Middlegame To Endgame Transition Mastery

GM Bryan Smith

Endgame Renaissance #5
Get the edge over all your rivals with this 6-hour course from celebrated American GM Bryan Smith.

A large majority of club players are weak in the endgame. They usually don't get found out because their
opponents also lack the necessary skill.

This is a huge opportunity for you.

Even if you’ve been slightly worse all game, you can turn the tables and win the game with superior
endgame technique.

In Middlegame to Endgame Transition Mastery, GM Bryan Smith reveals how to:

a) Control the endgame transition to give yourself the best winning chances, and
b) Convert these endgames with flawless technique, regardless of whether they’re rook, minor piece or
king and pawn endings.

When you are serious about improving your endgame skills, it is time for GM Bryan Smith’s Middlegame
to Endgame Transition Mastery.

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Introduction: About This Course
Chapter 4: Strategic Sacrifices
Chapter 1: Transitions
Introduction
Introduction
Part 1: Carlsen - Yifan
Part 1: Smith – Lenderman Part 2: Iturrizaga - Mamedyarov
Part 2: Smith – Kelley Part 3: Gerzhoy – Smith
Part 3: Beltran – Jimenez
Chapter 5: Pawn Endgames
Chapter 2: Battle of Minor Pieces
Introduction
Introduction
Part 1: Smith - Wagner
Part 1: Smith - Rajkovic Part 2: Gelfand – Harikrishna
Part 2: Berg - Grandelius
Part 3: Onischuk – Shankland Chapter 6: Rook Endgames

Chapter 3: Initiative Introduction

Introduction Part 1: Pace Pietro - Smith

Part 2: Saraci – Ding Liren
Part 1: Holt - Smith
Part 2: Abdulov - Guseinov Conclusion
Part 3: Kaufman – Smith

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 Introduction: About This Course
1. Most club players spend far too little time studying endgames. They aren't familiar with essential
theoretical endgames, nor do they focus on developing good endgame understanding and
technique. However, decent endgame skills are vital for any aspiring chess player. They can enable
you to easily win apparently equal positions with only little imbalances or save half a point from
clearly worse positions. In this course, GM Bryan Smith shows you a lot of key techniques to
improve your endgame play.

2. Endgames can be divided into two categories – theoretical endgames and practical endgames.
Theoretical endgames feature positions in which the correct way of playing has already been
analyzed by strong chess masters and are well-known. Knowledge of these theoretical endgames is
key.

Example:

This image shows the Philidor position, a theoretical position in rook endgames. It is vital for any
aspiring chess player to know how to deal with this position when defending.

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Practical endgames, on the contrary, feature positions which frequently arise in the games of many
club players. These positions are more complex and more material is left on the board. There is no
single correct solution and hardly any theory to these endgames because there are too many
possibilities. Instead, you need to follow several guiding principles in order to successfully
navigate through them. Practical endgames are not about a concrete knowledge of positions but
about practical endgame skills.

Example:

This image shows a practical endgame position. There is no theory to learn about this position.
You can only use key guidelines and principles for practical endgames to evaluate the position and
come up with good moves.

In this course, GM Bryan Smith focusses on practical endgames rather than on theoretical
endgames. There are uncountable training sources which deal with theoretical endgames and it’s
definitely worth studying those. However, there are a only few good training sources on how to
approach practical endgames are available. Therefore, this course is devoted to this topic.

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3. Many of the practical endgame strategies presented in this course tend to repeat over and over.
These strategies can be seen as guidelines which you can use to navigate more confidently through
any endgame you get in your games. For this reason, you can regard these endgame techniques as a
mental toolbox which help you whenever it comes to endgames.

4. It’s key to not follow all the practical endgames principles blindly. These principles are just
guidelines to help you in most endgames, but they can’t be applied for every endgame. If you’re
playing a pawn ending and it comes down to a pawn race, for example, following the principle
“don’t hurry” is definitely counterproductive. Centralization of the king does not make sense in
every kind of endgame: if you have a queen endgame, you need to check whose king is safer. If
you play a rook endgame, you need to check whose king is more active.

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 Chapter 1: Transitions
1. In chess, some decisions are irreversible. Piece exchanges, for example, can’t be taken back.
Hence, you have to think twice which pieces to exchange in the endgame. Due to the reduced
material in endgame positions, it is even more important than in middlegames to exchange the right
pieces. The decision to exchange pieces in the endgame should never be made lightly. You always
need to carefully evaluate a possible transition to a certain type of endgame. In fact, these key
decisions of whether or not to trade and which pieces to trade is what separates average players
from great players.

2. After any exchange of pieces, you need to reevaluate the position. Stay objective when assessing
the position. If you constantly overestimate your position, for example, things will likely end
terribly.

The position in the diagram below is a good illustration of how difficult it can be to exchange
pieces in the endgame.

At first glance, the position looks completely winning for Black. He is a piece up for a pawn and it
seems to be only a matter of technique to seal the deal. In fact, however, it is far from clear how
Black can win this endgame.

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 There is only limited material on the board and White’s rook secures the second rank. Currently,
there is no clear target for Black in White’s camp. In the game, the Black player decided to trade
rooks with 1…Rb2 2.Rxb2 Bxb2 (see the diagram below).

Now, however, it turns out that White can hold this endgame with precise play. If White manages
to get rid of Black’s g-pawn, Black can’t win as his bishop controls the wrong color squares to help
the h-pawn to promote.

This endgame is also a good illustration why the knowledge of theoretical endgames is so
important for the attacker and the defender. If the defending player knows that it’s not possible for
Black to win with a rook’s pawn and a bishop that does not control the promotion square against a
White king in front of the pawn, he can actively aim for the exchange of the Black g-pawn. For the
attacking player, it’s also key to have this knowledge as he then knows which scenario he needs to
avoid.

3. The exchange of queens is an even more complicated topic than exchanging any other pair of
pieces. You can find plenty of examples by strong grandmasters who fail to make the correct
choice in these situations. In these critical positions, you need to thoroughly evaluate the resulting
position after the exchange of queens in order not to end up in a bad endgame. If you have enough
time on the clock, you should not rush with your decision.

In the following position, Black has offered an exchange of queens with 1…Qf7 (see the diagram
below).

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Yet, this is a crucial mistake as the pawn endgame is lost for Black. After 2.Qxf7+ Kxf7 3.Kf3!
(3.dxe6? e5! -+ and the Black king picks up the White d-pawn, White is going to win this endgame
(see the diagram below).

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When you go for an exchange of pieces, it’s also key to take notice of little details in the position.
These nuances play a tremendous role in the endgame. In the position above, for example, it’s key
that the White a-pawn is still on a2 and not on a3. The game continued 3…d5 4.Ke3 g6 5.h6 Ke7
6.Kd4 Kd7 7.Kc5 Kc7 (see the diagram below).

Now, White wins with 8.a3! which hands the opposition to White. Without this move, the position
would be equal.

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 Chapter 2: Battle of Minor Pieces
1. The Bishop vs Knight Imbalance is one of the most significant imbalances in chess. In theory, both
pieces are worth 3 points. However, both pieces are designed very differently from each other and
have their own strengths and weaknesses. For this reason, it is of paramount importance to be
familiar with some key guidelines in situations where the knight is stronger and in situations where
the bishop is stronger. Try to use your knowledge of the Bishop vs Knight Imbalance to stir the
position towards an imbalance that favors you.

2. One of the key advantages of a bishop over a knight is that bishops are long-range pieces. The
bishop can quickly move from one side of the board to the other. For this reason, bishops are
usually better than knights in endgames with pawns on both sides of the board. In pawn races, for
example, the bishop can fulfill an active role and a defensive role at the same time. The bishop is
able to support its own pawns on one wing while simultaneously dealing with the opponent’s
pawns on the other.

Moreover, bishops are preferable in positions where time is a factor. Normally, the bishop is the
superior piece in open positions because open positions are about time and speed.

The following diagram shows a good example of a bishop which is superior to a knight (see the
diagram below).

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 There are pawns on both sides of the board and the position is open. The bishop turns out to be
superior minor piece. It’s also key to notice that White is better in this position because bishop and
rook often combine better than knight and rook. The former are both long range pieces that can
control the whole board.

3. One of the main disadvantages of a bishop is that it can only travel on the squares of one color.
Therefore, the knight usually performs better in positions where time is not a factor. In closed
positions, for example, the knight has time to outmaneuver the bishop as it can reach every square
on the chessboard. A single bishop can only control half of the squares on the board.

In endgames with pawns only on one side of the board, knights often turn out to be better than
bishops because knights perform very well with limited territory.

Moreover, knights are excellent blockading pieces. If a knight has a stable outpost in front of an
isolated pawn, it is usually very well placed.

The following example shows a position where the knight is superior to the bishop.

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The knight has a nice central outpost on d5, blockading White’s weak isolated d-pawn and
controlling plenty of important squares. The White bishop, in contrast, is rather limited in it
options. It controls an empty diagonal and there is no clear way to improve its position.

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 Chapter 3: Initiative

1. It’s a common misconception among club players that endgames are only about strategic and
positional play, not about tactics, dynamics and the having the initiative. Like all other stages of the
game, having the initiative is of paramount importance. Just because there are only few pieces left
on the board, you must not stop looking to obtain the initiative.

2. In order to fight for the initiative, it is key to understand that activity is key in endgames. If you’re
on the defensive, try to activate your pieces instead of defending passively – even at the cost of a
pawn. Active pieces can be worth much more than a single pawn. Often, you can win an endgame
even a pawn down when your pieces are active enough.

3. It is also important to understand that having the initiative is a dynamic advantage, not a static one.
Dynamic chess is all about momentum. The first World Champion, Wilhelm Steinitz, said: “If you
have [a dynamic] advantage, you must use it immediately, or it will disappear”.

4. In order to keep the initiative, you constantly need to pose problems to your opponents. Keeping
the initiative means keeping the opponent busy by creating new threats with every more. Even if
your pieces are threatened, look for your own opportunities. Ask yourself if you can ignore your
opponent’s threat and launch a counterattack. The concept of ignoring your opponent’s threats and
activating your pieces as quickly as possible is worth remembering. Be aware of it during your
decision-making process at the chess board.

The following position is a good example of the fight for the initiative (see the diagram below).

It might be debatable if this position can be classified as an endgame or as a queen-less

middlegame. In any event, always look for ways to play dynamically. Here, the Black player
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sacrificed a pawn to obtain the initiative with the move 1…Nd4!? White wins a pawn after 2.Nxd4
cxd4 3.Rxd4 (see the diagram below), but Black’s pieces become very active.

After 3…Bc5 4.Rd2, Black can already sacrifice his rook on f2 with 4…Rxf2! (see the diagram
below).

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There are a number of ways that Black can react to this sacrifice. Yet, it’s not easy to find a good
defense over the board. One logical variation which quickly loses for White, for example, goes
5.Rxf2 Rf8 6.Ne3 (blocking the a7-g1 diagonal) 6…Nxe3 7.Rxf8+ Kxf8 (see the diagram below).

White is in huge trouble. 8.Bxe3 Bxe3 is mate and 8.h4 Ng4+ won’t help either. White has to give
up a lot of material to avoid a quick checkmate.

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 Chapter 4: Strategic Sacrifices
1. Many average club players like to play very solidly and aim to avoid different types of material
imbalances. Psychologically speaking, these players feel uncomfortable sacrificing a piece as they
don’t like to exchange a stronger piece (a rook – worth 5 points in theory) for a weaker one (a
knight or a bishop – worth 3 points in theory). This psychological effect is so strong that
sometimes players decline the possibility of sacrificing even without calculating and understanding
the details.

This is a bad habit which prevents you from reaching your full potential. For any aspiring chess
player, it’s of paramount importance to be able to deal with different material imbalances.

2. Sometimes, you can play strategic sacrifices in order to create a major imbalance and outplay your
opponent by proving that the compensation you get outweighs the material investment.

3. Often, when you make such intuitive strategic sacrifices, you can’t calculate them to the end and
have to make a decision. It’s impossible for any chess player, no matter how strong he is, to
calculate everything. Instead, you need to closely estimate the position, understand the exact
compensation you get and you need to make sure your opponent does not get strong counterplay.

4. One frequently occurring imbalance is that one player sacrifices an exchange in order to get some
form of compensation in return. Generally speaking, one key consideration to make before
sacrificing an exchange is to check if the opponent has useful open files for his extra rook. If the
opponent’s extra rook has no chance to become active, it’s more likely that sacrificing an exchange
is a sensible decision.

The game Carlsen – Hou from Wijk aan Zee 2018 is a good example (see the diagram below).

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In the position at hand, Carlsen, playing White, went for the exchange sacrifice 1.Rxc7! Rxc7
2.Nd6+ Kd7 (2…Ke7 would allow White to regain the sacrifice exchange with a discovered
check. Thanks to the superior piece placement, White would be close to winning in the resulting
endgame.) 3.Nxf7 Rcd8 4.Ne5+ Ke8 (see the diagram below).

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 In return for the long-term exchange sacrifice, White gained a pawn, well-centralized pieces and
two strong pawns on the c- and d-files which control several key squares. The game is by no means
over and Carlsen could not calculate all the complications arising from this sacrifice in advance,
but it seems that White, despite his material deficit, has the upper hand here. In the game, Magnus
managed to outplay Hou Yifan in a long endgame.

5. A simple example of a dynamic sacrifice is a temporary pawn sacrifice in order to activate your
pieces.

6. Moreover, a piece sacrifice vs one, two or more pawns is often seen in endgames. The evaluation
of these endgames usually depends on the coordination of the pawns. Are the pawns connected?
Are they passed pawns which can be pushed forward? Is there a chance to promote the pawns? All
these questions need to be addressed to evaluate such endgames correctly.

Generally speaking, in endgames, pawns increase in value as they have the possibility to reach the
opponent’s back rank and promote into a more valuable piece. While we often sacrifice a pawn in
the opening and middlegame, you need to be a lot more careful with your pawns in the endgame.
Still, sacrificing a piece for a passed pawn (a pawn with no opponent’s pawns in front on the same
file or on the adjacent files which prevents it from advancing to the opponent’s back rank) can be a
vital strategic sacrifice to break through.

The following diagram shows the power of such a strategic piece sacrifice (see the diagram below).

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Black has the chance to play 1…Bxa3 2.bxa3 Kxa3. The two connected passed pawns on the
queenside are very difficult to stop for White. Again, it’s tough to calculate every single defensive
setup for White. Instead, intuition plays a huge role. An experienced endgame player feels that the
two connected passed pawns make up for the piece.

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 Chapter 5: Pawn Endgames
1. Pawn Endgames tend to be one of the most difficult types of endgames as they require very
accurate calculation skills. In order to play practical pawn endgames well, it is absolutely essential
to learn theoretical pawn endgames first. You also need to be familiar with key principles in pawn
endgames like zugzwang, triangulation or having the (distant-)opposition. Knowing many
theoretical positions allows you to profit from this knowledge when calculating long lines more
effectively.

The following position is a good example of the importance of theoretical knowledge in practical
pawn endgames (see the diagram below).

It is Black to move in the position at hand. The most direct attempt for Black to win the f2-pawn
does not work. After 1…Ke4 2.Kg3 h4+ 3.Kxh4 Kd3 4.Kg4! Ke2? 5.Kg3 (see the diagram
below) it is even White who wins this endgame.

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It’s key to notice that the squares on e2 and g3 are mined. The player who reaches them first loses
the fight for the f-pawn (if Black has no extra tempo with his h-pawn).

The only winning move for Black in the starting position is the counter-intuitive 1…Ke5! 2.Kh3
Kd4 3.Kh4 Kd3 4.Kxh5 Ke2 -+ (see the diagram below).

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 GM Bryan Smith explains all the nuances in the video. Without any knowledge of theoretical pawn
endgames, it’s very difficult to find the win for Black.

2. Due to the fact that all the other pieces are exchanged, the activity of the king becomes of
paramount importance.

3. Avoid careless pawn moves in the endgame. Remember: pawns can only move forwards, and
never backwards. This is especially important in pawn endings as there are no other pieces (except
for the king) that can compensate for badly placed pawns.

4. Leave assumptions at the door in pawn endings. You can’t judge pawn endings by their appearance
but you have to calculate move by move.

5. Prophylactic thinking is of paramount importance in pawn endgames. You always need to consider
your opponent’s moves and ideas (not only your own) and try to prevent them.

The position at hand occurred in the game Gelfand – Harikrishna (see the diagram below).

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Gelfand, playing White, correctly noticed that his opponent wants to play …b5 on the next move, keeping
his pawn majority on the queenside flexible. Therefore, he played the prophylactic move 1.a4!, preventing
Black from making use of his pawn majority.

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 Chapter 6: Rook Endgames
1. In order to become a good endgame player, you need both knowledge of some key endgame
guidelines and the skill to calculate lines precisely. One little inaccuracy can change the result
dramatically. Tiny details like a single tempo make the difference in the endgame.

2. Rook endings are the most common types of endgames and frequently occur in practice. Together
with pawn endgames, rook endgames are the most fundamental endgames which need to be studied
by any aspiring chess player. Just like pawn endgames, rook endgames are also a concrete type of
endgames. However, with rooks on the board, rook endgames are faster than pawn endgames and
often more unpredictable due to various rook maneuvers that can easily be overlooked.

3. The evaluation of a rook endgame mainly depends on three factors:

- The Position of the Rooks
- The Positions of the Kings
- The Pawn Structure

4. Theoretical endgames are nobody’s favorite topic, but knowing the most important theoretical
endgames is vital to playing endgames accurately. Only if you know the most important theoretical
endgames can you aim for certain positions. If you don’t know the Philidor Position or the Lucena
Position, you can’t actively aim to reach those positions according to circumstances.

Knowing the most important theoretical endgames allows you to transpose from an unknown
winning practical endgame (with lots of difficult decisions to make) into a winning theoretical
endgame.

In the position at hand, for example, Black has a winning advantage as White’s king is far away
from the action (see the diagram below).

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Instead of trying to push his h-pawn forward, Black could have aimed for a Lucena Position with
1…Kg5 2.Rc8 Kf4 3.Rh8 Kxf3 4.Rxh4 Kxe4 (see the diagram below).

Black reaches the Lucena Position with his king in front of the pawn which would have won the
game easily.

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5. Precision is also crucial in rook endgames. Even in endgames that look winning, it is key to be
precise as there is a lot of room for mistakes. Small details make the difference. Try to avoid
superficial play under all circumstances.

Due to the concrete character of rook endgames, you also need to have a flexible mindset and
consider every possible move. Sometimes, even the most odd looking move turns out to be the
winning move.

In the position at hand, for example, Black has only one winning move which is somewhat
counter-intuitive (see the diagram below).

The logical moves 1…Rg3 and 1…h2 only lead to an equal position as White can bring his king
closer, grab the Black e-pawn, sacrifice his rook for the Black h-pawn and draw in a king + rook
vs. king + pawn endgame.

Therefore, Black has to find the move 1…Rh2! Black wins as after 2.Kb3 Rh1 3.Kc3 h2! 4.Kb2!
(see the diagram below).

The White king had to return as 4.Kd2? would have lost to the well-known skewer 4…Ra1!
5.Rxh2 Ra2+ -+. Now, the Black king can come closer and support the h-pawn. The White king
can’t help in defense and the White rook has to stay on the h-file.

6. Quality over quantity: In rook endgames, it is not about the quantity of pawns, but about the quality
of pawns. One advanced pawn can be far more dangerous than your opponent’s three pawns which
are still on their initial squares.

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