Mastering the Endgame: Tips and Strategies for Winning at Chess

Chess is a game of strategy, skill, and patience.

Players aim to outmaneuver their opponent and achieve victory. But how does a game of chess come to an end?

We will explore the goal of chess, the basic rules, strategies to end a game, and etiquettes to follow when concluding a match.

Discover the keys to successful chess endings.

What Is the Goal of Chess?

The goal of chess is to checkmate the opposite king. The game of chess is won by the player that successfully puts their opponent’s king into a situation of check (attacked by an opponent’s piece such that it cannot move to another square that is not attacked by the opponent). When a player’s king is in check, the player must make a move that gets it out of check. If a player gets the opponent’s king into a situation of check, and the opponent can make no move to get the attacked king out of check, then the player is considered to have won the game. In chess, so long as the goal of checkmating the opponent’s king has not happened yet, the game is considered to be a draw or still in play.

How Does a Game of Chess End?

A game of chess can end in the following ways:

1. Mate
2. Resignation
3. Draw
4. Time control exceedance

A game of chess ends when one player is in checkmate and recognizes it, when one player is in a resigned position, when both players agree to a draw, or when the game is a timed game and one player exceeds the time control. If an appropriate arbiter is present, an endgame with a theoretical victory can also force a win.

What Are the Ways to Win a Game of Chess?

There are five ways to win a game of chess, specifically by securing one of the three win conditions (Checkmate, resignation, stalemate), or by claiming or accepting a draw (Agreed draw, Draw by insufficient material, Mutual agreement, Draw by repetition, Draw by the fifty-move rule).

1. Checkmate: A move that puts the king in a position where he cannot escape capture. This wins the game.
2. Resignation: The losing player will mention to their opponent something to the effect of “I resign” and ceases to move on their turn. This action ends the game immediately with the remaining player having won by resignation.
3. Stalemate: If the player’s king has 0 available squares and the player has no legal moves left to make to block his king from being captured, and if he is not in check and there are no pieces on the board whose legal moves do not block the players king from being captured (which would be the same as having no legal moves and having 0 spaces to move the king anyways) then it is a stalemate. That would be a draw and neither player would win.
4. Draw by agreement: If both players agree that the game has reached a position where they cannot win and no further moves can change that outcome, they can simply stop playing and a draw will be declared.
5. Draw by insufficient material: If in the final position, neither player has enough pieces on the board to facilitate checkmate then the game goes into a draw.
6. Mutual agreement: Both players separately request the draw, and when the other player does the same, the draw occurs
7. Draw by repetition: The game will be called a draw if the same moves are repeated three times in a row.
8. Draw by the fifty-move rule: Players have 50 moves in which the king is not in check and no pieces are taken by either player. If a player claims a draw in this scenario, then the game will end in a draw.

What Are the Ways to Draw a Game of Chess?

• Two kings, one on each side, are alone on the board.
• A player does not have the turn to move and the player’s king is not under a direct threat of attack.
• Each side has only a king and the player moves their king to a square whence the opponent’s king can be taken, but the opponent’s king cannot be taken because the player, by doing so, would place their own king in danger of being taken on the move.
• No pawn move or capture has happened in fifty moves.
• No player claims a draw themselves.

Chess allows a game to end in a draw under a variety of conditions. If an end game does not result in checkmate, these are some criteria that may apply in which both opposing players equally share victory.

What Are the Basic Rules of Chess?

The basic rules of chess include the following. 5th Edition of FIDE Laws of Chess is the international authoritative guide for these basic rules.

1. Who moves first?
2. How to arrange pieces on the board?
3. How to move the chess pieces?
4. What is the value and capability of different pieces?
5. How to castle?
6. How to conduct an en passant-capture?
7. How to conduct a pawn promotion?
8. What is check?
9. What is checkmate?
10. What is a draw?
11. The touch-move rule?
12. How to record chess games?

In chess, a player moves first. In further games between the same players, the player who had white in the prior game moves first with black. The board in chess should be arranged so each player’s right-hand corner is light-colored. The pieces should be arranged with white queen on d1 and king on e1, and black queen on d8 and king on e8. The rook, pawn, knight, and bishop should be placed at their respective positions in the front row. Each type of piece has different numeric values.

Two of the most important rules with respect to how to end game in chess are CHECK and CHECKMATE. The game is declared a CHECKMATE when a king is under attack and cannot escape and is declared a DRAW when there is no way for the player to move any piece. Other rules include the touch-move rule and recording chess games. Recording is mandatory at tournaments.

What Is the Objective of Chess?

The objective of chess is to force the opponent’s king into a position of Checkmate. The game is won by the player who is able to checkmate their opponent’s king first, meaning that there is no move available for the king to escape capture, while it is not under attack.

Chess is won by fighting to accomplish the following three objectives:

Offense. A player must build a strong enough attack to be able to eventually deliver checkmate, Endgame. The player knows when the rules of chess dictate the outcome is in their favor, and Time. Endgame. The player in an advantageous position must press the attack while the player in a disadvantageous position must delay the inevitable as long as possible with checks, seeking to achieve a win on time.

How Are Pieces Moved?

In chess, the queen, rooks, bishops, and knights move along ranks, files, and diagonals, and the king only moves on opposing king and queen-side squares when castling has not occurred. Pawns move forward and capture diagonally.

Only pawns can move two squares from their starting position and only when a pawn is being moved for the first time. Bishops, knights, and the queen cannot jump over other pieces, but the rook and the queen can move through pieces to reach their destination squares.

What Is Check and Checkmate?

Check refers to when the king is under attack. When the king is in check, the player whose king is in danger should attempt to escape the threat immediately as per the rules of chess. If a player’s king is threatened and they have no legal moves that can counter the threat, then that player is in a state of checkmate and the game ends immediately.

What Is Stalemate?

Stalemate is a situation in chess where a player cannot make any legal move and is not in check. It ends the game, and the rules of chess say that a stalemate is a draw. The player being stalemated loses the game. Stalemate is not a popular term to most as it means the game was lost while not in checkmate. Nonetheless, stalemate is a recognized and not highly uncommon way to end a chess game, with an adapted version of the 50-move rule claiming to end 21% of drawn games in the Telegraph Chess database.

Stalemate is a fantastically deep and counterintuitively challenging concept for many new and experienced players. It allows skilled play when a player is far behind in material in a bad position. By choosing the correct moves, the player can engineer a stalemate thereby claiming a draw when in reality most other moves would have lost the game. It can also work as a sudden means of winning the game for a player who is behind. Below is a famous Anand vs Shirov game example of how stalemate was achieved.

What Are the Strategies to End a Game of Chess?

The strategies to end a game of chess derive from the basic objective of checkmate, whereby the King of one of the players is threatened with capture such that it cannot escape on the next move. The player who does not have their King in such a predicament is considered to be in check. Checkmate is the primary way to end a game, but the following are ways to bring it about:

1. Reducing the piece strength of the opponent’s army to create a material advantage according to their strategic priorities.
2. Clearing files and diagonals for one’s stronger pieces to harass the opponent’s King and to force positional weaknesses, e.g., underprotected pawns, isolated, and doubled pawns.
3. Hinder the opponent from creating a passed pawn (pawn that cannot be stopped from queening).
4. Post-pone the trading of Queens until it can be done on favorable terms for ending the game.

Of course, these strategies to end the game are not the only ways to achieve a victory. Additionally, the end of a chess game in a draw is typical when the pieces and pawn structure are not capable of advancing the game into a checkmating position for either side. Draws are known as stalemates when neither side is able to give a legal move before being put into check, or if only the Kings remain on the board.

Checkmating the Opponent’s King

To end the game in chess, you must checkmate (either through a Discover Check, Zugzwang Checkmate, Imagination Checkmate, Smothered Checkmate, etc.) your opponent’s king and/or force them into a hopeless position from which there is no escape. Because the king cannot legally move into check, if a king cannot escape check because every route of escape is blocked by its opponent, then that player has no safe moves and is officially in checkmate. The game is then over.

Forcing Resignation

The second method of how to end a game in chess is Forcing the Resignation of the opponent. This is often the result of a Checkmate Threat, or just an unfavorable position on the board. When a player has a clearly losing position, it is customary to resign as a sign of respect to one’s opponent because it allows the game to end sooner and not waste the time of everyone involved in the game.

Forcing a Draw

In chess, a draw refers to an outcome of the game in which neither player wins. You can force a draw in chess, much like you can in other games and sports, by creating a board in which the opponent does not have the option to bring about a check or a show of force that would lead to the game’s finish.

To enforce a draw, the identified positions on the board must meet the criteria as dictated by the FIDE Laws of Chess. Such scenarios or positions include, but are not limited to the following stated situations in Article 5.2 of the FIDE Laws of Chess:

1. The same position has appeared or will appear for the third time on the board for each side.
2. The player having the move has made at least three consecutive moves using the exact same piece and pawn in the same squares. It is called the 50-move rule.
3. There is insufficient material left on the board to force a checkmate (for example, a pair of Kings).
4. The player having the move has already made the same exact move two times.
5. It is further illustrated in the following image as mentioned in Article 5.2.3. Charles Sprague Pearce. The End of the Game, 1888-1890, Yale University Art Gallery.

While the third mention of the same board position would secure a draw by the poets, either player may agree with their counterpart to a draw on the spot within these stated rules as well. Of course, draws are possible without all of these specific conditions, but these are governed by the adjudication of the arbiter on site.

What Are Some Common Mistakes to Avoid in Ending a Game of Chess?

Common mistakes to avoid when ending a game of chess include the following:

1. Failing to move toward the center of the board.
2. Not thinking through the end-game strategy and instead making thoughtless, hasty moves.
3. Not protecting your pawns.
4. Seeking to get a pawn into a queening move so quickly that one does not notice or watch for significant strategic threats to their king. Pawn-checkmate is a common blunder in the end-game.

Like any sport or game, ending a game of chess is a skill that is developed with exercise and familiarity. Knowing what not to do allows a player, especially beginners, to focus on and avoid the most common tactical mistakes in the endgame. Beginners focusing on the elimination of the above mistakes can reach an intermediate level of play in a relatively short amount of time. For instance, one common mistake beginning chess players make is to allow their kings to remain on the back rows or sides of the board through the end game.

The following example is from a game in which the black and white pieces are controlled by computer programs despite the boards being set up by humans. If they both dilegently protect their pawns, they are unlikely to dislodge their opponents`. Without a doubt, white will win, as demonstrated in the final screenshots.

What Are the Etiquettes of Ending a Game of Chess?

The etiquette of ending a game of chess means following the rules for the game’s outcome, regardless of your personal feelings. Here are a few pieces of advice to help maintain a friendly relationship after the game:

1. Do not gloat or be boastful. Even if you win, it is polite to be humble.
2. Do not be overly apologetic after losing. A simple “good game” is fine.
3. If you are on a losing streak, do not resign every time you see the possibility of losing. Some players only resign after the outcome is without a doubt a loss, and some players (even yourself from the past) may appreciate the practice time while playing a losing game.

The etiquette for ending a chess game is outlined in the rules of chess. Players have better etiquette if they adhere to these rules. There are a few ways to end a game of chess:

• Mate: Your opponent’s king is attacked and cannot escape capture. This is how most chess games end.
• Resignation: Both players know the outcome of the game unless a major mistake occurs. Typically resignation is made when checkmating is too far off.
• Draw: A result in which no player wins.
• The 50-move rule: A rule where 50 moves are made without any capture or pawn moved. If a player asserts this, a draw can be made if agreed upon and signed by both players. This can be one method to end a stalemate in chess.
• The threefold repetition rule: A rule where the same position appears three times in a game, with the same player having the move each time. If a player asserts so, a draw can be made if agreed upon and signed by both players.
• Insufficient material: A player does not have insufficient material to checkmate the enemy king and doesn’t face checkmate. This can be another method to end a stalemate in chess.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the basic rules for ending a game in chess?

The game can end in three ways: checkmate, resignation, or a draw. Checkmate occurs when the opponent’s king is in check and cannot escape. Resignation is when a player concedes the game due to an unfavorable position. A draw can happen if both players agree, if there is a stalemate, or if there is insufficient material to continue.

2. How do I checkmate my opponent’s king to win the game?

To checkmate, you must place the opponent’s king in a position where it is in check and cannot escape. This can be done by placing the king in check with one of your pieces and not being able to move out of check, or by trapping the king so it cannot move at all.

3. Can a game of chess end in a tie?

Yes, a game of chess can end in a tie or draw. This can occur if both players agree to a draw, if there is a stalemate where neither player can make a legal move, or if there is insufficient material on the board for either player to win.

4. What happens if there is a stalemate during a game of chess?

A stalemate occurs when a player is not in check, but does not have any legal moves to make. In this case, the game ends in a draw. Stalemates can often happen if a player is down to their last few pieces and cannot make any meaningful moves.

5. Is it possible to end a game in chess without capturing the opponent’s king?

Yes, it is possible to win a game of chess without capturing the opponent’s king. This can happen if the opponent resigns or if the game ends in a draw. However, the most common way to end a game in chess is by checkmating the opponent’s king.

6. Can a game of chess go on forever?

No, a game of chess cannot go on forever. If the game reaches a point where there is no possible way for either player to win, it is considered a draw. Additionally, chess games are often timed, with a set amount of time for each player to make their moves, so the game will end when the time runs out.