the following is a typical endgame
which is seen frequently. Let's call it Bishop of the wrong color.

BCE 145

Note that the Bishop moves on the dark colored squares, but the Pawn's promotion square
on a8 is light colored. This makes it thewrong color.
A typical sequence is 1.Kb5 Kb7 2.a6+ Ka8 3.Kb6 Kb8 4.Be5+ Ka8. White can't approach
the Black King without allowing stalemate, and the Black King can never be driven from the
corner.

What a difference a Bishop of the right color makes! The following diagram is similar to the
previous. The only difference is that the Bishop is now on a light colored square, the same
color as the promotion square of the Pawn.

BCE 145a

After 1.Kb5 Kb7 2.Be4+ Ka7 3.a6 Kb8 4.Kb6, the Black King is forced from the corner.
White gets a new Queen and wins easily.

The weak King draws if it can reach the Knight's file in front of the remaining Pawn, b8 in
our example. The battle to reach the safe area can be complicated and has its own tactical
twists and turns. The following example is by a famous endgame composer.
BCE 145b (Troitzky 1896)

After 1.Be6 Ke7 2.h6, the Bishop can't be taken. If Black continues 2...Kf6, then 3.Bf5 Kf7
4.Bh7 establishes a shield which keeps the Black King out of the corner. Now after 4...Kf6
the White King forces the Black King to move away from the critical area. After 5.Kf4 Kf7
6.Kg5 Kf8 7.Kf6 Ke8, White wins.

In the following position, White must again approach the corner to force the Black King
away. Caution is required.

BCE 148 (Paulsen-Metger 1888)

If White plays 1.Kc5, then 1...b6+ forces White to recapture. If the Bishop captures with
2.Bxb6+, the Black King reaches the safe area with 2...Kb7. If the Pawn captures 2.axb6+,
we have a position with a Knight's Pawn which is also a draw after 2...Kb7.

If White plays 1.Kc4, then 1...b5+ is similar to the preceding variations. Only 1.Kd4!,
avoiding Pawn checks, wins for White. If Black tries 1...b5, White can answer 2.a6, creating
a shield similar to that seen in the previous diagram.. White first captures the Black Pawn
and then forces the Black King away from the corner.

In positions with two Bishops moving on the same color, the Rook's Pawn provides
additional opportunities for the strong side. In the following diagram, White wins because
the Black Bishop guards against the Pawn's advance from one side only.

BCE 173 (Centurini)

White can force the Black Bishop away from the c1-h6 diagonal with 1.Bg7 Bd2 2.Bh6 Bb4
3.Be3. If Black establishes a guard on the long diagonal with 3...Bc3, then White continues
4.h6 Ba1 5.h7 Bb2 6.Bh6 and 7.Bg7.

If Black tries to defend on the short diagonal with 3...Bf8, then 4.Bd4 Kh4 5.Be5 Kg4 6.Bf6
also wins. Black is forced to abandon the attack on the Pawn with 6...Kf4, after which White
can offer to exchange Bishops with 7.Bg7 Ba3 8.h6. Now the Pawn promotes.

The winning maneuver starting with 1.Bg7 was only effective because the Black Bishop
could not switch to an attack behind the Pawn on other side (the imaginary j- and k-files!).
If the White Pawn were a center Pawn, Black would have an easy defense switching the
Bishop from one side to the other.

If the Pawn is too far advanced, the maneuver in the previous position doesn't work. In the
following diagram the Pawn has reached its seventh rank.
BCE 173a

This is clearly drawn. If the Black Bishop stays on the a1-h8 diagonal, the White Bishop can
never move to g7 without being captured.

In major piece endgames, the Rook's Pawn favors the defense. Rook and Pawn are
notoriously tricky and we won't delve into the complications here. In the following position,
the distance of the Black King from the Pawn allows White to execute a winning maneuver.

BCE 319

White wins by transferring the Rook to the b-file with 1.Rh1 Ke7 2.Rh8 Kd6 3.Rb8. Black
can make things difficult with 3...Ra2 4.Kb7 Rb2+ 5.Kc8 Rc2+ 6.Kd8 Rh2 threatening mate,
but White has a nice trick starting with 7.Rb6+ Kc5 8.Rc6+. Now White wins with 8...Kb5
9.Rc8 Rh8+ 10.Kc7 Rh7+ 11.Kb8. Back to the diagram, if the Black King were any closer to
the Pawn, the maneuver wouldn't work.

With the Rook in front of the Pawn, the Black King must cling to a few safe squares. The
following diagram shows a safe square.

BCE 339

The square h7 is also safe. If the King were on g6 (or h6), White could continue 1.Rg8+ (or
1.Rh8+), followed by 2.h8=Q. The following shows another unsafe square.

BCE 339+
White wins with 1.Rh8 Rxa7 2.Rh7+, winning the Black Rook with a skewer. If the Black
King is on a safe square, White can't win by approaching the Pawn with the King. Once the
White King gets close to the Pawn, Black starts checking from behind and the King has no
shelter.

Positions with two Queens are generally drawn. As soon as the strong King tries to vacate
the promotion square, it gets bombarded with checks from the enemy Queen. The weak
side has to avoid positions like the following.

BCE 560

Here White wins with 1.Kb8. On any check from the Black Queen, White interposes its own
Queen, cross-checking the Black King and forking both Black pieces, as in 1...Qd8+
2.Qxc8+.

***

Most of the positions on this page are taken from Reuben Fine's Basic Chess Endings (BCE)
and are numbered accordingly. Other positions are from Yuri Averbakh's Chess Endings :
Essential Knowledge and Paul Keres' Practical Chess Endings.

***

Keres' book provides an unexpected example of how difficult these 'elementary' endgames
can be. Consider the following position.
Keres 247+

Keres (following Averbakh's example!) says that Black to move loses and gives 1...Bb3 2.a5
Bc4 3.Bb7 Bd3 4.Ba6 Bf5 5.Bb5 Bc8 6.Bc6 (zugzwang) 6...Kc4 7.Bb7. In fact, Black draws
easily with 1...Bd5. If 2.a5, then 2...Bxc6 draws. If 2.Bxd5, then 2...Kxa4 is simple. If White
withdraws the Bishop on the a4-d8 diagonal, Black repeats the sacrifice.

Both Keres and Averbakh were world-class Soviet GMs and noted authors of several
acclaimed endgame manuals, yet they overlooked this maneuver. The message to the rest
of us is clear : beware the Rook's Pawn!
Elementary endgames (Part 7)
An extra Pawn is an advantage; when it's an outside passed Pawn, it's a big
advantage.

Take a look at the diagram below, where White has an extra Pawn on the Queenside. If the
Kings were tied down and couldn't move, White would win easily by first advancing the b-
Pawn to b5 followed by the a-Pawn to a5. Then, after the move b5-b6, Black would be
unable to stop White from promoting a Pawn to a new Queen.

If we remove the a-Pawns from the diagram, then the b-Pawn is called an outside passed
Pawn. Its distance from the mass of balanced Pawns on the Kingside (three Pawns against
three Pawns) makes it an outside Pawn, and the lack of enemy Pawns on the way to its
promotion square makes it a passed Pawn.

Returning to the diagram, we can't say that either White's a-Pawn or b-Pawn is passed,
because the Black a-Pawn stands in the way. Instead we say that White has
a potential passed Pawn, because the 2-to-1 Pawn advantage on the Queenside, also called
a Queenside Pawn majority, guarantees that one of the White Pawns will eventually become
a passed Pawn.

Outside passed Pawns are included in our discussion of elementary endgames because the
challenges they present illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of the different pieces. Our
guides in this discussion will be Yuri Averbakh, who analyzed basic positions inChess
Endings : Essential Knowledge, and Jon Speelman, who explored Averbakh's analysis
in Endgame Preparation, adding his own basic positions. The diagrams are numbered
according to those sources.
Pawns only
The simplest position is where only Pawns remain. The plans for both sides are
straightforward : the Black King must stop a White Pawn from promoting and the White
King must assist its Pawns against the Black King. Let's look at the plan in detail, using the
same position as above.

Speelman 128; Averbakh 113

First the Kings approach the center.

1.Kf1 Ke7 2.Ke2 Kd6 3.b4 Kd5 4.Kd3

The Kings are in opposition and battle to avoid yielding to the other King. The only way to
do this is by making Pawn moves.

4...f5 5.f4 g6 6.g3 a6 7.a4

Black has lost the battle and is in zugzwang. Now the Black King must give way.

7...Kc6 8.Kd4 Kd6 9.b5 axb5 10.axb5 Kc7

Now White sacrifices the b-Pawn with 11.Ke5 and wins by capturing the Kingside Pawns.

After 11...Kb6 12.Kf6 Kxb5 13.Kg7 Kc4 14.Kxh7 Kd4 15.Kxg6, the result is clear.
Knights
The following diagram is the same as the first diagram above, except one Knight has been
added to each side.

Speelman 131; Averbakh 118

The winning plan with Knights is similar to the Pawn-only plan, but takes longer to execute.
Because the plan is so long, we have inserted several intermediate diagrams and given the
position its own page.

Part 7a : Knights
Bishops
The following diagram repeats the previous, the Knights replaced by Bishops. White's h-
Pawn and Black's a-Pawn start on safe squares where they cannot be attacked by the
enemy Bishop, and the Black King is one move further from the center.

Speelman 132; Averbakh 121

Part 7b : Bishops

Bishop vs. Knight

Although the Bishop and Knight are considered of equal value, the Bishop has an easier
time dealing with an outside passed Pawn. It can cover both flanks simultaneously, while
the Knight can only rush from one flank to the other in short hops.

Part 7c : Minor pieces

Major pieces

The Queen and Rook offer new opportunities for the defense. These pieces can guard both
flanks at the same time, switching between attack and defense instantly.

Part 7d : Major pieces

Conclusion

From this discussion, we start to perceive the truth behind the general rule : When ahead
in material, trade pieces; when behind in material, trade Pawns.
More pieces on the board mean more opportunities for the defense. When both sides have
only Pawns, the strong side wins easily. When each side has a Queen, the weak side can
harass the enemy King with checks.

More Pawns on the board mean more opportunities for the attack. If we eliminate the
Kingside Pawns from the diagrams on this page, White's winning chances disappear.
Elementary endgames (Part 8)
Rook plus a lone Pawn vs. a Rook may look simple, but appearances are deceiving.

Ask an expert which endgame is the most common and the answer is likely to be, 'Rook and
Pawn endgames, of course!' Why is this? Rook endgames are more frequent than Queen
endgames. There is only one Queen for each side, where the other pieces are all
represented twice. But what about the minor pieces?

The Rooks are often the last pieces to enter the battle. They usually enter the game via a
center file, which they can do only after the minor pieces have been developed. Then,
before they can advance into the enemy position, they need to wait for the file to open.
While they are waiting, the minor pieces fighting on the front line are being exchanged.

Ask the same expert which endgame is the most difficult and the answer will also be, 'Rook
and Pawn endgames!' They are characterized by tactical complications as the Rooks,
operating in four directions, simultaneously attack enemy Pawns, check the enemy King,
and defend their own Pawns.

Since many Rook and Pawn endgames eventually reduce to a Rook plus a lone Pawn vs. a
Rook, these endgames are among the most common elementary endgames. We've already
seen Rooks and Pawns in action in several other articles on elementary endgames (see the
link box at the bottom of this article):

Part 4 : Piece plus Pawn vs. equivalent piece without Pawn. (The Lucena position)
Part 6 : When an endgame position is an exception, there is often a Rook's Pawn
involved. (Which we won't discuss in this article.)
Part 7d : Outside passed Pawn with major pieces. (Illustrating Rook behind the Pawn
vs. Rook in front of the Pawn.)

Now let's look at some other ideas. The positions and analysis on this page are taken from
Paul Keres' Practical Chess Endings and are numbered accordingly.

The Lucena position

The Lucena position, which would better be called the Lucena maneuver, was introduced in
part 4. It is so important that we present it here a second time with more details about its
mechanics.

In the following diagram note that the White Pawn has reached the 7th rank, where it is
blocked by its own King. The King can't move to the h-file, because the Black Rook just
shuttles between h2 and h3. It also can't move to the f-file, because the Black King guards
f7 and f8. The only way to make progress is for the White Rook to force the Black King off
the e-file.
Keres 129

If the White King comes out without any further preparation it gets bombarded with checks
from the Black Rook.

1...Ke7 2.Re1+ Kd7 3.Kf7 Rf2+ 4.Kg6 Rg2+ 5.Kf6 Rf2+ 6.Ke5 Rg2

Since the White King can't move any farther than the 5th rank, it needs its own Rook on the
4th rank to shield it from checks. From this we understand the winning maneuver.

3.Re4 Rh1 4.Kf7 Rf1+ 5.Kg6 Rg1+ 6.Kf6 Rf1+ 7.Kg5 Rg1+ 8.Rg4

You can be sure that the Lucena position will occur from time to time in your games.
The Philidor position
The following diagram shows another common theme which could be called the Philidor
maneuver. The White Pawn is only on the 5th rank, while the Black King sits on the
promotion square. White would like to play Ke6, forcing the Black King to flee the
threatened mate, but Black has the resources to prevent this.

Keres 130 (Philidor 1777)

Black to move occupies the 6th rank with the Rook, preventing the White King from
advancing.

1...Ra6 2.Rb7 Rc6 3.Ra7 Rb6

At the moment White advances the Pawn, the Black Rook shifts to the back rank and
continues checking the White King from the rear.

4.e6 (Black can't allow 5.Kf6 and must act immediately.) 4...Rb1

The Pawn has advanced and the White King has no protection from the Black Rook. With
White to move in the diagrammed position, Black can hold the draw, but the variations are
more complicated; we'll look at 1.Kf6 later (see Keres 162 below).

Checking distance

A common theme in Rook endgames is the notion of checking distance, the number of
squares between the Rook and the King that the Rook is checking. In the following diagram
White threatens to win with 1.Rf1+.
Keres 149 (Tarrasch 1906)

Black must react by checking the White King from the side. Even so, the King is able to
defend itself from the checks by approaching the Rook.

1...Ra8+ 2.Kc7 Ra7+ 3.Kc8 Ra8+ 4.Kb7. To prevent the Pawn from promoting, the Rook
must now move somewhere on the 8th rank, when 5.Kc7 forces Pawn promotion. White
wins.

The following diagram is similar to the previous. All pieces except the Black Rook have
shifted one file to the right.

Keres 150 (Tarrasch 1906)

Now the White King is unable to approach its tormentor without losing the Pawn. The extra
file between the King and the Rook is the difference between a win and a draw.

1...Ra8+ 2.Kd7 Ra7+ 3.Kd6 Ra6+ 4.Kd5 Ra5+

An idea related to checking distance is the notion of the long side and the short side of the
Pawn. In the previous diagram [Keres 150] the Pawn on the e-file divides the board into two
sides : the a-, b-, c-, and d-files are on one side of the Pawn, while the f-, g-, and h-files
are on the other side. The four files to the left are on the long side, while the three files to
the right are on the short side.

In [Keres 149] the sides are switched. The Pawn on the d-file divides the board into a short
side on the left and a long side on the right. The concept lets us formulate a nice rule of
thumb.

When the Black King is unable to stay in front of the Pawn, it should go to the short side of
the Pawn, leaving the long side for the Rook. The Rook must take up the furthest distance
from the enemy King available on the long side.

In [Keres 149] the King defended itself from the Rook, which was checking on the short
side. In [Keres 150] the King was unable to defend itself, because the Rook was checking
from the long side.

As with all rules of thumb there are exceptions, one of which is shown in the following
diagram.

Keres 152
Note the similarity to the previous diagram, with the Black King on g8 instead of g7. Now
the White King can abandon the Pawn because the White Rook will take up the defense after
delivering an intermediate check.

After 1...Ra8+ 2.Kd7 Ra7+ 3.Kd6 Ra6+ 4.Kc5 Ra8 5.Kc6 Ra6+ (5...Kg7 6.Ra1! Rb8 7.Kc7)
6.Kb7, Black can't play 6...Re6, because of the devastating 7.Rf8+.

Pawn on the 6th rank

Positions with the Pawn on the 7th rank are the most critical, and they help us to
understand positions where the Pawn has not yet reached the 7th. In the following diagram,
Black fights to keep the Pawn from advancing.

Keres 154 (Tarrasch 1906)

White on the move can make no progress. The Pawn can't reach the 7th rank without
allowing the Black King to approach.

1.Rd1 Ra7+ 2.Ke8 Kf6

1.Rd8 Ra7+ 2.Rd7 Ra8 repeats the diagram
1.Rd6 Kg6 2.Rd7 Kg7 also repeats the diagram
1.Rc7 Ra1 2.Rd7 Ra2 (or 2...Ra8 again repeating the diagram) 3.Ke8+ Kf6 4.e7 Ke6
5.Kf8 Rf2+ 6.Ke8 Ra2

In the following diagram the White Rook prevents the Black Rook from getting maximum
checking distance on the long side of the Pawn.
Keres 156

1...Rb8 2.Kd6+ Kf6 3.Kd7 Kg7 4.Ke7 Rb1 5.Ra8 Rb7+ 6.Kd6 Rb6+ 7.Kd7 Rb7+ 8.Kc6 Re7
9.Kd6 Rb7 10.e7 and wins

***

That last variation was long and complicated. A general principle is one thing, but playing
specific positions is another. Fortunately, endgames of Rook and Pawn vs. Rook fall into a
class of endgames that are subject to precise computer solution using a technique
calledretrograde analysis on a tablebase.

Eugene Nalimov is one of the computer chess experts who has worked on the technique. A
Nalimov tablebase server with all endgames of up to five pieces is available on the Web,
courtesy of Lokasoft (see the link box again). Since the two Kings are counted in these
numbers, that means that perfect solutions are known for as many as three other pieces.

It is to the great credit of early endgame composers and analysts that their long and
difficult solutions are confirmed by retrograde analysis. For the following positions, we give
only Keres' main solution along with the maximum number of moves necessary to deliver
checkmate from that position.

***
Pawn on lower ranks
The following diagram is an example with the Pawn on the 5th rank. Compare this with the
Philidor position [Keres 130] above.

Keres 162 (Kling and Horwitz 1851)

Black lacks two advantages which helped to draw in the Philidor position. (1) The Black King
is not in front of the Pawn. In fact, it sits in the worst place : on the long side of the Pawn.
(2) The Black Rook is not able to harass the White King by checking from the side. White on
the move wins.

1.Kc7. The Nalimov tablebase says 'M30' for this move, meaning that White will checkmate
Black in 30 moves at most. The game might continue 1...Ra1 2.Rb8 Ra7+ 3.Rb7 Ra8 4.Kd7
Kf6 5.d6 Kf7 6.Rb1 Ra7+ 7.Kc8 Ke6 8.d7 Ra8+ 9.Kb7 Rd8 10.Kc6.

Going back to the diagram, the White Rook is not well placed. The Nalimov tablebase
confirms that Black to move draws.

1...Ra1 2.Rc8 Rd1 3.Rc2 Ke8 4.Ra2 Rd3 5.Ra8+ Kf7 6.Ra7+ Ke8

We saw another example of Pawn on the 5th rank in the Philidor position [Keres 130],
where White to move plays 1.Kf6. Black can still draw, but the method is not simple. In his
original analysis, Philidor thought that White should win. Only 1...Re1 and 1...Rf1 draw;
other moves lose.

Now let's look at positions where the Pawn is only on the 4th rank. The next diagram shows
an example of checking distance on a file.
Keres 165

The White King is unable to make progress alone. 1.Kc4 Rc8+ 2.Kb5 Rd8 3.Kc5 Rc8+ 4.Kd6
Rd8+ 5.Ke5 Re8+ 6.Kf5 Rd8. This is one of the few positions where a Rook is placed better
in front of a Pawn than behind it.

Keres 166

Nalimov says that White will mate in no more than 34 moves. Keres gives the win as 1.Kb4
Rb8+ 2.Ka5 Rc8 3.Kb5 Rb8+ 4.Ka6 Rc8 5.Rd4 Ke6 6.Kb7 Rc5 7.Kb6 Rc8 8.c5.

At the crucial moment, White played Rd4, defending the Pawn from the side and freeing the
King to advance. This maneuver only works when the Black King is unable to harass the
White Rook.
The same ideas work with the Pawn on the 3rd rank. These are equivalent to positions with
a Pawn on the 2nd rank, which can advance two ranks on its first move.

Keres 170 (Grigoriev 1937)

White to move plays 1.Re4. Nalimov confirms that this (and 1.Re2) are the best moves,
checkmating Black in at most 48 moves. Keres gives the following continuation.

1...Kf5 2.Re3 Kf6 3.Kc3 Rc8+ 4.Kd4 Rb8 5.Kc5 Rc8+ 6.Kd6 Rb8 7.Rf3+ Kg5 8.Kc5 Rc8+
9.Kd4 Rb8 10.Kc3 Rc8+ 11.Kb2 Rb8 12.Rf1 Kg6

The players have reached the same position as in the diagram with the White Rook and
Black King are both one square to the right.

13.Kc3 Rc8+ 14.Kd4 Rb8 15.Kc4 Rc8+ 16.Kd5 Rb8 17.Rb1 Kf7 18.b4 Ke7 19.Kc6

'A tremendous piece of analysis by Grigoriev, full of subtle and surprising points', says
Keres.
Elementary endgames (Part 9)
The strengths and weaknesses of the minor pieces are particularly pronounced in
solo combat.

One of the curiosities of chess is that the Bishop and the Knight, whose moves are so
different, have the same approximate value. The relative strengths and weaknesses of
these pieces are particularly pronounced in endgames where they face each other in solo
combat.

We've already seen minor pieces in action in several other articles on elementary endgames
(see the link box at the bottom of this article):

Part 4 : Piece plus Pawn vs. equivalent piece without Pawn.

Part 6 : When an endgame position is an exception, there is often a Rook's Pawn
involved.
Part 7 : Outside passed Pawn with minor pieces.

As in our previous article on Rook endgames, our guide is the great Estonian grandmaster
Paul Keres. Writing about these endgames Keres said,

[You] may feel that our basic positions are of limited value, as they hardly ever occur as
such in actual games. This is faulty reasoning; although many endings never reach this
stage, these key positions are a vital part in any analysis, and a player must know them
thoroughly before even beginning to understand more complex endgames.

There are four broad categories of minor piece endgames.

Knight vs. Knight

Bishop vs. Bishop of the same color
Bishop vs. Bishop of the opposite color
Bishop vs. Knight

Let's look at examples of each. The positions and analysis below are from Keres' Practical
Chess Endings and are numbered accordingly.

Most of Keres' positions were taken from games between the world's leading grandmasters.
In case you're wondering why we have endgames from played by top GMs in an article titled
'Elementary endgames', Keres chose these positions because they illustrate basic positional
factors which feature in minor piece endgames. See the accompanying PGN file (link box
again) for the complete games from which Keres took his examples.
Knight vs. Knight
Instead of giving a lot of analysis, we're going to outline the most important features of
Keres' examples. His own analysis took several pages for each position.

Keres 327
Lasker - Nimzovitch, Zurich 1934

Material is even with three Pawns on each side. Keres made the following observations.

The h-Pawn is strong because Knights have trouble against an a- or h-Pawn. If the
White King moves to the Kingside, the Queenside will be undefended.
The Black King has a strong central post on e5.
The Black Knight is well posted.

These factors are decisive; Black won.

Keres 330
Pillsbury - Gunsberg, Hastings 1895

Material is even with seven Pawns on each side.

White has a protected passed Pawn on c5, which Black can blockade with Nc6.
Given time, Black can create a passed Pawn on the Queenside.

Keres said, 'We have here a position in which dynamic elements are more important than
static ones. If it were Black to move, 1...Nc6 would hold everything. However, in chess we
must always examine concrete tactical possibilities along with positional considerations. In
this case, White can immediately disorganize Black's position by attacking the Pawns on e6
and d5.'

Pillsbury played 1.f5!. If 1...gxf5 2.gxf5 exf5, then 3.Nf4 wins the d-Pawn. White won after
a series of fine tactical blows.
Keres 332
Barcza - Simagin, Budapest 1949

White is a Pawn ahead and has an outside passed a-Pawn, but there are more important
positional considerations in the diagram.

Black's centralized pieces support the passed d-Pawn.

The White Knight is badly placed on a7 and can't help defend against the d-Pawn.

After 1...d3, Black won.

Keres 333
Marco - Maroczy, Vienna 1899
Black has an extra Pawn which can't advance.

Black's King is well placed. If the a-Pawn and the Knights were removed from the
board, Black would win.
The White Knight is passively placed.

Black played 1..Nd3 and won.

Bishop vs. Bishop (same colors)

Keres 281
Capablanca - Janowski, New York 1916

Black's defense is not complicated. If the White Bishop leaves the a1-h8 diagonal, the Black
King will play Kg8-g7-g6(xP). The Black Bishop can then be sacrificed for the b-Pawn,
leaving a drawn King and Bishop vs. King ending.

As soon as the White King attacks the b-Pawn, Black will play ...b4. To win the Pawn, White
must then move the Bishop off the a1-h8 diagonal, triggering Black's defense. If the b-Pawn
can advance to b6 without being taken by the Black Bishop, White will win.

The diagrammed position is a draw. In testimony to the difficulty of so-called elementary

endgames, Janowski went astray, permitting Capablanca to win. Then Capablanca, one of
the greatest endgame players of all time, went astray, handing the draw to Janowski. Then
Janowski resigned in a position that he could have drawn!
Keres 284
Keres - Lilenthal, Tallinn 1945

White has an extra Pawn, but with the Pawns all on the same side of the board, the Bishops
are less effective. Keres said, 'In such endgames, Black's trouble is that he has a number of
continuations, none of which directly loses, but which do not give a clear draw. Practice tells
us that in such situations it is easy to make a mistake.'

Black could have drawn, but lost his way in the complications and then lost the game.

Keres 288
Smyslov - Keres, USSR ch 1951
Keres used one of his own games to illustrate the concept of the Bad Bishop. In the
previous diagram, each player has six Pawns, but Black has two advantages.

White's Queenside Pawns are on the same color as the White Bishop.
Black's King has an excellent post on e5.

Regarding Pawns on the same color as the Bishop, Keres said

Although such Pawns can of course be defended more easily by the Bishop, a grave
disadvantage is that all the squares of opposite color are seriously weakened. This allows
the penetration of the enemy King who can be stopped only by the opposing King. Thus it is
usually advisable to place one's Pawns on squares of opposite color to one's own Bishop.
After 1...Bb1 2.a3 a5 3.Bd1, the White Bishop can't move without losing the b-Pawn. Black
won.

Bishop vs. Bishop (opposite colors)

We saw in Elementary endgames (Part 7b) : Outside passed Pawn with Bishops that Bishops
of opposite colors often lead to draws. In the following diagram, White can't win despite
having two extra connected passed Pawns.

Keres 290 : Draw

Black shuttles the King between f5 and g6. White can't break the blockade and a draw is
inevitable. The following diagram is almost the same as the previous, except the Black King
is on g8. This gives White the time to prevent a blockade.
Keres 290+ : White wins

Atter 1...Bd3, attempting to hold the f- & g-Pawns, White plays 2.f5. If Black plays 2...Bxf5,
the b-Pawn falls and White wins.

In most endgame positions, connected Pawns are superior to disconnected Pawns. With
Bishops of opposite colors the strong side is often better off with widely disconnected
Pawns. This makes it harder for the weak side to restrict the advance of the Pawns.

Keres 291
Nimzovitch - Tarrasch, Bad Kissingen 1928
White has an extra Pawn. Since the Black Bishop can't defend the Kingside Pawns alone,
Tarrasch tried to defend by moving the Black King to the Kingside, which lost. After 1.Kh2,
the best defense was 1...Bb5 2.Kg3 Bf1, when White has to give up the g-Pawn to make
progress.

Keres 293
Averbakh 1951

This position may look hopelessly drawn, but White has a sequence of surprising moves,
starting with 1.Kg5 Kf7 2.f4!, which win. The key is that White can create a passed f-Pawn
which, together with the a-Pawn, spells trouble for the Black Bishop. See the PGN game
score for the complete solution.

Bishop vs. Knight

Keres said,

'The Bishop is superior to the Knight when the center is open and there are Pawns on
both wings. The advantage of the Bishop is also clear when the Knight has strayed
into the enemy camp and is threatened with capture.'; and
'The Knight is often superior to the Bishop when the position is of a more closed
nature or when the Bishop is restricted by its own Pawns. It is here that the Knight
can exploit its ability to control squares of either color.'
Keres 295
Marshall - Nimzowitsch, Berlin 1928

The diagram shows a position where the Knight has been cut from the rest of its forces.
Material is even and the position looks drawish, but with 1...Kd5, Black prevents the Knight
from escaping via c5. Black captured the Knight within a few moves, managed to keep a
single Pawn, then won the ensuing endgame

Keres 298
Chekover - Lasker, Moscow 1935

This position shows the advantage of the Bishop with play on both the Queenside and the
Kingside. Black won a Pawn on the Queenside, created a passed a-Pawn, and won.
Worth noting in the previous diagram is the position of the Bishop on e5 relative to the
Knight on e2. The Bishop covers four of the Knight's target squares : c3, d4, f4, and g3. In
this way the Bishop dominates the Knight.

Keres 299
Kan - Keres, Moscow 1955

Although material is even and White has two passed Pawns, White is in trouble for the
following reasons.

Both passed Pawns are easily blockaded.

The Pawn on c4 is under attack.
The Pawn on f5 is easily attacked by the Black King on e5. If the King were there
now, White would be in zugzwang.
Black has a passed b-Pawn and the chance to create a second passed Pawn on the
Kingside.

The game was adjourned in the diagrammed position, where ...h5 was the sealed move.
White, a strong master who had hours to study the position, played 1.Bd5 and lost. Keres
claimed that 1.Bf3 would have drawn.
Keres 301
Henneberger - Nimzovitch, Winterthur 1931

This position shows Knight vs. a bad Bishop. The Bishop must guard the c- and g-Pawns
from e1 whenever the Knight moves to e4. Black wins by playing the Knight to b1 and
forcing zugzwang. The move ...a3 held in reserve provides the necessary tempo at the
critical time.

***

See the associated PGN file for all of the game continuations. Even a casual study will prove
rewarding.
Elementary endgames (Part 10)
An introduction to endgame studies, especially the theme of domination.

The last article in the About Chess series on elementary endgames (for previous articles see
the link box at the bottom) is an introduction to endgame studies. A chess study is a
position constructed by a composer, rather than a position which has occurred in a game
between two opponents.

Our guide is Genrikh Moiseevich Kasparian (1910-1995, born Tbilisi, Georgia), also known
as Henrikh Moiseyevich Kasparyan (or by any other combination of forename, patronym,
and surname!). Kasparian, a FIDE Grandmaster of Chess Composition, authored Domination
in 2545 Endgame Studies (1974).

The following diagram shows an example of what we mean by domination. The Bishop
cannot move without being lost to a Knight fork. For example, ...Bf8 (or ...Bg7) loses to
Ne6+, while ...Bc1 (or ...Bd2) loses to Nb3+. We say that the Knight 'dominates' the
Bishop.

White to move

With White is to move in the diagram, 1.Kh1!, called a 'waiting move' because it does little
more than give the move to Black, wins. Any Bishop move loses the Bishop while 1...Kxd4
fails to 2.a6.

Not at all an elementary book, Domination in 2545 Endgame Studies is a collection of

endgame studies by great endgame composers like Leonid Kubbel (Russian, 1892-1942),
Henri Rinck (French, 1870-1952), and Alexei Troitsky (Russian, 1866-1942)
Kasparian classified the endgame studies by type of chess material, analyzed the
classifications, and discovered that many studies were based on similar themes. The
preceding diagram is an example of 'Minor Piece Traps Minor Piece : trapping a random
Bishop by a Knight'. In this article we'll look at examples of several themes, which illustrate
concisely the strengths and weaknesses of the pieces as they interact with each other on
nearly empty boards.

As you work through these examples, try to visualize why each move of the dominated
piece leads to material loss. This will improve both your power of visualization and your
ability to calculate tactical sequences.

***

Kasparian gave the following position as a typical example of 'Bishop and Knight trap
Bishop'. Once again the Black Bishop has no good moves; ...Ba4 loses to Nc5+, while ...Bh5
loses to Nf4+.

White to move

White forces the Bishop to move by 1.Kc1!. If Black tries to escape the Knight forks with
1...Bg4, then 2.Bc8+ xrays the hapless Black Bishop.
Black to move

In this position, the Black King can't move, while any Knight move loses the piece
immediately. Kasparian wrote, 'The Knight is trapped on the b7 square. As a rule, the
Knight feels uneasy on this spot, where it is frequently deprived of mobility and captured.'

White to move

Rook vs. Bishop is usually drawn, but here the Black King blocks the Bishop on its longer
diagonal. White wins with 1.Kf3! If 1...Kh5, then 2.Kf4 when the Bishop is lost because of
the pin.
White to move

Here a Rook on an open board is dominated by a Knight and a Bishop. After 1.Kg3, there
are two ways to continue. If the Rook moves to a white square, it loses to a discovered
check as in 1...Rf7 2.Nd6+. If it moves to a black square it loses to a discovered check
followed by a fork as in 1...Rf8 2.Nc5+ Kb8 3.Nd7+.

Black to move

The Rook, again with a maximum of 14 possible moves, is dominated by two Knights.
1...Rd1 is the only move which doesn't lose immediately to a Knight capture or fork, but
after 2.f3+ the Rook is lost. Since two Knights can't force checkmate, the White Pawn also
guarantees the win after White wins the Rook.
White to move

Here the Rook is dominated by two Bishops. After 1.Kd6, almost all Rook moves leave the
piece en prise. Of those that don't, 1...Re2 loses to the Bishop fork 2.Bd3+ and 1...Rc5
2.Bd3+ forces the King away from the Rook.

White to move

While our other positions in this article are not likely to occur in a real game, this Rook and
Pawn position has been seen in countless endgames. White wins with 1.Rh8 Rxa7 2.Rh7+.
Black to move would draw with 1...Kg7, when the King shuttles safely between g7 and h7.
White to move

Here the mighty Queen is dominated by two minor pieces. White wins with 1.Bd6! If Black
guards the threatened mate with 1...Qe3, then 2.Be5+ Qxe5 3.Nf7+ wins. If Black tries to
promote the Pawn with 1...Qg7 2.Be5 a4, then after 3.Bxg7+ Kxg7 4.Nf5+ Kf6 5.Ne3 a3
6.Nd5+ Ke5 7.Nc3 the Knight stops the Pawn in time.

White to move

A lone Queen can normally defend against as much as two Rooks and a Pawn. Here the
position of the Black King gives White a surprising win.
1.Ra4! prevents 1...Qa1 mate, attacks the Queen, and threatens 2.Rh3 mate. If 1...Qxa4,
then 2.Rh3+ wins the Queen with an xray attack from one side. If 1...Qc8 to prevent the
threatened mate, then 2.Rh3+ Qxh3 3.Ra3+ wins the Queen with an xray from the other
side.

White to move

Material is even, but White wins with 1.Rf5!, threatening 2.Bc2 mate. Both 1...Kxf5 2.Bg4+
and 1...Qxf5 2.Bc2+ lose the Queen to an xray attack..

White to move
Finally, with the King tucked in the corner, apparently protected by a friendly Queen and
Pawn, Black looks safe. Watch how the White Queen climbs the long diagonals to force a
win : 1.Qa1+ Kh7 2.Qb1+ Kh8 (2...Qg6 3.Nf8+) 3.Qb2+ Kh7 4.Qc2+ Kh8 5.Qc3+ Kh7
6.Qd3+ Kh8 7.Qd4+ Kh7 8.Qe4+ Kh8 9.Qe5+ Kh7 10.Qf5+ Kh8 11.Qf6+ Kh7 12.Nf8+.

***

Chess pieces present surprising powers, don't they? The simplest positions are sometimes
the most beautiful.
Contents
Elementary Endgames in Chess.................................................................................2
King and Queen vs. King.........................................................................................2
King and Rook vs. King ...........................................................................................3
King and two Bishops vs. King ................................................................................3
King, Bishop, and Knight vs. King ...........................................................................4
Insufficient mating material......................................................................................5
The Pawn's Square .................................................................................................5
King and Pawn vs. King ..........................................................................................6
Elementary endgames (Part 2) ...................................................................................7
Rook vs. Bishop ......................................................................................................7
Rook vs. Knight .......................................................................................................9
Rook and Bishop vs. Rook ....................................................................................10
Rook and Knight vs. Rook .....................................................................................12
Queen vs. Rook ....................................................................................................12
Elementary endgames (Part 3) .................................................................................14
Queen vs. Pawn ....................................................................................................14
Rook vs. Pawn ......................................................................................................17
Elementary endgames (Part 3) .................................................................................22
Bishop vs. Pawn ....................................................................................................22
Knight vs. Pawn ....................................................................................................23
Elementary endgames (Part 4) .................................................................................29
Weak King in front of Pawn ...................................................................................29
Minor pieces ..........................................................................................................31
Major pieces ..........................................................................................................34
Elementary endgames (Part 5) .................................................................................37
Elementary endgames (Part 6) .................................................................................47
Elementary endgames (Part 7) .................................................................................57
Pawns only ............................................................................................................58
Knights ..................................................................................................................60
Bishops .................................................................................................................61
Elementary endgames (Part 8) .................................................................................63
The Lucena position ..............................................................................................63
The Philidor position ..............................................................................................65
Pawn on the 6th rank ............................................................................................68
Pawn on lower ranks .............................................................................................70
Elementary endgames (Part 9) .................................................................................73
Knight vs. Knight ...................................................................................................74
Bishop vs. Bishop (same colors) ...........................................................................77
Bishop vs. Bishop (opposite colors) ......................................................................79
Bishop vs. Knight ..................................................................................................81
Elementary endgames (Part 10) ...............................................................................85