Understanding Chess Endgames | Two Pawns. Part 2

Learn pawn endgames with a grandmaster | This course is a Part 2 of the series

What you'll learn

The main objective is for you to know all the ideas that can happen in a two-pawn endgames

Most of the ideas covered would be aplicable in the endgames with more material

Queen vs Queen. When it is a win

Queen vs Pawn. The King is far away. Win

Queen vs Pawn. The King is far away. Draw

Queen vs Queen. Checkmate

Pawn vs Pawn. The Pawns just run to promotion

Pawn vs Pawn. The Kings get involved

The hardest Pawn Endgame ever

Requirements

You should know how the kings, pawns and queens move

It would be best if you are familiar with the material covered in Part 1 and One Pawn Only

Description

This course will help you understand what to do when two pawns are left on the board.It is a logical continuation of the course I dedicated to a one-pawn endgame, as well as the Understanding Chess Endgames | Two pawns. Part 1 I checked all the books on pawn endgames that I studied myself and selected all the important positions for you.I also added some of the positions that, in my view, were missing from the books I studied.I dedicated Part 1 of the series to all the relevant positions when the two pawns are standing on the same file or the files next to one another. In other words, we did not really have any passed pawns.This course fills that gap. However, the problem with the passed pawns is that they can be promoted to a queen! :-)That is why I am starting the course with the queen endgames. Only when you know what to do with the queens you will know what to do with your pawns.You will deliver checkmates, you will survive against the queen using stalemates. You will use beautiful chess geometry (not mathematical geometry) to catch the passed pawn two moves away from your king!You will understand the hardest pawn endgame that I have ever solved.  It will be a culmination of the ideas you will learn in this course. The beauty of the puzzle is that it contains only two kings and two pawns. And yet, it is filled with a lot of ideas from all the courses I dedicated to pawns. You will also get interactive access to all the positions described in the course on the free (and ad-free) website (lichess) where you will be able to analyze the positions online. This will deepen your understanding of endgames in general.Many of the principles and ideas taught in the course apply to endgames with many more pieces and pawns on the chessboard.The knowledge you will get from this course you will be able to use in any endgame you encounter!Learn and Master Pawn Endgames (Two Pawns | Part 2) with a Successful GrandmasterLearn what to do with your passed pawn and with your opponent's passed pawnStudy how to win with the queen against the pawnFind out which pawns can hold a draw against the queenAnticipate your opponent's actions to win the gameWin in queen endgames by winning the queen or giving checkmateLearn to use the principles of a square, shouldering, helping from the side, stalemate, and many othersDiscover the brilliant Reti principle which violates the rules of geometryThis course will enhance your understanding of the fascinating world of chess endgames.The course consists of 9 sections.Section 1 | Introduction: You will learn what this course is all about. There you will also find my position on the russian war against Ukraine.Section 2 | Queen wins the Queen: You will learn when the queen can win the queen.You will also learn how to take this information into account many moves ahead to secure your queen.Section 3 | Queen vs Pawn. The King is far away: You will discover when you can win with the queen against the pawn on the 2nd(7th) rank. You will learn against which pawns you cannot win with the queen.Section 4 | Queen vs Queen. Checkmate ideas: You will learn when you can checkmate the king when there are only queens on the chessboard.Section 5 | Queen vs Pawn. The King is close: You will understand when can you win against the pawn that can generally draw against the queen. Here, you will use the checkmate ideas and the stalemate ideas you have learned before.Section 6 | Pawn vs Pawn. Races. Promotion: You will find out when the pawn is far from promotion and yet it is a draw against the queen. You will learn how to successfully interfere with your opponent's plans with your king. You will deliver some beautiful checkmates on the way. Also, you will understand the solution to the hardest pawn endgame ever. It only has two pawns and yet even GMs are struggling with it!Section 7 | Pawn Races. No Obstacles: You will find out a few key ideas about the pawn races with no or little obstacles in the way.Section 8 | Rule of a Square. Reti Principle. The King is going in two directions at once:  You will learn to win tempos with your king to still make it to the square of your opponent's passer. You will enjoy the fascinating Reti principle. You will discover even bigger beauty in the improved Reti position. You will also learn when the Reti idea does not work. You will learn to dance with your king. You will be able to use most of the principles discussed in this and previous courses. Finally, you will use all the knowledge you got from the pawn endgame courses to deliver a surprising checkmate to the king in the last puzzle.Section 9 | Short Conclusion: You will hear the course summary. In the attachment, you will find a link to the free lichess study, where you can check all the positions discussed in the course.Who this course is for:- Beginner/hobby chess players who want to understand chess endgames better- Chess enthusiasts who are ready to build a foundation for their endgame play- Anyone who is interested in improving their endgame play- Chess players who want to play well and evaluate pawn endgames in a matter of seconds

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Introduction | Ukraine

Lecture 2 Introduction | What this course is all about

Section 2: Queen wins the Queen

Lecture 3 Check and Win

Lecture 4 Check, Check, and Win

Lecture 5 Pawn Endgame transposes to Queen Endgame. Thinking ahead

Section 3: Queen vs Pawn. The King is far away

Lecture 6 Queen wins against the Pawn on the second Rank

Lecture 7 Queen should win against the Pawn but does not. No Checks

Lecture 8 Queen cannot win against the Pawn on the second Rank

Section 4: Queen vs Queen. Checkmate ideas

Lecture 9 Quick Checkmates

Lecture 10 Long Checkmates

Section 5: Queen vs Pawn. The King is close

Lecture 11 Queen vs Pawn. The King is close

Section 6: Pawn vs Pawn. Races. Promotion

Lecture 12 One Pawn promotes much faster. Exception to the Rule

Lecture 13 Pawn vs Pawn. The King interferes. Queens. Checkmates

Lecture 14 Pawn vs Pawn. Shouldering. Queens. Checkmates

Lecture 15 The hardest Pawn Endgame ever explained!

Section 7: Pawn Races. No Obstacles

Lecture 16 The Pawns just run. Not as easy as you might think!

Section 8: Rule of a Square. Reti Principle. The King is going in two directions at once

Lecture 17 Jumping into the square-1

Lecture 18 Jumping into the square-2-Reti

Lecture 19 Jumping into the square-3-Reti does not work

Lecture 20 Reti+Square+Helping from the Side+Promotion with a Check

Lecture 21 Dancing Kings

Lecture 22 The King is doing two jobs at once

Lecture 23 Pawn Races. Most ideas in one position

Section 9: Short Conclusion

Lecture 24 Conclusion

Beginner and club level chess players who want to enhance their endgame play