Practical Endgames
Endgame moments from real games (Lichess puzzle database, CC0). Find the winning idea — a fork, a skewer, a breakthrough, a zugzwang. ≤7-piece positions are tablebase-verified; larger ones are engine-sourced.
What you'll learn
The technique, move by move
Every line below is verified against an endgame tablebase — perfect play, no guesswork.
Endgame
1.Ra7+ Ke6 2.Re7+ Kd5 3.d7
Pawn endgame · zugzwang
1.Kg2 Kg5 2.Kxg3
Endgame · skewer
1.Rh7+ Kf8 2.Rxa7
Pawn endgame
1.Kf5 h6 2.Kg6 Ke4 3.Kxh6
Knight endgame
1.Kc6 Kd8 2.Kb7 Kd7 3.a5
Queen endgame · skewer
1.Qa3+ Kd2 2.Qxg3
Rook endgame · promotion
1.Rg6 Rxg6 2.Kxg6 d3 3.g8=Q
Pawn endgame · zugzwang
1.Kc4 Kd6 2.Kb5
Pawn endgame
1.Kb5 Ke5 2.Kxa5
QueenRook endgame · fork
1.Qa2+ Ke3 2.Qxb3+
Knight endgame
1.Kf5 Nc4 2.h5 Nd6+ 3.Kg6
Pawn endgame
1.Kf6 Ke4 2.Kg7 Kf5 3.Kxh7 Kf6 4.Kg8
Pawn endgame
1.Ke5 Kd7 2.Kd5
Pawn endgame
1.f4 Kd6 2.f5
Queen endgame · promotion
1.b8=Q+ Qe5 2.a8=Q g1=Q 3.Qf8+
Rook endgame · promotion
1.Kg7 Rd8 2.h8=Q Rxh8 3.Kxh8 Ke4 4.a4 Kd4 5.a5
Pawn endgame · promotion
1.h6 a3 2.h7 Kc2 3.h8=Q
Rook endgame · skewer
1.Rh4+ Kc3 2.Rxa4
Pawn endgame
1.Kf5 Kd4 2.Kg6
Rook endgame · skewer
1.Rh3+ Ke2 2.Rxa3 d4 3.Ra2+
Pawn endgame · zugzwang
1.Kd4 g5 2.fxg5
Endgame · skewer
1.Rf7+ Ke5 2.Rxf4
Endgame
1.Bxf6+ Kf5 2.Bxd5
Endgame
1.Kxb5 Ng2 2.Ka6 Ne3 3.Kb7
Queen endgame
1.Qe4+ Qxe4 2.fxe4
Rook endgame
1.Rxh6 Rf6 2.Rh7+ Kg6 3.Ra7
Endgame · skewer
1.Qa8+ Kd6 2.Qxf3
Endgame · pin
1.Qh6+ Kg8 2.Qxg7#
Bishop endgame
1.Bf5 Bc7 2.Bc8 b6 3.axb6 Bxb6 4.Bxa6
Endgame · skewer
1.Qh8+ Ke6 2.Qxc3
Drill the Practical Endgames
Practice randomly served positions and play them out against a perfect tablebase until you convert the win every time.
Open the Endgame Trainer →Related endgames to master
The first checkmate every player must own. Use the rook to cut the king off and walk your own king up to force the lone king to the edge.
King & Queen vs KingBox the lone king toward a corner with the queen a knight's-move away — and never stalemate. The fastest of the basic mates once the technique clicks.
Two Bishops vs KingCoordinate the bishops into a wall and herd the king to a corner. Trickier than it looks and a classic test of piece harmony.
Bishop & Knight MateThe hardest basic mate — the king can only be mated in a corner matching the bishop's colour. Learn the W-manoeuvre and the 50-move clock stops scaring you.