Endgame principles

For the opening and the middle-game I'm aware of principles to follow as basic strategic ideas.

Like trying to control the center, developing the least active pieces to squares where they get the most activity, attacking weaknesses and so on.

But when it comes to a relatively even endgame, I don't really know any strategic ideas other than pushing pawns.

So is anyone aware of endgame principles that are as easy to grasp as the ones for the opening?

That I know and I'm not even that great a player.

What seems more interesting is the combos and pattern recognition and when to enter a king-king-pawn combo in the first place to succeed in getting a queen, rather than stalemate or losing the pawn, because it might involve a stalling move at the right time, or something like that.

I'd be interested in knowing tricks that transcend the more obvious things people can easily see and learn from experience, to things discovered through extensive playing and deep analysis, distilled down into rules and patterns that really increase effectiveness.

paulgottlieb's first three are incredibly valuable, trust me.

The "rook belong behind pawns" however, although it is a good rule of thumb, will never replace calculation in rook endgames.

My rough guess would be that placing the rook behind the pawn works in 65-70% of the cases. While getting active instead of defending is more like 95-99% (note : only applies to rook endgames !).

Another good rule is that rooks are bad blockers. ie, when you have the choice between the rook or another piece (usually the king) to block a passed pawn from advancing, usually you should put the other piece.

More basic stuff : one more pawn is more likely to give a win, at equal piece activity, when :

-there are less pieces on the board (exception : avoid trading to win when there are opposite-colored bishops) ;

-the remaining pawns are on two sides of the board ;

-there are more pawns on the board. A classic example is rook + 4 pawns vs rook + 3 pawns on the same side ; it often ends in a draw, but the side with one more pawn usually tries to win because it is not so easy to draw. The defending side tries to trade the pawns.

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From Reuben Fine's Basic Chess Endings.

1.Start thinking about the endgame in the middlegame.

2.Somebody usually gets the better deal in every exchange.

3.The king is a strong piece. Use it!

4.If you are one or two pawns ahead, exchange pieces but not pawns.

5.If you are one or two pawns behind, exchange pawns but not pieces.

6.If you have the advantage, do not leave all the pawns on one side.

7.A distant passed pawn is half the victory.

8.Passed pawns should be advanced as rapidly as possible.

9.Doubled, isolated, and blockaded pawns are weak:Avoid them!

10.The easiest endings to win are pure pawn endings.

11.Passed pawns should be blockaded by the king, the only piece that is not harmed by watching a pawn is the knight.

12.Two bishops vs. bishop and knight constitute a tangible advantage.

13.Bishops are better than knights in all except blocked pawn positions.

14.Do not place your pawns on the color of your bishop.

15.The easiest endings to draw are those with bishops of opposite colors.

16.Rooks belong behind passed pawns.

17.A rook on the seventh rank is sufficient compensation for a pawn.

18.Not all rook endings are drawn!

19.Perpetual check looms in all queen endings.

20.Every move in the endgame is of the utmost importance because you are closer to the moment of truth.

Xilmi, Thank you for the question and thanks to those who responded. Without guiding principles I get baffled. Your answers have given me some principles and helped me. Thanks again.

The textbooks say to trade pieces if you are up in material and pawns if you are behind. Ignore this advice. If your opponent is under pressure, don’t trade pieces unless it leads to a clear advantage.  The side with an advantage usually wants to trade off a few pawns to open lines for his king and pieces to penetrate the holes in the enemy’s pawn structure.

In the endgame a weakness is a square that has to be defended by a piece. In positions with even material, where the opponent has one weakness, you must create a second weakness to win. Your goal is to tie him down to the defense of a weakness on one side of the board while your king penetrates on the other side. You’ve seen this principle in pawn endings. In positions where you are a pawn ahead, the usual idea is to sacrifice the extra pawn to draw the defender’s king away, opening a path for your king to penetrate on the other side of the board and win multiple pawns.

The winning plan usually follows this step-by-step sequence.

1.       Unless you have a forced win, stopping counter-play is always the first priority.

2.       Centralize your king.

3.       Attack the weakness and tie his pieces down to its defense.

4.       Maximize the location of your pieces.

5.       Repair any small positional defects you may have while he is in the bind.

6.       Push pawns on the opposite wing from the first weakness.

7.       Exchange pawns to open lines and create a second weakness.

8.       Attack the new weakness with a piece.

9.       Win material or reach a book ending that you know is a win.

10.   Play out your winning position. If you see how to reach a known book position that is a forced win, don’t try to find a quicker or cuter solution.

It also depends on the file, and checking distance.

If your opponent has one bishop, then in nearly every position it is favorable to place your pawns in the opposite color of that bishop.

Yes but aren't you talking about technical endgames here, where there are few enough pieces to absolutely know the position, whereas the OP is talking about endgames with more pieces so you have to rely on general principles?

FCEs 10 General Endgame Principles (2001):

1. An endgame is not a middlegame!

2. When up on material, exchange pieces; when down on material, exchange pawns.

3. Do not rush (if it is not a race situation, of course!).

4. The role of the king changes completely compared to the middlegame: in the

endgame it is a strong fighting unit and is especially good at supporting friendly

passed pawns.

5. Wing pawns are often more valuable than centre pawns as they are easier to queen.

Rook's pawns are especially strong against knights; however, in other endings they

may be less valuable.

6. Don't forget about the bishop and wrong rook's pawn draw!

7. The rook is a very strong counterattacking unit. It is not so strong in blockading

enemy passed pawns.

8. Rook endings occur very often in practice. Study them carefully!

9. No rule can replace concrete calculation. All 'rules' have exceptions. Calculation in

the endgame is at least as important as in the middlegame.

10. The art is to find the exceptions, but you are already a strong player when you

know how and when to apply the rules!