Summary - Practical Endgames

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Practical Chess Endgames for Club Players

IM Valeri Lilov

Endgame Renaissance #1
After hours of play against a tough opponent you reach an endgame. Your edge is slight and, in 20 moves time,
the result will be known.

Whether you win or draw depends on how you conduct those next 20 moves.

IM Valeri Lilov is here to arm you with the skills you need to squeeze every last half-point from your endgames
with his 6 hour Practical Chess Endgames for Club Players.

As the name suggests, the focus is entirely on the type of positions you encounter in real play. You will learn
how to think in the endgame; how to make progress in tricky positions and how to coordinate your pieces like a
master.

This course has been designed with the competitive player in mind, showing you how to maximize your results
and stop gifting half-points to your rivals.

The course is divided into 11 chapters:

Chapter 1: Activity is everything


Chapter 2: Schematic thinking
Chapter 3: Making progress
Chapter 4: Minor piece imbalances
Chapter 5: Winning with the bishop pair
Chapter 6: Coordinating your pieces
Chapter 7: Accumulating advantages
Chapter 8: Pawn structure secrets
Chapter 9: Promotion tricks
Chapter 10: Key squares
Chapter 11: Summary of the principles

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Practical Endgames - General Concepts

1. Even if the line between some late middlegames and endgames is often not clear,
endgames are fundamentally different from middlegames and openings. Many
guiding principles that are true for the opening or middlegame don’t apply in the
endgame. The king, for example, needs to be well protected when there are many
pieces on the board. Once you’ve reached an endgame, however, king activity
becomes of paramount importance. The king can be brought to the center and act
as an important attacking piece. What’s more, pawns become a lot more important
in endgames because promotion is a key aim.

2. Endgames can be divided into two categories – theoretical endgames and practical
endgames. Theoretical endgames feature positions in which the correct way of
playing has already been analyzed by strong chess masters and is well-known.
Precise knowledge of these theoretical endgames is key.

Practical endgames, on the contrary, feature positions which frequently arise in


the games of many club players. There is no single correct solution and hardly any
theory to use here as there are too many possibilities. Instead, you need to follow
guiding principles to successfully navigate your way through them. Practical
endgames, then, require skills not concrete knowledge.

3. Many of the practical endgame strategies presented in this course repeat over and
over. These strategies can be seen as guidelines which you can use to navigate
more confidently through any endgame you come across. For this reason, you can
regard these endgame techniques as a “mental toolbox” to use when needed.

4. Don’t try to apply these endgame principles blindly. They are just guidelines to
help you in most endgames, but they can’t be applied in every position. If you’re
playing a pawn ending and it comes to a pawn race, for example, following the
principle “Don’t hurry” is definitely counterproductive.

Centralization of the king does not make sense in all endgames either. If you are in a
queen endgame, you need to consider whose king is safer. If you play a rook endgame,
you need to check whose king is more active.

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Chapter 1: Activity is everything

1. The concept of piece activity is extremely important in any practical endgame. Are
your opponent’s pieces tied to passive defense? Do you have open files or outposts
for your pieces? Try to aim for an active setup of your pieces and avoid passive
positions.
2. Piece activity trumps material in the endgame: Whenever you can, maximize the
strength of your pieces and make them as active as possible - even at the cost of a
little bit of material, this can greatly improve your position and help you to win
games that may not have seemed winnable at first. Material is often not as relevant
as the initiative in endgames.
3. Usually, it is not wise to give up valuable pieces for a single pawn in endgames.
Pawn grabbing should be avoided because activity outweighs material in most
endgames.
4. Let all your pieces participate in the endgame and improve all your pieces as much
as you can. Don’t play with only half your army!
5. Centralization of the king is one of the main principles of endgame play. The
changing role of the king is one of the most important characteristics which
separates endgames from middlegames and openings. An active king can protect
weaknesses and control important squares, allowing other pieces like the rooks to
be more actively placed and not have to fulfill defensive tasks.

Chapter 2: Schematic thinking

1. In endgames, technique becomes of primary importance. In the majority of


practical endgames, it is essential to think in terms of plans. Pure calculation of
variations is not enough in many endgames.
2. Therefore, schematic thinking is necessary. Thinking in schemes means thinking
in components of a plan. You need to define your overall plan first. An overall
strategic plan can be promoting an extra pawn on one side of the board or winning
a weak pawn, for example. However, usually a lot of preparatory work is necessary
in order to achieve this goal. You need to come up with several small plans, like
improving the position of the pieces, centralization of the king, creating a
weakness on the kingside, advancing pawns, suppressing counterplay and so on.
3. Do not hurry in quiet positions. If the opponent is deprived of active counterplay,
try to improve your position as much as possible before starting concrete action.
Don’t try to win as quickly as possible. Look for the qualitatively best way to win
the game.
4. There are also some positions in which schematic thinking does not work.
Sometimes, you have to solve concrete problems in endgames. Here, you can’t rely
on abstract concepts, but you need to calculate precisely.
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It is White to move. White can’t rely on general
concepts and play slowly as Black is threatening to
promote his pawn on a3. Therefore, White has to find
a concrete way to stop Black’s plan. White needs to
play 1.b5! cxb5 (1…a2 2.Ra4+-) 2.Re6+ Kg7 3.Rb6!
a2 4.Rxb7+ Kf6 5.Ra7+-. This example teaches us
that schematic thinking also works in positions with
specific threats.

Chapter 3: Making progress

1. Slow but consistent play is key in the endgame.


Do not hurry in quiet positions. If your opponent is deprived of active counterplay,
try to improve your position before starting concrete action. Don’t try to win as
quickly as possible. Look for the qualitatively best way to win the game.
2. Don’t commit yourself without good reason. Play patiently and improve your
position slowly. Patience is a great virtue in endgames – be patient enough and
wait until the opponent makes a mistake himself instead of trying to force a
decision too quickly.
3. Regrouping your pieces to more valuable squares is the best practical try in
endgames. Often your opponents won’t be able to handle your slow and patient
play and will weaken their positions even more.
4. To sum it up, a good strategy to make progress in endgames is to set up your
pieces actively in endgames. Coordinate your pieces, make them work together,
create threats and keep your opponent’s pieces passive.
5. It is important to look at the whole board while you’re regrouping and improving
your pieces. Don’t just focus on the area where the action takes place.

Chapter 4: Minor piece imbalances

1. In chess, some decisions are irreversible. Piece exchanges, for example, can’t be
taken back. You have to consider carefully which pieces to exchange in the
endgame. Due to the reduced material in endgame positions, it is even more
important to exchange the right pieces than it is in the middlegame.
2. Trade off your opponent’s most active piece. A key endgame technique is to identify
the opponent’s most valuable and active piece and to exchange it.
3. If you’re playing against the bishop pair, for example, it is usually a good idea to
exchange a pair of bishops.

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Chapter 5: Winning with the bishop pair

1. Having the bishop pair can be a powerful advantage in any phase of the game. In
endgames, however, the bishop pair is particularly strong. The main drawback of a
bishop is that it can only move along half the squares of the board. Two bishops
combined, however, can become an extremely strong force.
2. The bishop pair is strongest in open positions as the long-range power of a bishop
shows itself best if no pawns are in the way. Therefore, the player with the bishop
pair should try to open the position.
3. Two active bishops are usually worth more than a single pawn. If you’re playing
with the bishop pair, try to activate your bishops, even at the cost of a pawn.

Black has the bishop pair. However, his bishop on b7 is


poorly placed, merely defending the weak pawn on c6.
Therefore, Black seizes his chance and activates his
bishop – even at the cost of a pawn. Black plays 1…Ba6+
2.Kc2 Kd4. White can grab the pawn on c6, but both of
Black’s bishops are now active. Although two pawns
down, Black should never be in any danger of losing.

4. Don’t prioritize speed in the endgame – don’t


rush. Take your time to prepare an expansion of
your pawns and only then drive away the opponent’s pieces.

Chapter 6: Coordinating your pieces

1. If you’re not sure how you can improve your position in the endgame, it is a good
idea to start by improving your worst placed piece.
2. The method of comparison is helpful to detect pieces which aren’t well placed in
your position. Compare your pieces with your opponent’s. Are some of his pieces
more active? Try to find ways to restrict your opponent’s pieces and improve your
own.
3. In order to coordinate your pieces and make them work together, the concept of
segmented planning is vital. You can’t improve all your pieces at once. If your
opponent has no immediate counterplay, improve your pieces step by step. Many
moves might be needed to reach your goal, but it is necessary to take your time in
doing that.
4. Once your pieces are well-placed, advancing your pawns can help you to expand
and put additional pressure on the opponent.

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5. However, it’s important to avoid careless pawn moves. Remember: pawns can only
move forward, never backwards. Pawns that have been advanced too far can easily
become a target for your opponent.

Chapter 7: Accumulating advantages

1. Endgames are often about small plusses like slightly more active pieces, weak
squares, pawn weaknesses and so on. It’s important to play with precision in the
endgame to keep your advantage.
2. Winning a winning position in an endgame is tricky – many players lose patience
after 4 hours of playing. Maneuvering the pieces is often the best decision if you
don’t have to rush –don’t try to force matters too fast. Strong players stay calm and
wait for further mistakes by their opponents before they go for forcing sequences
and advancing.
3. The principle of two weaknesses is key to build up a winning advantage. One
weakness in our opponent’s camp is not usually enough to win the game.
Sometimes, we have a clear advantage, but still can’t find a way to convert it into
victory; the opponent is still able to resist. In such situations, we need to create a
second weakness for the opponent.
4. Even in endgames, tactics are of paramount importance when it comes to
converting your accumulated advantages. Finishing the game often requires a
tactical blow to convert your advantage into something more concrete. Good
endgame technique and chess tactics often go hand in hand.
5. Tactics occur when pieces are in the right places on active squares. When you have
the right structure with pieces working well together, you will find tactical shots
that decide games. Get your pieces to work together. Put the pieces on their most
active squares - tactics don't appear from thin air, so play actively in order to
create these opportunities – even in endgames.

Black’s pieces are actively placed and coordinate well in


the position above. It is not a coincidence that Black
already has a winning tactic 1…Nxg2! White can’t
recapture on g2, as he would be lost after 2.Nxg2 h3.
There is no way to stop the pawn from promoting.

6. A second method to convert your accumulated


advantages in endgames is to go for pawn breaks.
Pawn breaks – like temporary pawn sacrifices – can
destroy the opponent’s defensive setup and allow
your pieces to enter the opponent’s camp with
decisive effect.

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Chapter 8: Pawn structure secrets

1. Pawn structures play a crucial role in the endgame. You need to compare your
pawn structure with your opponent’s. Is the pawn structure symmetrical or not?
Does your opponent have any weak pawns or squares? How many pawn islands do
you have? Are there passed pawns or doubled pawns? All these questions need to
be addressed in the endgame.
2. With reduced material in the endgame, pawn weaknesses like doubled pawns,
isolated pawns, backwards pawns, many pawn islands etc. can turn out to become
decisive factors.
3. If your pawn structure is damaged, try not to exchange too many pieces. The more
pieces come off the board, the more pawn weaknesses start to count.
4. Good endgame technique allows you to exploit
pawn weaknesses in your opponent’s position. In
the Coehn – Rubinstein game, Black managed to
win an endgame with equal material simply
because White had a worse pawn structure.

Material is equal in the position above, but White has a


damaged pawn structure on the kingside. It is instructive
to see how Rubinstein playing Black, converts this static
advantage into a full point.

Chapter 9: Promotion tricks

1. One of the most important endgame goals is to promote your pawns. Passed
pawns become extremely valuable in endgames.
2. Quality above quantity: In most endgames, it is not about the quantity of pawns,
but about the quality of them. One advanced pawn can be far more dangerous than
your opponent’s three pawns which are still on their initial squares.
3. Protected passed pawns are even better than a single passed pawn. In pawn
endings with a protected, passed pawn, the defending king cannot make progress.
If it tries to take the protecting pawn, the other will advance and be unstoppable. If
the king waits by the front pawn, the attacking king can come over to help.
4. We can use the theme of breakthroughs to create a passed pawn. This involves
pushing a pawn forward and allowing it to be captured to clear the way for another
pawn to promote.

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White already has a passed pawn on e6 but Black’s king can stop this pawn. Therefore,
White goes for the winning breakthrough 1.e4!!
Black can’t stop White from creating a protected passed
pawn.
After 1…dxe4 2.d5+, White is simply winning. Black’s
king can never capture the pawn on d5, as the e-pawn
would promote.

Chapter 10: Key squares

1. Key squares are certain squares on the chess


board which are particularly important in a given
position. The player who controls these squares
usually has a huge advantage.
2. The method of regrouping your pieces is very helpful to gain control of these key
squares. First of all, you need to identify the key squares in a given position.
Afterwards, you can think of a plan to get control of these squares.
3. Pawns can also be useful units when it comes to a fight for the control of key
squares.

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