Mixed endgame puzzles
Every other endgame page here tells you what you are looking at. This one does not, which is the point.
- 120 positions in the course
- Difficulty 436–2406
- Section: Endgames
- 5 levels
Why unlabelled practice matters
Studying rook endings as a set of rook endings teaches you rook endings. It does not teach you to notice that the position on your board is one, which is the step that actually fails in a game.
So this skill mixes all of it: pawn races, rook activity, minor piece structure, promotion, zugzwang. The first question in every position is the one you never have to ask in a themed set -- what kind of ending is this, and what does that kind of ending turn on?
How to spot it
- Name the ending type before you look for a move. Rook ending, pawn ending, opposite bishops -- each has its own priority.
- Then apply that type's first question: activity for rooks, opposition for pawn endings, colour of the pawns for bishops.
- Check for a transition. The strongest move in many endings is a trade into a different ending that is theoretically won.
- Count before you calculate. Most endgame errors are arithmetic, not vision.
Three mixed endings
Three positions from the 120 in this skill, easiest first. The highlighted squares are the move your opponent has just played. Work it out before you open the answer.
Position 1
White to move. Find the best move.
Show the answer
49...Bd4 50.Re4#
The line ends in checkmate. Identifying what kind of ending it is comes first, and the winning move follows from what that type of ending is about.
The position comes from an endgame of a real game, rated 693 for difficulty. The answer reaches checkmate.
Position 2
Black to move. Find the best move.
Show the answer
46.Qxc5 46...Qh1#
The line ends in checkmate. Identifying what kind of ending it is comes first, and the winning move follows from what that type of ending is about.
The position comes from an endgame of a real game, rated 1434 for difficulty. The answer reaches checkmate.
Position 3
Black to move. Find the best move.
Show the answer
49.Qb4+ 49...Kd3 50.Re3+ 50...Kxe3
The line wins a rook. Identifying what kind of ending it is comes first, and the winning move follows from what that type of ending is about.
The position comes from an endgame of a real game, rated 1918 for difficulty. The answer reaches a winning advantage.
Transitions are the real skill
The most valuable endgame decision is usually which ending to go into. Trading a pair of rooks can turn a drawn position into a won pawn ending, or a won position into a drawn one, and the calculation is short: it is one exchange deep.
Which is why theoretical knowledge pays even if you never reach the position. Knowing that a specific rook ending is drawn is what stops you trading into it.
Questions people ask
What endgames should I study first?
King and pawn endings, then the two fundamental rook endings -- Lucena and Philidor. Between them they cover the majority of endings that actually arise and the knowledge is exact rather than approximate.
How much endgame study is worth it below 1500?
Less than most books claim, but not zero. The square rule, opposition, and knowing which rook endings are drawn will win you games. Deep theoretical endings will not, because you will lose the position long before you reach them.
Nearby patterns
Endgame Mixed sits in Endgames. The rest of that section: