General Notes: Always have a strategy or game plan. Dont move until you see it!

Dont be afraid to make long calculations. Utilise the last remaining shred of energy to achieve the result and not throw it away. Make the correct exchanges. Exchanging B for A can be very important if it weakens the opponents pawn structure, creates a passed pawn and improves your position. Immobilising one of the opponents pieces can be equivalent to being a piece up in the endgame. Always a good idea. Pawn islands. Making holes in the opponents pawn structures is important so that the pawns cannot advance, putting up walls and stopping the king from playing an active role. Plus, they become easier to pick off. In the endgame, identify good positions and outposts for your pieces, and then occupy them. Bishops: Try to maximise the potential of your bishops by choosing a diagonal where they are most effective. They can be extremely powerful along a single diagonal, protecting your own pawn and preventing the opponents from advancing. Remember! It is not always possible to convert the endgame into a win without compromising material advantage. Sometimes, a sacrifice can be necessary for a win. King and Pawn Endgames: Up to the 5th rank, the attacking king should be two ranks ahead of the pawn. When the pawn reaches the 5th rank, the king only needs to be one rank ahead. Whenever the defending king leaves a critical square, the attacking king should advance. To force the defending king to leave the defence of a critical square, the attacking king should maintain its opposition. Likewise, the defending king should maintain opposition to achieve a draw. It all depends on whose turn it is. Note: When the last pawn is on the rook files, all the defending king has to do is occupy the corner, and the game will be drawn Queen and King against King and Pawn: Usually an easy win, but a draw if the pawn is on the 7th rank, in the rook or bishop files. With the queen, try to occupy the queening square, and bring your king in slowly. The technique is to keep on checking him or pinning him, force the king in front of the pawn and then bring your king one step closer. Kings and Pawns: 1) Mutual Zugzwang when each king is blocking an opposing pawn and the two pawns are side by side. If either king moves, a pawn will be lost.

2) When pawns are on d2 and e3 for example, with a king on d3, then the two pawns defend themselves. The pawn on e3 cannot be taken, and if the pawn on d2 is taken, the king never get back in time to stop the advancing pawn on e3 from promotion. 3) If two pawns are on the same rank, a file apart, they also defend themselves. The squares in the middle are under attack, so the king cannot occupy the middle ground. If the king attacks the pawn on the left, the pawn on the right can be pushed, and vice versa. If the king does not attack, the pawns can be advanced by wasting a move and maintaining the same pawn structure. 4) Pawns two files apart do not defend themselves, unless for example they are both about to queen. 5) Will the king stop the advancing pawn? If the king can occupy the imaginary square formed by the advancing pawn, no matter whos move it is, then yes, the king can stop it. Bishops of the same colour: Triangulation. Bishops can be used to lose a move and force zugzwang on the opponent. Powerful when the opponent is slowly choked, eventually forced to run out of moves. For this to work, a strong central king, and better pawns, are required. An active king is crucial. In the endgame, the king should always be used as a main weapon. Try to paralyse the opponents king. When there are two bishops of the same colour, your bishop can be used to protect a pawn as it tries to advance up the rook file. Just use your bishop to protect the few squares on the rook file that it can, and the other bishop cannot stop the pawn. If a knight is separated from a bishop by two or more ranks or files, the bishop can occupy a central position, completely stopping the knight from progressing in that direction. Bishop against Knight A bishop can cover both sides of the board very quickly by being able to travel large distances quickly. The knight, however, can cover both light and dark squares, unlike a single bishop. Note: with Bishops, your no.1 priority should be to lock your opponents pawns on the correct squares, and mobilise your own pawns. The first move of the endgame should be a sound structural one Note: in an endgame with king and bishop against king and pawn, if the bishop cannot attack the corner, then the game is a draw because all the defending king has to do is occupy the corner and stalemate will ensue. If, though, the bishop can attack the corner, then the defending king will eventally be forced to move away and the attacking king can marshal its pawn to promotion. Knight against Bishop Completely immobilise the opponents bishop. Manipulate pawn structures to develop a closed game to favour your knight and further immobilise the bishop. Try to create an outpost for the knight so that the king can come into play.

Knight & Bishop against Rook Dominate the board with the two pieces to render the rook useless. As the pawns are prepared to be pushed up the board, defend the squares ahead which the bishop cannot, with the knight. Using the pawns, king, and the knight and bishop in tandem, a wall can be set up to advance the pawns and defend against the bishop. The pawns, remember, should be on the opposite coloured squares of the bishop to not hinder its movement.

Bishops of opposite colour Tend to be drawish, because sometimes material advantage is not enough to force a win. The principle of two weaknesses is very important, as it is in the middlegame as well. Try to keep his king busy by distracting him with a potential passed pawn on one side, and his bishop on the other. The bishop should then be attacked while ensuring that the king is too far away to help. Remember, the initial outpost for the king is very important. Since it can be placed on a square opposite to the colour of the opponents bishop, it can never be dislodged. And vice versa. Deny the opponent the opponent to create an outpost for his king. Try to create as many problems for your opponent as possible. But most importantly, if you have sufficient material, try to avoid such endgames, because they are very drawish. Understatements. Try to provoke your opponent to weaken his own position. Rook and Pawn Endgames 2 rules: The Rook must be behind the passed pawn. Second, the passed pawn must be pushed.

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