Master the Queen-Pawn endgame with key strategies to raise your ELO rating. Learn how grandmasters think and secure victories in critical endgames.
Queen-Pawn Endgame Analysis Like a Grandmaster
Let’s examine a Queen-Pawn endgame example that we would normally play spontaneously and make mistakes in. It is very likely that we will encounter this type of endgame. In such a situation, if you are a chess beginner like me, you will try to decide what the best move is. You will reassess the position with each move. In the end, the game will likely end in a draw. So, what does a grandmaster think in this endgame? What should our goal be? I believe this endgame example will add points to your ELO Rating.
From a Grandmaster's Perspective
Grandmasters know what to target in any given situation.
The aim of Black is obvious. The Black pawn wants to promote to a queen. Our only way to capture the pawn without losing our queen to the Black king is to use our king as well.
If Black gets a chance to make a move, the pawn will promote to a queen, and the draw will be secured. So how will we bring our king into play? We need a lot of moves.
The only way to do this is to get the Black king in front of the pawn and block its advancement. Every time the king moves in front of its pawn, we gain a move and can advance our king.
Let's Analyze the Move in Turn
(White) Move 1 - I hope to approach both the king and the pawn with the queen. I must check the king while doing this. The best square for that is d4. Why? Because it’s the square where we check the king and are closest to the pawn.
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| move 1 for white |
(Black) Reaction 1 - The green squares are safe. Because I cannot capture the pawn in return. Since I am one square close, I can protect my pawn by moving in.
I shouldn’t move to the red square. Because that would give me a free move. I would then bring my king closer. Since this will happen eventually, let’s continue by moving the king to one of the green squares.
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| reaction 1 for black |
(White) Move 2 - I need to move the queen to e3. Because I threaten the pawn. The Black king must protect the pawn. The only way to do that is to move to d1.
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| move 2 for white |
(Black) Reaction 2 - The king must move to d1 to protect the pawn. If it moves to any other square, the queen will capture the pawn and White would win.
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| reaction 2 for black |
(White) Move 3 - The queen moves to d3, checking the king and continuing to threaten the pawn. If the king tries to move to another square, the Black pawn will promote to a queen, and the game will end in a draw.
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| move 3 for white |
(Black) Reaction 3 - Finally, patience pays off. If the king reacts in the red direction, it will lose the pawn and the game. It should continue to advance in the green direction to protect the pawn. However, here White's king will gain a move closer.
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| reaction 3 for black |
(White) Move 4 - The king has moved one square closer.
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| move 4 for white |
(Black) Reaction 4 - Black plays Kf2, trying to approach the queen in the safest way and protect the pawn. In short, it struggles here.
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| reaction 4 for black |
(White) Move 5 - We move the queen one square in the green direction, putting the pawn in a pin. Thus, Black can only play with the king and cannot advance the pawn.
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| move 5 for white |
(Black) Reaction 5 - The Black king must retreat to f1, the only square it can play, while continuing to protect the pawn.
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| reaction 5 for black |
(White) Move 6 - We will continue with the same tactic. We will continuously check the Black king, forcing it to move in front of the pawn. We check.
(Black) Reaction 6 and (White) Move 7 - The king escapes to g2. In our 7th move, we immediately move behind the pawn. Thus, at the next move, as soon as the pawn promotes, we can capture the piece.
After our 7th move, repeating the tactic, we will get our king a bit closer and capture the pawn and the king. If you like, let’s continue with the video.
Staying True to Our Goal, We Gained ELO
As we’ve seen together, if our goal is clear, the remaining time at the end of the game becomes less significant. Additionally, I must mention that studying endgames also helps you learn how to defend when you find yourself in a tough position. Because you will know your opponent’s objective. You can immediately punish any small mistake they make and take your ELO rating to the next level.
Let’s evaluate specific positions together, where we can determine our goals. I look forward to your support.
Thank you for joining me up to this point. Goodbye, Chess family!
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