For the past couple of months, I’ve been reading articles on the internet about endgame theory. Here are some of the interesting points I came across.
There doesn’t seem to be a clear definition of when the endgame begins. There are three stages in a chess game: the opening (perhaps the first 15 moves); the middle game (this stage ends when the endgame begins); and the endgame. The endgame usually begins when both queens are off the board.
Someone made an interesting comment about the endgame. He said that when the endgame begins, this is when you are playing chess. The opening is only a memorized set of fixed moves. The middle game is only tricks and traps. But during the endgame, you are playing real chess!
Insert Chess Club clip art wherever it looks good – no caption
One of the key points about the endgame is that it is very important for you to get your king into the action. The king becomes a very important warrior. Usually, this involves moving your king towards the center where he can project his power. On the other hand, it is important for you to restrict the movement of the enemy king towards the center. Keep the enemy king nestled back in his corner.
Another key point is to trade pieces if you are ahead, and not to trade pieces if you are behind. That all makes logical sense. But the following point is somewhat hard to understand. The point is: you shouldn’t trade pawns (if you are ahead), and you should trade pawns if you are behind. All the commentators agree on this. If you think long and hard about it, you may be able to understand the reasoning. In any case, put it into practice in your play and see if it works.
The main objective in the endgame is to promote one of your pawns before the other side can promote one of his pawns. To do this, your pawn structure is very important. A doubled pawn (one pawn behind another pawn) is a weakness. When I play chess, I try to force the other side to double his pawns knowing that will be to my advantage during the endgame.
That’s if for now. Maybe I’ll come up with more on this subject down the road. And I’d love to hear your comments. In the meantime, don’t forget to protect your king (and your queen!).
