
A king and pawn endgame with an outside passed pawn should be a far easier win than a middlegame a rook ahead. Also, endings with pawns on both sides of the board are much easier to win. In the endgame, it is usually better for the player with more pawns to avoid many pawn exchanges, because winning chances usually decrease as the number of pawns decreases. Also when all of the pawns are on the same side of the board, often the stronger side must exchange pawns to try to create a passed pawn.
#Chess endgame tablebase 7 pieces plus
There are some exceptions to this: (1) endings in which both sides have two rooks plus pawns – the player with more pawns has better winning chances if a pair of rooks are not exchanged, and (2) bishops on opposite color with other pieces – the stronger side should avoid exchanging the other pieces.

In the endgame, the player with a material advantage should usually try to exchange pieces but avoid the exchange of pawns ( Dvoretsky & Yusupov 2008:134). In general, the player with a advantage tries to exchange pieces and reach the endgame. It becomes more decisive if the stronger side also has a positional advantage ( Euwe & Meiden 1978:xvi). In endgames with pieces and pawns, an extra pawn is a winning advantage in 50 to 60 percent of cases. The game is not in the endgame if these apply:

The game is still in the middlegame if middlegame elements still describe the position. Mednis and Crouch address the question of what constitutes an endgame negatively. Some problem composers consider that the endgame starts when the player who is about to move can force a win or a draw against any variation of moves ( Portisch & Sárközy 1981:vii). Flear considers an endgame to be where each player has at most one piece (other than kings and pawns) and positions with more material where each player has at most two pieces to be "Not Quite an Endgame" (NQE), pronounced "nuckie" ( Flear 2007:7–8).Īlburt and Krogius give three characteristics of an endgame: ( Alburt & Krogius 2000:12) Fine, 1952), while others consider a position to be an endgame when each player has less than a queen plus rook in material. Some authors consider endgames to be positions without queens (e.g. Minev characterizes endgames as positions having four or fewer pieces other than kings and pawns ( Minev 2004:5). Alternatively, an endgame is a position in which the king can be used actively, but there are some famous exceptions to that ( Speelman 1981:7–8). With the usual system for chess piece relative value, Speelman considers that endgames are positions in which each player has thirteen or fewer points in (not counting the king). Alexander Alekhine said "We cannot define when the middle game ends and the end-game starts" ( Whitaker & Hartleb 1960). There is no strict criterion for when an endgame begins, and different experts have different opinions ( Fine 1952:430). In some compositions, the starting position would be unlikely to occur in an actual game but if the starting position is not so exotic, the composition is sometimes incorporated into endgame theory.Ĭhess players classify endgames according to the type of pieces that remain.Īn endgame is when there are only a few pieces left. Many endgame studies have been composed, endgame positions which are solved by finding a win for White when there is no obvious way to win, or a draw when it seems White must lose. Compared to chess opening theory, which changes frequently, giving way to middlegame positions that fall in and out of popularity, endgame theory is less subject to change. The body of chess theory devoted to endgames is known as endgame theory. Most endgames are not solved, and textbooks teach useful strategies and tactics for them. The simplest endgames have been solved, that is, the outcome (win, loss, or draw) of best play by both sides is known, and textbooks and reference works teach the best play. It can be brought to the center of the board and act as a useful attacking piece.

The king, which has to be protected in the middlegame owing to the threat of checkmate, becomes a strong piece in the endgame.

In particular, pawns become more important as endgames often revolve around attempting to promote a pawn by advancing it to the eighth. The endgame, however, tends to have different characteristics from the middlegame, and the players have correspondingly different strategic concerns. The line between middlegame and endgame is often not clear, and may occur gradually or with the quick exchange of a few pairs of pieces. In chess and chess-like games, the endgame (or end game or ending) is the stage of the game when few pieces are left on the board.
