In this post, I will discuss why every chess player should devote time to studying endgames.
We talk about endgames when there are only a few pieces left on the board and when the kings get an active role in the game. The most popular endgames are pawn, rook, and minor pieces endgames, and because the positions are relatively simplified compared to the opening and middlegame stages, established principles and manoeuvres may guarantee the full point or the draw if correctly played. Complex endgames (with material imbalances, for example) obviously can verify as well, and for some of them generalisations exist, but those are rarer are more difficult to play.
Beginners often prefer to start studying chess from the opening, as a basic understanding of the opening is required in every game, while endgames may not necessarily appear on the board. While this is common sense, and learning opening principles is important, studying endgames guarantees a better understanding of the game of chess in general and an improvement of your skills as a chess player (particularly calculation and positional play).
The main reason to study endgames is that after you learn them, you are better prepared to play the middlegame, as you know when to exchange pieces and when not. Understanding if you should exchange rooks to enter a pawn endgame is often what determines the final result. Another reason to study endgames is that you usually play them when you have little time left on the clock. Therefore, you may not be able to rely only on calculation. A third reason is that endgames are often neglected by most beginners, and if you get better at them you gain a substantial advantage against your opponents (you may even want to go straight for the endgame if you think to be better prepared, or at least, you may not fear to enter an endgame if your opponent attempts it). During my career, I scored several points in draw positions only because my opponents had little time on the clock and were unsure how to proceed.
Here is an example.
Varriale-Ferrante, Palermo 2017. White moves.
I played the position above against Luca Varriale, a Sicilian player rated around 2250 FIDE at the time of the game. The position is a draw with best play, but it is not without poison. Ideally, the defender’s rook should go behind the passed pawn to avoid promotion, but this concept does not work in this position because of the 2 extra pawns (Black’s g4 and White’s g3) and White's king on the 1st rank. Placing the rook behind the pawn (Ra4 in chess notation) loses after king to f5 (Kf5). The king simply marches to b5 attacking the rook, which will have to give up the 4th rank (going to a8, for example). At this point, the king goes to c4-d4-e4-f3 and win the pawn g3 (threatening checkmate).
Black's king marches to b5.
The correct defence was instead Rc3, to answer Kf5 with Re3! limiting the king and looking at Black’s a-pawn simultaneously. Black can only attempt to make progress by checking White’s king to the first rank (Ra1+, which will be followed by Kg2), and pushing his a-pawn to a3. Only now, White plays Ra3. Black can try the same manoeuvre as before (bringing the king to b4 attacking the rook to conquer the 3rd rank). However, now that the f3 square is controlled by White’s king, Black’s king has no way to cover from the checks of White’s rook. The game is a draw.
The black king is harassed by checks, and Black cannot do progresses.
This game allowed me to win the tournament and the first price (300 euros). This money pays back the investment I did when I bought endgames books when I was younger!
Endgame books that I enjoyed are: Dvoretsky’s endgame manual (it is a fantastic book but it is as simple to study as a book of organic chemistry and I won’t recommend it to a beginner), Starting out: pawn endgames by John Flear and Starting out: rook endgames by Christ Ward (both excellent for beginners), and Practical chess endings by Paul Keres (excellent for intermediate level players).
I wish you to play great endgames!
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