Chess Endgames Flashcards
6 cards from real Chess practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Chess Endgames flashcards as text
What is the 'Réti maneuver' in king and pawn endgames?
Answer: The king moves diagonally to simultaneously threaten to catch a pawn and support its own pawn
The Réti maneuver is a famous king technique where the king moves diagonally to simultaneously threaten to catch the enemy passed pawn and support its own passed pawn to promotion.
What is a 'fortress' in chess endgames?
Answer: A defensive setup where the weaker side creates an impenetrable position to draw despite being materially down
A fortress is a defensive drawing strategy where the weaker side sets up a position that the stronger side cannot penetrate despite having more material.
In a rook and pawn vs. rook endgame with the pawn on the 7th rank, what is the defender's best strategy?
Answer: Keep the rook on the back rank cutting off the enemy king
With the pawn on the 7th rank, the defending rook should stay on the back rank (the Philidor concept's later stage) — once the king is cut off, use checks from behind.
What is 'shouldering' in king and pawn endgames?
Answer: Using the king to block the enemy king from advancing to key squares
Shouldering is a technique where a king moves diagonally to block the enemy king's path, preventing it from reaching critical squares in a pawn endgame.
What is the key winning technique in a king, bishop, and knight vs. lone king endgame?
Answer: Drive the enemy king to the corner that matches the bishop's color
The bishop and knight checkmate requires driving the enemy king to a corner that matches the bishop's color, as checkmate can only be delivered in those specific corners.
What is a 'pawn breakthrough' in endgames?
Answer: A pawn sacrifice that creates a passed pawn or promotes one of the pawns
A pawn breakthrough is a sacrificial combination with multiple pawns where at least one pawn forces its way through to promotion, typically by sacrificing pawns to remove blocking enemy pawns.