AiChessChess endgames: Lucena, Philidor and opposition
Learn to convert an advantage or hold a draw: five endgames to play from either side, with tablebase move verification.
Learning an endgame takes more than remembering a sequence. Identify the result to preserve, choose a plan and check how it changes after the opponent replies. AiChess combines model positions with interactive practice that accepts multiple correct continuations.
Choose a position below, select your side and start the attempt. Use the keyboard arrows to replay moves. Hints are recorded: guided completion is different from an independent solution.
Lucena: shelter your king
A pawn close to promotion is not enough: your king can block it while facing checks from the opposing rook. Clear the path, drive the opposing king away and prepare your rook as a shield.
Before moving, ask where the next check will come from and whether your rook can block it without losing the pawn. The attempt requires a verified win through checkmate or a winning promotion.
Open this endgame →Philidor: defend before checking
Keep your king ahead of the pawn and use the rook to prevent the attacking king from entering. While you can hold this barrier, an aimless check may be less useful than preserving defensive space.
When the pawn advances and the geometry changes, seek checks from behind with sufficient distance. Every move preserving at least a draw is accepted. Ten correct moves are a training target, not completion of the whole endgame.
Open this endgame →King and pawn: secure an entry square
Use your king to control the pawn’s route. An immediate push may surrender an important tempo or leave the pawn undefended. Check where the opposing king can move next.
Near promotion, also watch for stalemate: leaving a king with no legal move when it is not in check draws the game. In this position, reach a promotion that preserves a verified win.
Open this endgame →Opposition: whose turn is it?
Kings facing each other with one square between them cannot step toward each other. The side to move determines who must yield ground. Opposition is a tool: the objective is to prevent the king from entering and the pawn from promoting.
Follow the pawn and examine the opponent’s reply. Do not repeat a move simply because it preserves a geometric pattern. Practise both colours to separate the plan from board orientation.
Open this endgame →King and rook mate: restrict the space
The rook cuts off ranks or files while your king supports the restriction. Drive the opposing king toward an edge, keep the rook safe and avoid removing every legal move without giving check.
Before the final check, inspect escape squares. The rook attacks the king and your king helps prevent escape. This attempt ends only with actual checkmate, not after a fixed sequence.
Open this endgame →Available tablebases cover standard endgames with up to five pieces, including kings. Verification also considers the fifty-move rule and repetitions within the attempt. If verification is unavailable, no result is invented. Five models are not a complete course: also use Study’s introductory exercises and measure independent recall over time.