Lesson 6 of 8

Endgame II: Piece Activity and Conversion

Convert winning positions by activating every piece, trading at the right time, and shutting down counterplay.

Practice puzzles

Lesson 6 — Endgame II: Piece Activity and Conversion

Last week you learned to finish games with queen mate and ladder mate. This week you learn what to do before the finish — turning "I'm winning" into an actual win.

By the end of class, you should be able to:

  • Tell an active piece from a passive piece
  • Put rooks on open files and the seventh rank
  • Trade pieces (not pawns) when you are ahead
  • Shut down opponent counterplay before pushing your advantage
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