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We know that the king is the most important piece in chess and we have to ensure his safety during the game. If the king falls under continuous threats, the game is lost. That’s why we normally try to castle quickly and to seek a calm place for the king at the edge of the board, behind the friendly pawns. But this is not a permanent rule that we have to follow in every position. The situation changes when we arrive at the endgame. Mating threats disappear with the limited number of pieces on the board and the king’s role in chess becomes very different. The king becomes a very powerful and offensive piece. This is the moment when the king comes out, takes initiative, and actively helps his own pieces.
The King in the Endgame
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White to play
Let’s see one practical example for understanding how important the king’s role becomes in the endgame, and what great leadership he can demonstrate. White is in a better position as he has a more active king, advanced pawns and a good bishop against the knight. However, the realization of this advantage is quite surprising: 1.Be6+! White just gave up the pawn. 1…Nxe6; 2. dxe6 Rxe6 and now the key idea of the combination: 3. Kd5! White sacrificed the pawn to liberate the d5 square for the king and to get access to the queen’s side pawns. The king goes to c6 and even Re7 will not help as White will also go for Ra3-a7 maneuver. Black’s pawn chain will fall.
Tips
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- Remember that in the endgame the king is a powerful fighting unit and can be a great attacker or defender.
- If the queens are gone from the board and there are no mating threats – bring the king into the center. As the king has quite limited range, the center is the best place for him.
- Sometimes the queens are exchanged but still there are a lot of pieces on the board that can cause problems for the king. In this case it’s still quite dangerous to put the king in the middle of the board, but at least we can start moving him in that direction. For example we can place him on the second rank, still covered by some friendly pawns or pieces.
