Basic endgames
Once most pieces are gone, the king is a strong piece too. The king you kept hidden in the opening and middlegame comes forward in the endgame.
Use your king
With the queens and rooks off the board, there is little danger of mate. In the endgame the king captures enemy pawns and escorts its own. When the pieces thin out, bring your king toward the center first.
King and pawn versus king
King and one pawn against a lone king is the foundation of all endgames. The rule is to put your king in front of the pawn rather than pushing the pawn first. With your king ahead of the pawn, you can push the enemy king aside and walk the pawn forward.
The key idea is the opposition. When the two kings face each other with one square between them and it is the other side's turn, you "have the opposition". Kings can never stand next to each other, so the other king has to step aside.
When the enemy king is far away, picture the square from the pawn to the last rank. If the king cannot step into that square, it will not catch the pawn before it queens.
Mating with the queen, and stalemate
With a queen or rook left, you can drive the enemy king to the edge and mate it, but only with help from your own king.
Watch out for stalemate: the side to move is not in check but has no legal move, and the game is a draw. The further ahead you are, the more careful you should be with moves that only take away the last escape squares.
A good move Qb7#
Check with the queen, protected by the king: checkmate.
A common mistake Qc7
This covers every square the black king could go to, but it is not check. Black has no legal move: stalemate, a draw.
Mating with the rook
A rook mate also needs the king's help. Push the enemy king to the edge, put your king right in front of it, then check along the edge. Checks with your king far away only let it escape.
A good move Ra8#
Your king stands right in front of the black king, so a check along the back rank is mate.
A common mistake Re7+
It is check, but the black king escapes to d8 or f8.
Practice
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