Five endgames worth knowing by heart

Endgame study becomes easier when you stop treating every position as a separate puzzle. A small set of positions explains a surprising number of practical…

Endgame study becomes easier when you stop treating every position as a separate puzzle. A small set of positions explains a surprising number of practical games.

Start with these five King and pawn against king: opposition and key squares The square of the pawn Lucena: building the bridge with a rook Philidor: defending from the sixth rank Queen against a pawn on the seventh rank

Do not only read the solution. Put the position on a board and play it against a friend from both sides. If the winning side cannot win quickly, reset it. If the defending side holds, swap colours.

The point is not to memorise every move. It is to recognise the shape of the position early enough that you know what you are trying to build.

One endgame played several times is usually more useful than ten endgames skimmed once.