thinking out of the box

When club players think of improvement they always talk about tactics, openings, and possibly game analysis. Those are no doubt important factors, however, one very important part of chess is often being neglected. I think you know what I’m talking about…

Endgames are where the major part of improvement hides. Grandmasters know that. Titled players know that. They also have a few tricks up their sleeve that allows them to play endgames near-perfectly with a minimum memorization.

This is how it’s done.

Endings are perhaps most underrated part of the game. Club players focus most of their attention on openings and tactics and completely forget about the ending stage. That leads to problems in understanding how pieces and pawns work together in the long run. At the same time, it makes a transition from middlegame to an ending a difficult journey. Many players simply don’t know whether they should exchange off pieces and go for an ending (even if they have absolutely dead-won endings on the board).

Ulf Andersson is no doubt one of the reference names for those who want to improve their positional style and technique. The Swedish Grandmaster was one of the top players of his time, reaching number four in the rating list in 1997. He won a great number of prestigious tournaments such as Dortmund, Wijk aan Zee and Reggio Emilia. Although he doesn’t play much over the board anymore, he is a strong correspondence player, also having the title of Grandmaster.

There are certain things in chess that we only learn through experience at the chessboard, or as they say, “the hard way”. This is the case for typical endgames in which we fall by accident and have to work our own way out to survive. If you are already a skilled player then you should succeed in finding the right moves at the board, although not without difficulty. If you’re a club player then it is almost certain that you will lose these kinds of endgames for not knowing what to do, or more importantly: not knowing exactly what you should NOT do!

All rook endgames are drawn, they say… but are they really? They might be, but how many times has it happened that you drew a winning one or lost a drawish one? Probably every chess player has such examples, as well as happier situations when the game has changed in your favor. They are definitely some of the most difficult endgames and studying them could save the day more than once.

Endgame is a very special phase of the game. It is not only special because each pawn, tempi and a wrong move can lead to a disaster, but also because endgame is decisive. Memorization and tactics won’t be as useful here. Success mostly depends on the fundamental understanding of simple positions and technical skill. If you want to progress as a chess player working on endgames is the must. It is literally impossible to become a strong player without a deep understanding of simple endings.

Today we will look at some of the finest examples of endgame play.

When analyzing with my students the game between the Bulgarian Grandmaster Ivan Cheparinov and the Indian Grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna I realized a few things about this particular structure that arises from the Catalan opening.

It is no secret that knowing how to play endgames is very important. Especially in the present day, with so much information about openings, access to coaches and special training in tactics, it is worth your time to accumulate as much endgame knowledge as you can.

Endgame is one of the most important and at the same time complicated parts of chess. It appears simpler than the Middlegame or the opening, but it is very misleading. Every tiny mistake maybe decisive and instantly lose the game.  Every pawn, square and tempi are something to look out for. The calculation must be deep and precise, the plan should be flawless. In today’s article, we will see some of the greatest masterpieces played by Alexander Alekhine, Jose Raul Capablanca Tigran Petrosian, and few other greatest players.  Want to improve your game? Start with the endgame.

The endgame is one of the most difficult aspects for a chess player to learn and train. This is because of the nature of the endgame itself; you prepare for scenarios that you don’t really know when, where or even if they will occur.