CHAPTER V
THE END-GAME
JUST as it is difficult to state the exact point at which an opening ends, so is it equally difficult to say where the end- game may be said to commence. One of the main characteristics of end-games is the active part taken by the King. Clearly the King cannot venture out into the field of operations until there has been an exchange of the majority of the pieces, so that there can be no danger of his being mated. As soon as a player has attained some advantage in material which ensures the victory in the end- game, he will try to bring about the end-game by exchanging pieces, for there the lines on which to push home his advantage are clearly set out.
It is first necessary to know what surplus of forces is the minimum required in order to force a mate. The positions in which the mate can be forced may be shown by a few typical examples. But I shall lay stress mainly on one point. That is the ability to judge whether an end-game which could be brought about by exchanges is won or not; in other words, whether it can be reduced to one of the typical positions referred to above.
It is obvious that the end-game is the particular demesne of pawn strategy. Nearly always one or more pawns survive the exchange of pieces, and the knowledge of the end-game will be invaluable for gauging the consequences of pawn moves in the course of the middle game. The latter represents probably the most difficult aspect of the strategy of chess.
In order to enable beginners to grasp the following chapters, I must again point out a few elementary considerations.
Simple end-games, that is, end-games without pawns, are comparatively easy to understand. Let us first consider the case of a King denuded of all his troops. In order to force the mate it is necessary to obtain command of four squares, namely, those four squares which he controls after he has been driven into a corner. Supposing the Black King has been driven to QR1, the White King can prevent him from reaching two squares of different colour, namely, QR2 and QKt2. Therefore it is necessary for White still to have such forces as can command two more squares of different colour, namely, QR1 and QKt1. As can readily be seen, it will be essential to have at least the Queen or a Rook or two Bishops, or a Knight and Bishop, or two Knights. [Footnote: How the King can be driven into a corner will be shown subsequently.]
We shall see that in the latter case it is impossible to drive the King into a corner without bringing about a stalemate. The mates by a Queen or Rook are so simple that I only give an example of each for the sake of completeness.
Position 1.—White: K at QR1, Q-KR1
Black: K at K4
1. K-Kt2, K-Q5; 2. K-Kt3, K-K4; 3. K-B4, K-Q3; 4. Q-K4, K- Q2; 5. K-B5, K-B1; 6. K-B6, K-Kt1; 7. Q-QR4, or Kt4ch, or K7, or R7 and mate next move.
Position 2.—White: K at QKt3, RKR2
Black: K at K4