The Four Endgames Every Chess Player Must Know!

The truth is that endgames decide a huge number of practical games.
In this article, I’ll cover the four most basic and most frequently occurring endgames that every chess player must know. These positions appear again and again, at almost every level, and mastering them will immediately make you a stronger and more confident player.

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1. Opposition – The Heart of Pawn Endgames

If there is one concept that defines pawn endgames, it is opposition.
Opposition is about controlling key squares with the king. When the kings stand in front of each other with one square in between, the player who is not to move has the opposition. This simple idea often decides whether a king can advance or must remain blocked—and ultimately whether a pawn can promote or not.
Many king-and-pawn endgames are won or drawn purely because one side understands opposition and the other does not. Players often push pawns too early or move their king away from critical squares, only to realize too late that the position is lost.
To successfully promote a pawn while the opponent’s king is actively defending, 2 conditions are required:

• Your king must be in front of the pawn.
• You must control the opposition.

Let's study the following position and determine whether the winning conditions are present, or if the defender can hold a draw

If Black moves first , though, things are very, very different:

2. The Square of the Pawn – Calculating Without Calculating

When a passed pawn starts racing down the board and your king is far away, the position often comes down to a single, critical question: can the king catch the pawn in time?
Many players try to answer this by calculating move after move—imagining the pawn advancing, the king chasing, and repeating this process several times. It’s slow, tiring, confusing, and unnecessary.
There is a much simpler method. In positions like this, where White’s king is far from the pawn, the entire game depends on whether Black’s king can stop it. If the king reaches the pawn, the game is drawn; if not, the pawn promotes and the game is lost.
The answer lies in a technique called the Square of the Pawn.

There’s one exception to the square of the pawn rule, which is when the pawn is still on its starting square. The reason for this is very simple: the pawn can move two squares instead of one, unlike usual.

Because of that, we draw the square one square ahead of the pawn’s current position in order to see if the king can catch it.

Mastering the square of the pawn saves time, energy, and unnecessary calculation and often saves half a point.

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3. The Lucena Position – How to Win Rook Endgames

Rook endgames are the most common piece endgames in chess, and the Lucena position is the foundation for winning them.
This position arises when the stronger side has a rook and a pawn on the seventh rank, with the attacking king blocking its own pawn, while the defender prevents that king from stepping out. The key idea is to build a “bridge” with the rook, shielding the king from checks and allowing the pawn to promote.

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4. The Philidor Position – How to Hold a Worse Rook Endgame

Just as important as knowing how to win is knowing how to defend.
The Philidor position is the fundamental drawing technique in rook endgames when you are a pawn down. Instead of passively waiting, the defender keeps the rook active and uses precise checking ideas once the pawn advances.
Players who don’t know this position tend to defend passively, allowing the opponent’s king to improve and eventually lose.

There might be an exception in this particular position. Even if you find yourself in a passive position already, you can still draw the game. In practice, try to use Philidor and avoid having a passive rook.

These kinds of passive Rook positions are winning for the stronger side if the pawn (which is on the 6th rank) is a bishop-pawn, queen-pawn, or king-pawn (thanks to the possibility of swinging the Rook over to the other side). However, a knight-pawn or rook-pawn is hopelessly drawn, since this 'swing the Rook over' maneuver is no longer possible.

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That’s a wrap on four key endgame rules—two for pawn endgames and two for rook endgames. What would you like to see next: more endgame theory, deeper positions, or a fresh series on tactics, defense, or openings? Share your thoughts in the comments!