There’s a lot of ‘meat’ in the endgame, so I’m going to present here some of its basic principles:

1. Use your King

We are often taught that King safety is of paramount importance.

This is definitely true when the Queens and the Rooks are still on the board.

But when the heavy pieces have been exchanged and the endgame begins, the King should leave his hiding and start assuming a much more active role.

At this phase, you should use your King like any other piece.

Centralise him and move him to where the action is.

2. Create a passed pawn

A passed pawn (especially if connected) is a valuable asset.

Many games have been decided in the endgame because one side managed to create a passed pawn that could not be stopped before promotion.

But even if the pawn can be stopped, it can be used as a decoy. It can tie up the opponent’s defenses near the pawn and this will you give you the opportunity to increase your control of space in the rest of the board.

3. Use your bishop pair effectively

It is often argued that the Knight and the Bishop have similar value.

While this is generally true, there are circumstances where this rule doesn’t really apply.

One of these circumstances is the endgame, where few pieces have been left on the board.

In that scenario, the bishop pair can really make a difference if used effectively, by severely restricting the movement of the enemy pieces and allowing for the gradual increase of space control, that leads to material gains.

4. Take advantage of zugzwang

Zugzwang is a situation in chess where one player is put in a disadvantage because he must make a move while he would prefer to play nothing and just pass.

This is a fine way to take advantage of the difficult position of your opponent and it can simply give you the win in the endgame.

But it is not the easiest concept to understand and requires a post-beginner level of technique.