LaviChess

Chess endgames: the most important ones to know

The endgame is where won games have to be won. Many won positions end in a draw because the technique was missing, and many lost ones are saved by the player who knew a single trick. Here are the endgames every chess player can use, in the order they are easiest to learn.

Why endgames?

When most of the pieces are gone, the game changes. The king no longer needs to hide; it becomes a strong piece. The pawns matter more with every piece that is traded, because a pawn that reaches the last rank becomes a queen. And much can be known in advance: which positions are won, which are drawn, and exactly how to play them.

That knowledge pays off as early as the middlegame. If you know an endgame is won, you can trade pieces with a clear conscience. If you know it is a draw, you can save half a point in a position that looks lost.

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Mate with a rook: the kings face each other, and the rook checks along the back rank. One of the first endgames everyone learns.

In this order

Checkmates

Mate against a lone king. Start here: without them you can't win a won endgame.

  1. Mate with a queenThe queen shuts the king in, your king helps. Watch out for stalemate.
  2. Mate with a rookBuild a box with the rook and shrink it.
  3. Mate with two bishopsThe bishops as a wall, the mate in the corner.

Pawn endgames

Only kings and pawns. Here the kings' placement and a few moves decide everything.

  1. The rule of the squareCan the king catch the pawn? Draw a square.
  2. The oppositionThe kings face to face. The one who has to move gives way.
  3. King and pawn vs. kingThe key squares decide: a win or a draw.

Queen vs. pawn

When two pawns race and one of them gets there first.

  1. Queen vs. pawnThe queen wins, except sometimes against rook and bishop pawns.

Rook endgames

The most common endgames of all. Two positions and a few principles go a long way.

  1. The Lucena positionThe king steps out, the rook steps in. The pawn goes through.
  2. The Philidor positionThe rook on the third rank, then checks from behind.
  3. Rook endgamesAn active rook, and the rook behind the passed pawn.

Practice against the computer

Every page has a board where you play against the computer. You take the winning side, and the computer defends as well as it can. In the Philidor position it's the other way around: there you defend, and the computer tries to win. Everything is worked out in your browser.

Want to keep going after the endgames? Read about tactics, which often decide who gets the won endgame, or play a whole game against one of our computer opponents.

Frequently asked questions

What is an endgame in chess?

The last phase of the game, when most of the pieces have been traded. There is no exact line, but people often say the endgame has begun when the queens are gone or when only a few pieces are left.

Which endgames should you learn first?

Mate with a queen and mate with a rook, because you need them to win almost every won endgame. Then king and pawn against king, with the rule of the square and the opposition, and after that Lucena and Philidor in the rook endgames.

Why should the king be active in the endgame?

Once the queens are off the board, there is rarely any danger of mate. Then the king becomes a strong piece that attacks the opponent's pawns and supports its own.

How does practicing against the computer work?

You play the winning side, or defend in the Philidor position, and the computer answers with its best move right in your browser. No account is needed, and no moves are sent to any server.

Updated October 28, 2026